Friday Hybrid at Hyde Park always carries with it an air of festivity, but this was a particularly special end to the week. Ty and I hung around after class to enjoy a couple cool beers and some hot takes in the shade of that Shop’s recently erected outdoor shade tent. Read on to learn more about this shy but social Shop standout!
Coach Chad: What was that Eric?
Hybrid attendee, Eric Freytag: Dane Krager, bad coach or worst coach at Dane’s Body Shop?
That is a fabulous question and a great way to start this Shop Athlete Spotlight Interview with Ty Lapinski- what is your opinion Ty?
Ty Lapinski: Well, he definitely isn’t the worst.
Oh! That is going to be the title of this interview: “Dane Krager: Definitely not The Worst”. Who is the worst coach?
I’m going to go with John, because he can never finish a class on time- he always runs over.
Why do you suppose that is?
Time management skills, lots of talking. He is the one who talks about Shop news updates.
Gotchya- well that is actually very good of him!
Eric: *laughing* You guys have fun, I’ll see ya later!
So I did a little bit of deep diving to research you before this interview- I got on the dark web… that’s right, instagram! You have three emoticons on your profile, do you know what they are?
One is a swimmer, one is headphones, and the other one is a laptop?
A weightlifter actually. I know that you lift weights and that you are a swimmer, so I wanted to start off talking about the headphones. Do you just like music a lot or do you make music?
It has been a Covid hobby, but I’ve always had a passion for music. I picked up a mixer and I’ve been producing stuff. I’ve had friends who have done it for years, so I just started making music and playing shows. In Zilker Park, we have a thing we do once a month called “Beats in the Park”. We go out there with a generator and then three or four of us will play for a few hours.
That is really fun. What type of music?
Um… I play a little bit of everything. I try to make more modern beats with older songs.
I’m completely ignorant about the process of creating electronic music. Do you just grab samples and mix them together?
There are a bunch of ways you can do it. You can download songs and mix them with others- pull the vocals off one and put beats from another song in to make it kind of a different song. You can speed it up or slow it down. As you’re playing throughout (a set) when you move between songs, to have a seamless transition, you have to be at kind of the same tempo. It is fun! I work a lot during the week, so it is just one of those things where I can decompress and make music. I was never musically inclined growing up- I played the trumpet, but I didn’t like it that much- I wanted to play drums but I ranked very poorly in the percussion instruments. It kind of came full circle- that there was a way to make music but it didn’t have to be with an instrument. I like playing live shows because it is kind of exposing people to music they had never heard of before.
You make gateway drug music!
There you go!
Do you have any artists that were particularly influential for you?
There is a label called Anjunabeats- the people who made it are called “Above and Beyond” and they go way back- they are a very niche genre part of EDM music. They got into the form because of Moby and are kind of the founding fathers of this type of music- even some of the more well known stuff like Kygo. There is a guy named Jason Ross that is my all time favorite- I usually have a hat on that has his logo. I wasn’t always into this type of music- I used to be into more rock music, but I kind of evolved as I exited high school into this other realm. So now I can combine some of the music I listened to back then with what I listen to now.
That’s really cool. So you grew up in Austin?
Yeah, I was born in San Antonio, then my parents moved here when I was four and pretty much lived here my whole life. I tried going to Florida for my first year of college-
What was that about? Just trying something new?
I was recruited for swimming at FAU (Florida Atlantic University)- I thought it was going to be awesome, like 5 minutes from the beach, a newer University, Coach Bean went there… But then I remembered coming back for Thanksgiving and then getting on the plane to go back to Florida and I felt like I was going to cry. I saw my future flashing before my eyes and started to think that if I stayed in Florida I would be stuck in Florida.
What did that future look like? What does Florida Ty look like?
If you’ve never been to Florida, it is a fun place to visit, but living there is quite the different experience. You hear about it on the news and think, “there is no way it could be so crazy!” but it definitely is.
I like that Florida is catching some strays here. Tell me what you were most proud of as a swimmer in college?
Funny- my year in Florida was my best year as a swimmer ever.
Because you always have alligators chasing you?
Exactly! I came back to Austin and realized that swimming wasn’t a be all and end all for me. The biggest thing for me (at Southwestern University in Georgetown) was when I came in there were only 10 people-which isn’t even a whole team- but then a new coach came in and we had a great recruiting class that I got to be a part of to build this whole program up from nothing. Now they’ve won a whole bunch and so looking back it is cool to think that I was a part of that recruiting class that came in and set the tone for the rest of the program. I had a few records.
Do any of them still stand?
I think one does.
How many steroids did you have to take to get those records?
*laughing* Thankfully none!
Oh guys, you can’t see it, but he just winked at me. Okay, okay, I gotcha. So now you work in tech?
