Olympics athletes find training edge at Bonita Springs facility

The Winter Olympics might be synonymous with snow and ice, but some of the world's top athletes have found an ideal training environment in Southwest Florida.

A training center in Bonita Springs has prepared more than a dozen Olympians for the global stage.

Professional hockey player Ryan Gunderson trains at Matterhorn Fit in Bonita Springs.

"Whatever you can do to get through the humidity down here, but I think training-wise, it does help you to be more resilient," said Gunderson, who competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Gunderson has been training at the facility since it opened. His intense workouts in the southwest Florida heat and humidity helped him prepare to represent the U.S. during the 2018 Winter Olympics.

"I think just going out for the first game, and then hearing the USA chant and kind of just taking a minute to look up into the stands and see the surroundings was probably the best part," said Gunderson.

Since its inception, more than a dozen winter Olympians, including hockey players and figure skaters, have trained at Matterhorn Fit, with some bringing home medals.

"We were just fortunate to be able to work with them and have a small part in their journey and try to help them prepare the best they can," said Ryan Veces, CEO and co-founder of Matterhorn Fit.

Veces and his co-founder and Director of Health and Performance, Sean Sullivan, are applying an Olympic-level mindset to all clients, not just elite athletes.

"We take those same principles made for Olympic and professional athletes, and we scale them across all different ages and abilities," said Veces.

"The Olympics, that's the pinnacle for people, for a lot of athletes,” said Sullivan. “And just for regular everyday people, they're trying to aspire to be a little bit better every day.

With their focus on individual goals, Matterhorn Fit is helping everyone go for the gold, one rep at a time.