Donnell Boucher, Director of Strength & Conditioning at The Citadel, Shares His Passion with PLAE

At the Citadel, a premier military college in Charleston, South Carolina, Boucher is a 10-year veteran, serving the varsity football and baseball teams among 11 sports in a student body of approximately 2300. As he and Coach Mac tour the 6,000-square-foot varsity weight room, he points out the prominent displays of the institution’s core values of honor, duty and respect on the weight lifting platforms.

“I believe you can always improve,” Boucher said. “No amount of success, no amount of achievement, would ever put me to a place where I felt like ‘that was it.’”

In terms of coaching philosophy, he explained, “Rather than making kids what we want them to be, I try to see what they can become – what it’s going to take to unlock their motivation. How can I get them to want to work hard, but also want to come back for more?”

In the episode, Boucher also touches on the unique Citadel environment, how his athletes and Citadel colleagues motivate him and the importance of “paying it forward” in the strength & conditioning coaching profession.

On a personal level, Boucher discusses the 2015 house fire in Massachusetts that took the lives of his grandmother and uncle, and the awe-inspiring response he received both from the Citadel and other strength & conditioning coaches around the country.

“We know that our thing is special, but to have that kind of support network and fraternal connection with people will put you beside yourself,” Boucher said. “It makes you realize that this community is strong.”

With a bachelor’s degree in health education from Worcester State (Massachusetts) and a master’s degree in health, exercise and sport science from The Citadel, Boucher is a NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and a certified strength and conditioning coach (SCCC) from the CSCCa.

“Donnell is a phenomenal coach and a phenomenal human being, and he exemplifies all that is good in our profession in a big, big way,” said McKeefery, who is the vice president of performance and education for PLAE.

Find this episode, at https://plaeperform.com/episodic/donnell-boucher/ or https://www.facebook.com/PLAEUSA/videos/1912534615430136/. The previous eight episodes of Beyond the Chalk, which began in January 2017, are available at www.plaeperform.com.

About PLAE

PLAE is redefining athletic flooring as a foundational component of every training space, creating active solutions that equip people to achieve their best selves. Pushing boundaries, pursuing innovation and harnessing technology and design are daily passions at PLAE. Boldly committed to raising the bar, PLAE drives powerful performance.