Yes I do. It is funny, I have always been competitive with sports and even with my career- it isn’t the same thing- but I always want to be working on the next thing.
Pivoting back to this place, how did you end up at Dane’s Body Shop?
I heard about it a long time ago. Funny story- I originally heard about it from a dating app.
Oh, so that ad space we bought on Grindr really worked!
*big laughter* It was actually on Tinder, but that is fine as well. I have a coworker named Trent Walker who used to come to the Shop and I’m trying to get him to come back- not sure if he gets these newsletters or not… Trent Walker! But (he and his roommate) lived close to the Hyde Park Shop and they suggested that I check it out. So I did and I just loved it. So three years later, here I am and I tell everyone about it!
If you’ve got other things about The Shop that you love, jump back in- but I wanted to circle back to the music thing. As such a fan of music, is there a coach that just hits you right with the music?
Unfortunately, Mitch isn’t here any more-
I was going to guess that based on what you described.
Stormie and Bean are also really good. Sometimes Bean lets me take over the music for a class. I can give you the worst…
That is normally the way I frame the question!
It is definitely Keith *laughing*. But now that I am thinking about it, I’m probably the worst. Keith gave me his phone number so I could send him some playlists. I was playing music during class and he said, “I really like the music you’re playing- could you send me the playlist?”. And um… I forgot.
That is funny because Keith called me up one evening in February, and he was crying. He said, “I’ve lost it”. Then I said, “What did you lose Keith?”. And he responded “All of my ability to have faith and trust in another human. A member who told me they’d send me a playlist just didn’t.”.
Oh, well now I feel really bad. Big beefy exterior but a teddy bear underneath eh?
He’s a gentle person. Aside from a unique music bond with coaches, do you have any members that you’ve created a relationship with?
Oh man, I’m shy. At The Manor Shop, there are some people that I will be talkative with in class- do you know Mark?
Is he the doctor?
Oh, there are two Marks- Mark Murray is a doctor- but there is Mark and Leo. And then JP. We’re all pretty talkative. I’m a more reserved person- I’ll wait for you to come to me.
You’re like a kitty cat!
I’ve been told that I’m not approachable, that I’ve got “resting bitch face”.
I don’t know that that is true!
I haven’t been told that at The Shop, but like at the office. But, I mean, I’m sitting in front of a computer!
Fu** whoever said that, you can have a computer bitch face!
Well I am approachable- you can always say hi to me.
And you were working out with Brian yesterday-
Yes, Brian is my boyfriend and we live together on the east side. I’ve been going to The Shop for three years and I’ve been with Brian for two years-
So you get all buff and sexy at The Shop and snag a dreamboat like Brian- I see!
Exactly! So I convinced him to come over to Dane’s in the fall and I think he’s loving it.
And you two give one another shit when you workout. Do you have fun working out together
Oh yeah! People think we’re nuts- like don’t you spend enough time together at home (we both work at home due to Covid)? But we like being around each other. Even outside of Dane’s though, we give each other shit. Brian doesn’t go around saying it, but he used to do a lot of Crossfit and he is certified, so I always throw that in his face. If he’s introducing himself to a coach I always tell the coach that and just walk away. I like to plant that seed.
Just throwing a little bomb on his lap.
We have fun! But yeah even though I love my job, working out here helps to relieve stress and everyone is super nice and friendly.
When I was Instagram stalking you, I scrolled all the way down on your feed-
Oh god! There are some photos of me with like diamond earrings and I look like such a douche-
You look adorable! But there are a number of photos of you with really lovely women. Sometimes it is two or three really lovely women. If I didn’t have a greater context of you, I’d be thinking “this guy is big pimpin!”.
After living in the dorms, I lived off campus with three girls who were all on the swim team. It wasn’t until late in college that people really knew that I was gay. People would be like, “If Ty doesn’t show up to this party, then none of the girls show up- what is going on?”. They didn’t realize that I was the gay best friend. I have a twin sister and my mom who were both involved with me growing up (my Dad just traveled a lot for work), so talking to women has always been very easy for me- not just because of the gay thing, it is just who I grew up with. All of my bosses have been women- I’ve been very fortunate to work with a lot of really amazing women. With everything going on in diversity with tech right now- it is just really cool that I’ve learned so much from women throughout my life.
I had a similar experience! I had a wonderful father, who has passed, but he traveled a lot growing up, so it was my incredible sister and mom and my aunt and her daughters. I’ve had amazing women as drama teachers and bosses- I’m always looking for the coolest woman in the room. Even though I’m straight, I’ve always been happy to be in the roll of gay best friend.
*laughing* Now that I think about it, without realizing it, these women that I hung out with from my swim team in college were kind of my beard!
