Sam Smith
Sam has had quite the experience when it comes to athletic endeavors. At the age of 9, he decided to pursue competitive golf and never looked back. His dedication to the sport and a desire to reach his true potential landed him a golf scholarship at the University of Southern California where he played from 2009-2013. He graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Communication with an emphasis in Sports Psychology and Interpersonal Communication. Throughout his junior and college career he attained multiple honors:
- No. 1 ranked 2008-2009 Junior Golfer in California
- 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Division I PING All-West Region
- 2010, 2011 All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention
- 2012, 2013 All-Pac-10 2nd Team
- 2013 All-American
- 2013 USC record tying 62 (-10) in first round of NCAA Regionals
- 2013 National & USC 36-hole scoring record 126 (-18) at NCAA Regionals
- 2012, 2013 Team Captain
Towards the end of his golf career, he quickly found that his purpose in life laid elsewhere. Starting in 2013, Sam began working full-time as a coach to further his understanding and knowledge of helping others in health and fitness. His coaching practice took on many different forms in the early years: coaching classes, personal training hours, 1:1 remote coaching, high school and college team coaching.
This vast array of experiences acted as a perfect introduction to the coaching practice and allowed him to identify what he wanted to focus on in the next chapter of his journey. Early in his college years he came across CrossFit and was instantly hooked. Fascinated with the methodology and the Sport of Fitness, it asked for more of his attention. This led to a deep investigation of the sport, coaching, sport performance, sport psychology, and movement.
In early 2017, he was offered a coaching position from James FitzGerald (founder of OPEX Fitness). Without hesitation, he moved to Arizona in June of that year to work under James as a remote coach. Through mentorship from James and Mike Lee, Sam embarked on the journey of pursuing coaching as a career rooted in helping others reach their physical potential.
Since moving to Arizona, Sam has worked with hundreds of individuals across all ages and abilities. Through the practice, he’s identified the importance of developing an enduring relationship with each individual. And in order for the relationship to endure, it must be built on trust between the coach and the client.
Sam’s current clientele is quite broad and from across the world. His clients range from those seeking to reach the pinnacle of their sport (CrossFit, Running, Hyrox, Triathlon, Golf) to those wanting to enjoy lifelong health and fitness. Sam has coached over a dozen individuals to the CrossFit Games and over 50 CrossFit Regional/Semifinal/Sanctional appearances.Sam is also an educator.
Since 2021, he has been offering Coaching Mentorship. A 1:1 online mentorship program geared towards helping upgrade a coach’s practice across all areas of their work.
When Sam isn’t designing programs, consulting with clients, or working with fitness coaches, he enjoys spending time with his wife, playing golf, tennis, reading books, and building memories with his family.
Hear from some of Sam Smith's clients
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I had started my journey with OPEX prior to working with Sam, searching for a way to upgrade my coaching abilities to better serve my clients through their CCP program. I never considered their rem...
Michael Van Bourgondien
Owner Undivided Athletics
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I've been working with Sam for a year now and can honestly say it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. Getting a coach who you trust to have your best interest in mind takes the weight off of you as...
Samantha Burkhart
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4x Regional Athlete 1x Games Team Athlete Sam has been my coach for the last couple of years, starting with him in hopes to fix a gaping hole in my game: my aerobic system. Ever since working with...
Chris Detmering
4x Regional Athlete / Games Team Athlete
