Tom Cunningham, CSCS

For as long as Tom Cunningham can remember, sports have been an integral part of his life. Growing up under the guidance of a father who played football for the University of Iowa, Tom was raised in the exciting and dynamic environment of athletics. While Cunningham’s childhood was intertwined with various sports, his category of favorites consisted of football and basketball. He practiced and played these sports with great devotion. Cunningham was able to draw his drive partly from his opportunities to play against NBA and Division 1 athletes. One of his most significant inspirations growing up was Derek Rose, whose personal story of coming from nothing to achieving substantial success was one that stuck with Cunningham. Playing against him, as well as watching Derek Rose rise from his lowest to highest point as a career basketball player motivated Tom Cunningham at the time and still motivates him today to rise to a high level of work ethic. From this experience, Cunningham was able to witness a new perspective of perseverance, grit, and talent. From that point on, Tom was sure that his passion lay in helping these kinds of athletes develop. Tom is excited to take on a position at Gillette Physical Therapy, a place where he is confident that the staff and overall clinic mission will provide him with opportunities to learn and grow. 

There are many aspects about Tom Cunningham that qualify him for his position at GPT. Not only does he have ample personal, athletic experience through playing with and against Division 1 and NBA athletes, he also has a degree in Exercise Science from Wisconsin, has spent significant amounts of time training and developing athletes in Chicago, and has worked as a personal training counselor at LA Fitness. In any setting, Cunningham loves helping athletes progress and accomplish goals that are both simple and complex. He is also intrigued by the challenge of finding small details that might make the biggest difference in performance. Tom’s passion, interest, skills, and drive all help him in being the successful strength coach he is. A factor that additionally contributes to this is his previous and current access to good mentors and top-tier athletes. His encounters with these people have taught him a lot, including living by the motto, “Don’t make easy goals just because they’re easy, make goals that make you grow.”

Even when Tom isn’t at work, he loves to be active through activities like playing basketball, though now he views it more as a mental focus exercise that helps him clear his mind rather than a form of exercise. Alongside remaining physically active, Cunningham works hard to remain active in the community despite his newness to Gillette. Currently, Tom is finding ways to plug into the town and focuses on being open, helpful, caring, and intentional in forming valuable relationships with coworkers and clients alike.

While Tom loves being active in many ways, he recognizes the equal importance of rest. In order to relax, Cunningham enjoys spending time with friends, watching movies, and being with family. Family is an important aspect of Tom’s life. He is very proud of his loud, Irish family from the South Side of Chicago, and cherishes his supportive sisters and brothers. Cunningham is thrilled to be apart of the GPT team and is an exciting and talented addition to the clinic!