I love it- accidental beard!
I’m all about equality. At work, we had a webinar about advocacy and I spoke about my female mentors… I’ve had male mentors too. But what I was advocating was that if you’re a man you should have female mentors, not just male mentors. Also, if you’re a woman you should have male mentors and not just female mentors. I’ve always had a mixture of both and it has been a great experience. But I’ve always had respect for women in my field- if you’re in tech and you are a woman or you aren’t white, you sometimes have to try twice as hard-
Wait, Ty! Are you telling me the tech industry is dominated by white men?
Surprise right?!?!?
Interview over! I have to do some research on this! I think that is fantastic that you have a leadership voice in advocacy within your company. Okay, so now you have the opportunity to make one strong woman very happy and one strong woman very sad. I asked the coaches who had questions for you, and Autumn wanted me to ask if you like her or Stormie better. So who is it?
Oh no! This has been going on for like two years!
What started this?
I used to go to Autumn’s classes and then Stormie was doing a lot of afternoon classes. So I used to have flexibility to take classes earlier in the afternoon-
I feel like you’re filibustering the question.
I know right? I’m trying to run out of time so I don’t have to answer. Anyway, if you asked me now it would have to be Stormie…
Oh! Oh wow!!! Dayumn!!!
Because Autumn has not even been present in my life of late and I have heard that there have been people invited to Autumn’s home recently and I have yet to get an invite. I heard there was an Easter situation?
So Stormie has the belt. Does Autumn have a chance to win it back?
She does. But, as I was saying earlier, she might have to work twice as hard.
*exploding with laughter* In improv, we call that a callback Ty. That is brilliant.
And now we have a “Lil Stormie” who is subbing from time to time. Blair.
Lil Stormie?
That’s what she told me her nickname was! She said people confuse her for Stormie because they are both blonde and have a similar frame, she’s just shorter. She and Stormie both also work at UT apparently. But she is great- helping a lot with my push press.
That makes me so happy. Blair is the first new coach that I have sort of been in charge of bringing onto the team and I’m incredibly proud of her. Stormie too! We worked together at a shitty gym and so when I made it over to the Shop, I was like we need to get this awesome Stormie woman over here. I think this is a good time to transition to some random questions. As a music loving person, I like this unifying theme we’ve had, you walk into a room and a song plays as the Ty theme. What is it? Maybe you’re a wrestler and it is your entrance music.
Laura Branigan has a song called “Gloria” that the St. Louis Blues play. So I’m thinking about that playing as I’m swimming and walking up to the block.
I was terrible at sports as a kid, but I got really into baseball because I was slightly less embarrassing at that sport- still the worst kid on the team by far. But I was really serious about it so I had a pump up song that I had my mom play on the short ride to the ballpark before every game. And that song was “Fancy” by Reba McEntire. I even named my bat “Fancy”. There probably aren’t any weirder pump up song choices than that-
* laughing* Oh I’m sure you could go weirder, but that is pretty out there.
The next question is very theoretical and high concept- some magical being offers you a deal: you get $10,000 every year for the rest of your life and the only catch is that at one meal each year, could be the first meal or the last meal, you will find a live angry scorpion. Do you take the deal?
For $10,000 a year? I don’t think I want it!
I’m so with you! And you and I are in the minority based on responses I’ve heard.
Really? I have to say that when they get to that sandwich and they lift up the bun and see that scorpion, they will be like “never mind, you keep the money!”
Yeah! Burritos, sandwiches, chicken pot pies- you won’t enjoy your meal! Thank you Ty, I’m glad you’re with me.
I am not a bug person at all.
I’ve asked people a question along the lines of if a movie was made of your life, what genre would it be? who would direct it? who would portray you in the movie?. You can answer any of those, but I’m going to spin it for you and ask if someone were to make a film specifically of your experiences in class at The Shop, what kind of film would that be? What genre?
I feel like it would have to be a super badass action or- no it has to be a comedy, just silly shit.
Is it a romantic comedy, do we bring Brian into it?
*sly smile* Why not? That’d be fun.
Okay, if you were to describe yourself as a fruit or vegetable, what would that fruit or vegetable be and why?
If I were a vegetable, I’d have to go jalapeño-
Woah! I’ve never had that answer before.
A little spicy. I can give some sass sometimes-
Well yeah, Coach Autumn and the state of Florida have both experienced your sass today!
So jalapeño on the vegetable side, and I’d have to go with a lime on the fruit side. Still a little acidic, but very bright.
We’re building a little Ty salsa here, I love it! Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or a hundred duck-sized horses?
