Coach’s Corner: Aarron Van Buren

When we asked Coach Aarron Van Buren what he enjoys most as a coach at D1 Kalamazoo, he said it’s the ability to use his passion to see others achieve something they’ve been working toward. “Seeing someone getting a hang clean for the first time, being alongside them in the weight room and on the turf, it makes me feel like I never left sports.”

And that’s really saying something. Van Buren has traveled across the country and learned how to coach and program for just about every sport you can think of. Did someone say fencing? As a former member of the O line for the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, a Division III school, Van Buren always had a motivation to coach in the back of his head.

“We had an amazing weight room when I was in high School. I just knew that I could play better if I was stronger.” The pieces began to fit together and before he knew it, Van Buren was interning all over the country.

While chasing his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, with a Strength and Conditioning concentration, as well as his other impressive certifications, Van Buren’s coaching credits are long. As an intern, he oversaw the programming for the cheer team at Northern Arizona University, where he left nine young women on the team with the ability to squat 200 pounds in six weeks.

Back in Wisconsin he coached football, while working with girls’ softball, and basketball in the weight room at Whitnall High School in southwestern Milwaukee County. In his second season, he helped Whitnall win their first state championship in Softball as their Strength Coach. Then it was to Chicago at Northwestern University where he coached fencing, cross country, and the swim and dive squads. Van Buren specifically chose these to learn more about programming for these sports.

2019 took him to South Carolina where he oversaw programming for men’s soccer, volleyball, track and field, women’s golf, and football at Newberry College. These are all internships he didn’t need for his resume, but “I just wanted to learn.”

By the time he got to Michigan in 2022, he became the Gobles High School Strength and Conditioning coach and PE teacher, teaching six classes per day. It’s a job where the students were each treated like athletes.

“My philosophy is, ‘I want you to know how to train when you leave here, so that way you can't look back at my class and say you didn't learn anything.’”

Coaching has become so much more to Van Buren than sports (though he LOVES coaching and sports).

“My grandparents were around for 20 years of my life,” he said. “My grandma was out gardening until she was 94 years old. I want that for myself and for others.”

He admits with a laugh that he had planned to become a meteorologist, but didn’t want to do calculus! It’s a good thing, because his D1 clients are better for it. Van Buren is too, and says he is inspired by his clients every day.

“We have one athlete named Matiss. He’s kind of our unofficial D1 Kalamazoo ambassador,” Van Buren said. “He is the most dedicated kid I have ever seen. He came to us as a baseball pitcher, throwing 83 mph. In three months of training, he now throws 89-90 mph and has had over thirty Division I school offers. He’s fifteen!”

Van Buren wants D1 Kalamazoo to be top of mind for people who want to work hard and get results, no matter their fitness level. For people who have never worked out before and are nervous to begin, he said to look at D1 like a body shop. You take your car to a mechanic and now you’re taking your body to the shop.

“It’s only going to get better for them the more they show up,” he said. “People build confidence over time, and it gets easier for them. When it comes down to it, they only get one body for their entire life. They should give it the best shot at success.”

There’s no question that Coach Aarron Van Buren made the right decision when he chose to become a coach. His dedication and commitment to learn as well as teach, will make him an asset to his clients for years to come.