ZaQuan Irby

ZaQuan Irby had been a varsity athlete in high school and knew he wanted athletics to be part of his career. He didn’t have anything more specific in mind though, until his community college advisor suggested he consider physical education. That’s what led him to Russell Sage College for a bachelor’s in Physical Education and a master’s in School Health Education, and to Shaker High School in Latham, New York, where he is a PE teacher, head track coach, and assistant football coach. 

“After some time in the field, I can confidently say that this is my calling,” Irby said. 

His teaching and coaching peers agree. In 2022, Irby helped his school become just the second in New York to earn a Program of Excellence award from the National High School Strength Coaches Association; in 2023 the NHSSCA named Irby New York State’s Strength Coach of the Year. 

Irby’s latest winning streak started about five years ago, when he developed and added a new Performance Fitness course to Shaker’s PE offerings. The course emphasizes speed, strength, aerobic capacity, agility, and athletic recovery techniques — and has been wildly popular. 

“Our athletic teams started to perform better,” he said. “As a result, my class has gained attention from other instructors who come to view and replicate what we are doing here at Shaker.”

A writeup about Irby on the PLT4M website (PLT4M is brand of software the course uses to create and track personalized workouts) describes how Shaker’s Performance Fitness classes have grown more than 300% over five years, with more than 700 student-athletes and non-athletes enrolling every year and two sections running during some class periods.

In addition to teaching and coaching at Shaker, Irby owns Build Two Win Performance, a sports performance training club in downtown Troy, New York, where he grew up. 

“Build Two Win focused initially on training inner-city kids but has now evolved into a business that helps people from all backgrounds,” he said. “We train athletes, starting from age 7 and training up to collegiate and professional levels.”

Irby remembers being a Sage student, when his former Professor John Pelizza had him write down career goals. He‘s proud to have already achieved several of those goals, like building an athletics-focused career and starting his own training business. The recognition from the NHSSCA has also been exciting.  

Still, Irby says it’s the feedback from his students and athletes that means the most. 

“Students who have left Shaker have contacted me to tell me how they continue to use the techniques they learned in Performance Fitness on their own at the gym,” he said. “I’ve also received messages from some of my top Division I athletes expressing their appreciation for the class, as it has given them an edge over other first-year students at their college.”