SAC Strength & Conditioning Mission Statement
The Strength & Conditioning Team at St. Andrew’s College is committed to providing safe, high quality, & level appropriate programming for students to build confidence in the weight room, and to potentiate performance in their respective athletic endeavours.
Our coaching staff are NSCA certified, committed to continuing education, and boast an impressive array of experience ranging from work with youth to professional athletes. Beyond the parameters of the weight room, we align our values and expectations with the school’s mission of building the complete & modern man and hold our student-athletes to the highest degree of accountability and character.
Coaching Overviews
Andrew Abes - Head of Strength & Conditioning
Coach Andrew Abes has an extensive background in sport coaching, teaching, and athletic development. During his early career, he served as a tennis professional and has coached high performance junior tennis across Ontario.
After graduating from Western University, Andrew spent two years working in a clinical rehabilitation setting as a kinesiologist before shifting into high performance in the independent school realm as both a teacher and strength coach at The Hill Academy. Here he worked with top youth athletes who are now playing and excelling at the professional and international level.
Andrew joined the SAC community serving as the Associate Head of Strength and Conditioning in March of 2021 and was appointed as Head of Strength and Conditioning in August of 2022. Here he oversees the sport science and programming for the nation’s top U18 prep hockey program in the country, as well as the 21 other sport programs throughout the season. He has served as an Associate Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Halifax Thunderbirds of the NLL. In the summer months, Andrew spends his day working with NHL prospects and players for offseason programs such as Grit Athletics and Gary Roberts HPT, while overseeing the SAC Summer Training Program.
Coach Abes holds a Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology and Minor in Psychology. He has served as a neurobehavioural lab assistant, teaching assistant, and upper year mentor in the Faculty of Health Sciences during his time at Western University of Canada.
Andrew is a Registered Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS/RSCC) through the NSCA, USA Weightlifting Certified Olympic Lifting Coach (USAW-1) and holds his Club Professional 1 (CP1) Certification through Tennis Canada and the Professional Tennis Registry.
Robin Ketcheson - Strength & Conditioning Coach
Robin has a background as both an athlete and a coach. She played varsity hockey at Queen’s University where she was a team captain, and later played semi-professionally in Australia.
Beyond her athletic career, Robin's coaching experience includes founding and operating a strength & conditioning and mentorship business tailored to female athletes, working as a freelance personal trainer, and most recently, working at a high-performance facility in Calgary as a strength and conditioning coach, training a diverse group of athletes ranging from NHL players to youth athletes.
Robin holds a Personal Trainer certification and has completed the Precision Nutrition Level 1 certification. She also holds a Juris Doctor and a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University.