I think I’d go with the horse-sized duck. A hundred duck-sized horses? Have you ever seen eight-legged freaks? Don’t see it, it is a nightmare. There are super-sized spiders, but there are also small ones and they just crawl all over you. And a horse-sized duck, I think that’d be kind of funny with his little flippers!
Do you know how long a duck’s penis is???
*eruption of laughter*
Ducks have like the longest penis relative to its body size in the animal kingdom!
Well I learned something today!
Go home and google duck penis!
I’m not going to do that, but I’ll take your word for it.
Fair enough. Finally, do you have any questions you would pose to anyone in the Shop community? You’ve already asked one: Autumn, why hasn’t Ty got the invite yet?
That is an important one. I almost feel like I need to ask Stormie and Autumn for an argument as to why they should be my favorite. And then in fairness, you’d have to throw Bean into the equation.
I think that is an excellent question.
I don’t know if I can ask this, but for Dane- where does he see The Shop going in the next five years? Does he see more Shops in Austin? Does he see it going beyond Austin?
I’m going to ask him that and I can almost guarantee that he’ll find a way to fudge out of it, but there is at least a 2% chance that he gives something resembling an authentic answer.
Even a clue would be great- even in a haiku form.
Do you have any parting words of wisdom, shout-outs, or haikus since you just mentioned them?
I guess as a personal thing, don’t be afraid to talk to me- I’m shy but I will be social.
We’re starting to get an uptick in new members now that people are getting vaccinated. Do you have one piece of advice you would give a brand new member if you were sitting across from them?
Stick with it. It was tough for me and I swam at a high level. The biggest thing that people don’t realize if you don’t come from a background of working out is that things don’t happen overnight. And also, working out is a small part of your life so don’t take it too seriously. I always say to people at work, if you’re not having fun and laughing then why are you doing this?
I guess on that note, do you have any words for Keith? To help him get over you not sharing that playlist?
I’d say, “Hang in there. Don’t give up. I’ll get back to you-” *starts laughing*
But don’t hold your breath!
*still laughing* Don’t hold your breath! But I would say care a little less. Stress relief isn’t just working out. Working out actually is a form of stress on the body. So you have to do something that actually is zero stress- whether that is meditation or yoga, just making time for yourself. I’ve been trying to do a better job of that.
That’s good! That point doesn’t come up so often. You hear “just stick with it”, but you don’t hear that it is okay to find the point of no stress.
You need to find a way to disconnect. Like *pointing to the sign for Square Root Kava Bar* you could sit there and think why did they choose that color of green? What were they thinking? But that is why I tell people to not care so much. That green sign has no impact on you. Maybe the green sign was a bad example-
It is clearly getting you really fired up! Wow!
It was a poor choice, but even those little things- it is a good thing for your mind to not be as judgmental, but it also makes the world a better place. If someone is wearing green, that is their choice-
Do you not like my green shirt Ty?
I was about to say! It isn’t the shirt, I was just trying to find an example! I think everyone can care less about what other people are doing; focus on yourself and make time for yourself- I think that is super important for your wellbeing.
Ty, I agree. This has been an impressive, surprising, and delightful occasion for me- I hope you feel some of those things.
See! This is the perfect example- you talk to me and you open up to me and I open up to you. Deep down below this hard exterior there is this little teddy bear, it is a smaller teddy bear than Keith, but it is there!
ANSWERS TO TY’S QUESTIONS
1. When I asked Bean, Stormie and Autumn to make the case for who should be Ty’s favorites, they agreed to a little quiz in order to determine this. Each of them privately sent me answers to the following questions about Ty and I ran it by him to see who came closer:
Favorite TV show?
Favorite hobby?
Favorite drink?
Favorite color?
Favorite type of music?
And the winner was????
Well, Bean came off the top rope with a defiant non-answer that garnered imminent respect from our darling Spotlight Athlete, but coach Autumn was so close in her answer that he gave the rose to her. Looks like our prodigal coach has officially announced her come back!
2. Where does Dane see the Shop in five years?
D: In 5 years there is a strong chance the Shop has maintained a strategic trajectory of 6 (or 7) new members per year, so we’ll likely have expanded. Also, by then, we’ll probably be invested in that mirror technology thing (finally) which lets our coaches coach from home but be projected onto the mirror in front of members at the Shop.. We’ll probably have like 5 of those things. Oh, and I can’t leave out the fact that my wife and I had kids for a reason – I won’t be around, but my children will be. They’ll be 11, 10 and 6 and they’ll operate the business to keep a youthful feel to the place. Duke will be a DJ at paleontology exhibits though, and traveling the country on occasion. I’ll have to fill in while he’s away, so I won’t be “gone” gone.
I enjoyed this question and your entire interview, Ty! Thank you for being a part of the Shop!
