Featured Athlete TJ Baumbaugh

T.J. Baumbaugh –

“The Trainer”

By Sarah Warhaftig

T.J.’s personal training clients are extremely supportive of her career outside the gym and on the WPRO Tour.  After a solid few weeks of training, many of them happily see T.J. on her way to a tournament, after the #11 player in the world works them out!  T.J., continues to share her passion for fitness, and continues to improve her racquetball status, a sport she was introduced to by her father. 

T.J. was put on a court at an early age by her father, who himself still plays, but the tenacious T.J. began her high level quest at Penn State where she played for the club team.  T.J. was busy playing a multitude of sports growing up including softball, swimming, basketball and golf.  T.J. had the opportunity to play golf at the college level, but she decided it was too slow of a sport and she made the switch to racquetball.  

After school, T.J. relocated to the Washington D.C. area, where she first discovered the WPRO and met former commissioner Ed Willis.  Ed encouraged her to play some tournaments and 10 years later T.J. is still a top touring pro. 

Similar to many of the ladies on tour, T.J. manages to balance a busy work schedule with her tournaments.  T.J.’s fitness trainer schedule has meshed well with her touring dates, and her clients can usually look forward to those days, after a few weeks of tough workouts.  T.J. feels like she gets to “play” at work every day and between clients you can find her lifting weights, swimming, playing tennis, taking a Zumba class, and of course racquetball! 

Along with competing each weekend T.J. is also the player representative of the WPRO.  She would love to see the tour grow, and appreciates her role as rep to learn more about her fellow competitors.  T.J. is involved with behind the scenes efforts and challenges of the tour, and is excited to see its development with more young and up and coming players.

T.J. said she hasn’t had her greatest moment in her racquetball career yet, but this motivates her to train and keep working hard at her game.  She values the tour for the wonderful friendships and people she has met, and still having a competitive outlet in a sport that she hopes to play for a long time. 

When asked what T.J. would be doing if she wasn’t playing pro, she always had considered being a lawyer, a college professor and even a singer.  T.J. admits that she really isn’t a great singer but seems like an amazing career to have.  For now we will watch her rise on the tour, and maybe a few years down the road a pop career on the side with her stage name of Teri Jade!