Meet The Team
Josh Fontana
Founder, Director Of Strength & Conditioning
Josh Fontana has become on of the most sought after Performance Coaches in Durham and the GTA. As someone who grew up playing sports and hockey in particular at a high level, Josh learned the value of a good training regiment and lifestyle pertaining to performance. He founded Pure Strength Academy in 2011 and went from working with 5 hungry young athletes to over 1000 athletes in various sports to date. He has earned a reputation not only for helping clients achieve amazing results, but also as someone who is trustworthy and cares immensely for each person he works with. Josh's years of experience as an athlete and a coach has come with many successes, obstacles and even failures, but has all contributed to the development of a system that covers the full spectrum of performance optimization and gets players in the best physical and mental shape of their lives. Josh and the Pure Strength team has also helped several athletes prepare for showcase events, including the OHL Combine, NHL Combine, NHL Development and Main Camps, NFL/CFL Combines, Football Pro Day and Track & Field Meets.
Alex Fontana
Coach, Strength & Conditioning
Alex brings a wealth of experience to the table as a current professional football player and someone who has battled adversity and competed at a high level his whole life. Alex was a multi-sport athlete growing up, but focused his attention on football through high school with aspirations on a scholarship. He was the first Canadian Player to compete in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and after playing high school football in Connecticut and Junior College, Alex earned himself a scholarship to the University of Houston in 2016 and helped the Cougars to a historical ranking of #5 in the nation. In 2018, Alex transferred to the University of Kansas where he finished his college football career and graduated with a Masters in Economics. In 2019, Alex was drafted 7th overall by the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL and currently plays for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Alex knows what it takes to play at the highest level and uses his experience to help young athletes excel both physically and mentally.
Dallas Skopeleanos
Director, Health & Nutrition
Dallas Skopeleanos is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner specializing in digestive and hormonal health. After graduating from The Institute of Holistic Nutrition in 2016, Dallas interned at Gary Roberts High Performance Training under the guidance and mentorship of Sylvie Tetrault, a highly respected nutritionist in the sports performance world. Dallas joined the Pure Strength Academy team as the sports nutritionist in 2017 and has worked with numerous athletes since, from various levels and sports to help them gain an understanding of good eating and lifestyle habits and the importance of nutrition in relation to performance. Dallas's system includes a 4-stage program where she ensures each athlete is confident with the information and consistently implementing recommendations before graduating them to next steps. Dallas's main focuses for the athletes include bio-individual nutrition, macronutrient portions and timing, hydration, sleep and supplementation for optimal performance and recovery.
Tony Sharpe
Speed Coach, Former Olympian
Tony Sharpe is a former Team Canada Sprinter who's athletic accomplishments include an Olympic bronze medal in the 4x100 metres relay and a finalist in the 100 metres in Los Angeles in 1984, a silver medal in the 4x100 metres relay at the 1982 Commonwealth Games and competed in the first World Championships in 1983. Tony is currently the Head Coach of the Speed Academy Athletics Club based in Pickering, Ontario, which he founded in 2006. The Speed Academy has produced numerous national team members, with eleven of its athletes representing Canada at international competitions in 2015. Sharpe has also developed more than thirty scholarship athletes, including his own twin daughters. Amongst the athletes Sharpe has coached and mentored is Olympic Gold medalist Andre De Grasse. Tony brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the off-season program and helps our athletes understand the mechanics of efficient movement and how to maximize their speed.
Tate Philips
Director, Hockey Development
Tate Philips brings his experience as a former professional hockey player in Europe and years of coaching and developing young elite level, CHL and NHL caliber players and stars. For over 25 years, his development and mentoring has successfully helped players reach their highest potential with success and results in winning Stanley Cups, Conn Smythe, Selke, Calder, Lady Byng, and Maurice Richard trophies as well as Olympic Gold medals. His services have been sought out by NHL players such as Ryan O’Reilly, Alex Pietrangelo, Jeff Skinner, and several more. Tate's purpose for TP1 is to build the most comprehensive and focused development programs in today’s hockey landscape, that can offer a player a highly individualized best in class training platform to succeed in achieving their hockey potential and goals. TP1 mentored players will be team leaders, goal focused, trusted, and respected players in all situations on and off the ice.
Vince Tarantino
Coach, Skills & Skating
Vince brings more than twenty years of on-ice development experience working with players from minor to professional levels, including the NHL. Vince's hockey career includes Junior A. for the Bramalea Blues, an NCAA scholarship with the SUNY-Potsdam Bears and professional hockey in the IHL, ECHL and other leagues. Vince currently works with the Niagara IceDogs (OHL) as the Director of Player Development & Evaluation, Skills Coach and Scout.
Chris Beckford-Tseu
Goaltending Coach & Consultant
Chris is a former Professional Goaltender, playing in the NHL, AHL and ECHL. Chris grew up as a top goalie within the province and was drafted 91st overall in the 2000 OHL Draft. Throughout his OHL career, he played for the Guelph Storm, Oshawa Generals and Kingston Frontenacs. In 2003, Chris was drafted to the NHL in the fifth round, 159th overall, by the St. Louis Blues. After a lengthy Professional Career, Chris returned to Toronto and opened "Professional Goaltending Development," where he young and upcoming talented goalies. Chris is currently the Goalie Coach for Ryerson University Men's Hockey and Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL.
Dr. Vasko Grujovski
Director of Sports Therapy
Vasko Grujovski, is a graduate of York University’s Kinesiology and Health Sciences program. He continued his education and earned his Doctorate in Chiropractic in 2010 from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. While attending CMCC, Vasko received his certification in Medical Acupuncture through McMaster University where he is also in the process of receiving his certification in Neurofunctional Sports Performance.
His career experiences involve treating professional and amateur athletes in the NHL, AHL, OHL, CFL and MLS. He has also worked extensively with the general population treating chronic and/or work related over-use type injuries. Vasko’s approach to therapy involves a detailed assessment of the mechanical dysfunction that patient’s present with and designing a treatment plan that will alleviate pain and restore proper function. Vasko’s goal is to provide you with the latest in evidence-based manual medicine that will enhance recovery, help you perform optimally or get you on your way to being pain-free and moving optimally.
Brittany Davies
Restorative Movement & Wellness
Brittany Davies is a Certified Joga Coach in the Toronto area. Brittany has trained extensively in various styles of dance for most of her life, and has been dancing professionally since 2012. In addition to her career as a Dancer, she is one of the top Joga Coaches in the province, as she was mentored by Jana Webb, the founder and creator of the Joga Program. Over the past 3 years, Brittany's Joga experiences include amateur, university and professional athletes including teams such as the New Jersey Devils, the Houston Rockets, the Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguin players and many others who shall remain unnamed due to privacy agreements.
JOGA is a three dimensional neuromuscular movement system that bridges the gap between the science of yoga breathing/relaxation with the biomechanics of sports.
JOGA cultivates results as it optimizes the human system with a strategic focus on integrating the subsystems of the body. Essentially we have hacked traditional yoga and created a system that thrives on efficiency, results and optimal human performance and is used by the best athletes and sports teams world-wide.
