PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. – It may surprise you to hear that there’s at least one family out there that still sits down to eat dinner together every night. Seriously. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.
“The goal for the Young family is to sit down and have dinner together every night,” says Master Sgt. Trevor C. Young, the operations chief for Recruit Training Regiment on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. “Time management is important. When I’m at work, I try to frontload material so I can make it home at a reasonable time.”
Young isn’t just a Marine. He is also a father, mentor, pastor, football coach and a self-taught bodybuilder.
By the time Young’s first child, Braylin, was born, Young had already started bodybuilding. So once Braylin was old enough, Young took him along to some of his workouts as a way to bond and spend more time with his son.
“There were these exercises Braylin would do like running, push-ups, sit-ups and squats,” said Young. “At home, he would do air chair drills where he would sit parallel to the deck with his back against the wall.”
Those early workouts set the foundation for Braylin to hit the weights on his own. Now a member of the Team Beaufort Olympic Weightlifting team, Braylin recently won the 14-15 Individual 85 kg at the USA Weightlifting National Youth Competition on June 25, 2016, in Austin, Texas.
“My dad is an inspiration to me,” said Braylin. “He inspires me to keep working hard and shows me the little things it takes to be successful like eating right and getting the right amount of sleep.”
What started as a way to bond with his young child has blossomed into a family endeavor. Competitions outside the Beaufort area mean the whole family packs up and goes to show their support.
“I try to support him by being there for him,” said Young, with pride forming in his eyes. “I try to make it to every practice. Wherever he is at and whatever he is doing I try to make sure, as his father, that I show that I’m always present to support him.”