Joan Wenson

Joan Wenson is the consummate athlete and educator, who epitomizes the title of "Champion."

A National and World Sportaerobics Gold Medalist, road cyclist, former classical ballerina and renowned choreographer, Joan strives to bring each sport she undertakes to a new level of excellence. Her background covers over 30 years of teaching dance and group fitness whereas she has presented professional workshops nationally and internationally for over 20 years.

With incredible tenacity of body, mind and spirit, the "thrill of victory" has not come without obstacles. A B.A. graduate from the University of Cincinnati, Joan danced with the Cincinnati and Cleveland Ballet Companies and Royal Ballet School in London until an ankle injury abruptly shortened her career. Trading her point shoes for a pair of aerobic shoes, she emerged to capture the National and World Sportaerobics Championship titles in 1990 and 1991, respectively. Her indelible mark is stamped on the sport as the first athlete to have "signature moves" named after her. The "Wenson Push-Up" and the "Wenson Straddle Push-Up" are scored elements that have become fundamental for the elitist in the sport.

In 1991, a devastating water-skiing accident nearly severed Joan's leg, and doctors' prognosis all but extinguished any hope of regaining her competitive skills. Against all odds, Joan astounded everyone by claiming not one, but two World Sportaerobics Bronze medals in the Single and Mixed Pair categories at the 1993 World Aerobic Championship!

Upholding the philosophy there are no coincidences in life, Joan attributes the accident to introducing her to new protocols that positively affected her teaching and personal training business. Among them was cycling, which played a key role in her physical rehabilitation and soon became her primary sport of choice. Joan continues to train as a road cyclist on a Southern California racing team.

Joan now serves as the Director of Education for the LeMond Academy and is responsible for developing and implementing all group fitness programs that are presented and taught by an elite team of Master Trainers. Joan has performed and instructed with Greg LeMond on four DVD's for group cycling enthusiasts and three more indoor cycling training programs for ACE and Healthy Learning.

Certified by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the Aerobic and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) as a Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer, Joan's triumph over adversity has singled her out as one of the nation's leading fitness professionals. She has been featured on local, national, and international news programs. In between her travels and commitment with LeMond Fitness, she teaches group exercise classes at the Sports Club/LA Orange County in Irvine, California.

On a final personal note, 2006 proved to be another challenging health year as Joan experienced a V-Fib cardiac arrest generated by a blood clot shooting through an undetected PFO in May while teaching an indoor cycling seminar in Salt Lake City, Utah at the Daybreak Community Center for a group of students. Life savers Eric Aragon and Pediatrician, Dr. Tim Duffy who administered CPR for 13 minutes proved to be the guardian angels that largely contributed to saving her life. When asked about her experience she comments, "I am very thankful to the men who didn't stop working to keep me alive. The percentages were against me as each doctor I encountered said that I shouldn't be here today according to the circumstances. But, I know that God is in control and He will determine my last day on earth. He has given me more time to serve Him and that I shall gratefully continue to do."