As a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Jay has enjoyed an active lifestyle for most of his life. He participated in varsity basketball and soccer throughout his high school years and he became captivated with martial arts during his college years. After completing Physical Therapy school, Jay dabbled with P90x workouts and weightlifting in his garage gym, but found the monotony of the activities quite boring. In 2010, Jay discovered CrossFit and has witnessed the benefits of group exercising and CrossFit programming.

As a physical therapist at Duke University Medical Center, Jay has a developed a keen eye in identifying dysfunctional movement patterns. He understands the importance of developing good human movement competencies in order to stay strong and healthy.

Jay and his wife, Mary-Ann, are both founding members of CrossFit Surmount. You may even see a cameo from their three children, Josh, Jade, and Jacob, at the box from time to time.