Greg Dickel, the Club Director of the Iowa Premier organization as well as coach, started coaching softball when his daughter Paige (now Paige Shannon and an Assistant Club Director) was seven years old.

Greg’s softball resume is long and impressive: he’s been a club coach for 15 years, managed the program to 17 national championships among the different age division and governing bodies and been a co-owner of Team 1 Events, serving as a successful tournament and event producer.

Of note, he’s won a pair of PGF 18U Platinum National Championships, two USAES 14U National Titles and a 16U USA Softball National Crown.

And since he started the Iowa Premier organization in 2013, he’s helped almost 600 of his players advance in 12 years to play in D1 softball programs.

Some athletes that have excelled at the college level include….

• Teagan Kavan, Texas
• Kendyl Lindaman, Florida
• Emma Kauf, Georgia Tech/Oregon
• Jessie Blaine, Auburn/Mississippi State
• Kate Menz, Wisconsin
• Ella McVey, Michigan
• Mataia Lawson, Texas

… and current up and coming athletes such as Goose Hutchens, an Oklahoma commit. 

However, Greg’s most important triumph may be what he done to help himself health-wise.

A police officer in Des Moines, Iowa for 30 years, he worked a mostly sedentary life in a patrol car and saw his weight increase to an alarming 342 pounds.

Two years ago, he was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic and doctors told him that if he didn’t make some changes in his life, he might not get to see his grandchildren grow up.

In this video interview shot Sunday at the Clearwater Fall Classic, he shares his journey to improved health which has seen him lose 136 pounds thanks to four key elements he’s implemented in his life to become healthier than he’s been in decades…

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