LGND Ambassador: Dominique Sanders Pursues the Unordinary
Some people are born with an innate desire to compete, to challenge themselves and to push others to do the same. Dominique Sanders is among those rare figures and is proud to join the ranks of LGND Ambassadors.
Dominique – or as he’s known to many as Coach Sanders – has established himself as a leader in his community. Growing up in Ohio, he loved playing basketball, going all-star and becoming the team captain in high school. He was determined to prove himself as an athlete and led by example: even while working a full-time summer job, he never missed a single off-season workout. It’s the type of dedication that’s hard to find, but it’s what Dominique is made of.
Despite initially not considering it himself, others recognized his natural ability to lead and encouraged Dominique to coach. It was then he realized what an incredible impact a good coach can have on individual students and communities. Coaching and working with kids quickly became a passion and it’s a responsibility he doesn’t take lightly. Today, Dominique works as a high school PE teacher, as well as teaching special needs courses and athlete-specific health classes. Further, he’s the head basketball coach, helping teens through what are undoubtedly some of the most formative years of their lives. When he entered his senior year of high school, Dominique was diagnosed with a heart murmur. Luckily, the doctor still allowed him to play sports, but the diagnosis threw a wrench in his long-term plans. With no D1 offers for college, Dominique played club basketball while majoring in physical education. Later on, Dominique pursued a master’s degree in health education in addition to becoming a certified personal trainer. As if he wasn’t busy enough, Dominique began training for men’s physical fitness competitions and ended up competing with NPC at the national level.
“Going from being an athlete to coaching is a rewarding and eye-opening experience,” says Dominique. “It’s fulfilling for me to watch students compete and grow as individuals.”
LGND’s “Leave Your Mark” philosophy deeply resonated with Dominique. After getting in touch with LGND founders Patrick and Chris, Dominique realized he could offer even more value to his community – both in-person and with his 10.5k Instagram followers – as a LGND Ambassador.Dominique is an invaluable mentor to dozens of young athletes on and off the court, to those involved in his online fitness program and an inspiration for when it comes to helping others and hard work. He instills a sense of pride, confidence and responsibility in everyone he comes in contact with.
“You have to do the unordinary,” Dominique explains.
Dominique is certainly anything but ordinary. His journey hasn’t been ordinary, and his outlook isn’t ordinary either. But, it’s because of his unordinary perspective, personal philosophy and commitment to others that has led him to success. Some might measure success by getting a paycheck. Others might define success as winning the basketball championship. But what’s truly successful and fulfilling in Dominique’s eyes is having the ability to reach out and help others meet their goals too.