Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Lindahl | 190930-N-KL846-1188 WOODBURY, Minnesota (Sept. 30, 2019) Jocelyn Sims, principal of...... read more read more
FORT SNELLING, Minn. – A local middle school principal, and Navy spouse, just made waves this past week as she competed in a bodybuilding competition just 5 days after opening a new, state-of-the-art fitness center in her school.
Jocelyn Sims, the principal of St. Paul Public Schools new Environmental Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (E-STEM) middle school and wife of U.S. Navy Chief Navy Counselor Damon Sims, just took fourth place in her class in the NPC Upper Midwest bodybuilding competition just days after thanking Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, and “Body By Jake” founder, Jake Steinfeld, for her school’s selection by the National Foundation for Governor’s Fitness Councils to receive a new $100,000 fitness center.
Both Governor Tim Walz and Steinfeld were quick to recognize Sims’ passion and dedication and often credited her with the school being chosen.
“I am a teacher and we have done our research, so the commissioner and I both know that the success of these students is going to be dependent on the principal in the building, so thank you for that,” Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, said in reference to Sims.
When talking about fitness, Sims is quick to refer back to her husband, Damon Sims, as her inspiration.
Damon Sims, currently serving as a Navy Counselor at Navy Talent Acquisition Group Northern Plains, often spends time on the road searching for new talent to enlist in the Navy and was recently living apart from the family as a geographical bachelor for two years.
“He had to figure out what he was going to in the absence of his family being right there with him, and that’s when he turned to fitness,” she said.
Damon Sims’ passion quickly translated to his wife, who applied a lot of his regimen to her own life.
“I’ve always worked out here and there, but just watching him go through the stages of bodybuilding and how it’s been the one thing he could go to the rely on, it really started to sink in for me,” she said. “With me being a mom, a wife, a principal, and trying to balance my own stresses, I just started to do some of the things he was doing.”
Damon Sims has competed in many bodybuilding competitions since, but recently the roles have reversed for him. It is his wife who is inspiring him.
“She likes to say I inspired her, but it’s her who amazes me all the time,” he said. “I was actually going to take it easy from competing for the rest of this year, but after I see what she’s doing, I’m even more motivated.”
The two will now have a chance to work together to bring fitness to the brand new middle school with the addition of the gym.
“We heard from about 90 elementary and middle schools,” said Steinfeld. “When we heard from E-STEM ... we heard the story about ‘this is a brand new sixth grade class,’ you guys are the inaugural, you are the pioneers of E-STEM.”
Looking ahead, both Sims will look to take advantage of the new workout facility as they both plan on conducting fitness classes for parents and students in the near future.
| Date Taken: | 10.08.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 10.08.2019 13:00 |
| Story ID: | 346635 |
| Location: | WOODBURY, MN, US |
| Web Views: | 791 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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