Gibson Area Hospital & Health Services | Gibson gets it! | Fall/Winter 2018

GibsonHospital.org 12 IN THE BUSTLING OPENING HOURS of Elite Sport & Fitness, when the early risers start their day (and most of us are still sleeping), there’s no mistaking the celebrity athlete in the gym. But it’s not the towering basketball player or hulking football player. This sports hero masters the field not in yards covered but in acres planted and harvested, and he measures his season not in baskets made, but in bushels grown. He is not a wild bull but a strong and steadfast presence, like the Black Angus he raises on his farm. Yes, Irvin Bane is a farmer. He’s also a competitive runner and fitness warrior at Elite Sport & Fitness in Gibson City. He’s the guy who young athletes and adults alike look to for inspiration. He’s become a role model, not only for his athletic accomplishments, but also as a husband, father and friend. Elite trainer Tim Leonard, DC, MS, ATC, CSCS, has known and respected Bane since he and Bane’s daughter were in grade school together. “Irvin is a machine—he is the textbook example of how we should eat and exercise as adults,” Leonard says. “He has an amazing attitude and work ethic, and he never takes a rep off! I feel honored to train Irvin and also to call him a friend!” Fitness friendship fun before dawn Bane credits Leonard for getting him started at Elite several years ago. Before that, he had been running consistently on his own. Running provided him with an outlet for tension and an opportunity for movement, especially during his college days and, most recently, at harvest season. “It’s a stress relief—always has been,” Bane says. “I just like taking care of myself.” Up and at ’em What he finds at Elite so early in the morning is friendship and fun. “It’s a good group of people who come in at that time,” Bane says. “If you’re going to come in at 4:30 a.m., you’re going to be Want to get in on the fun? Explore the possibilities at gibsonhospital.org/sports- medicine-locations .