If you recall the name Barry Sims, you certainly aren’t alone within the Park City area. Sims is a Parkite legend, being the only Miners Football player to have reached the NFL. Sims first suited up for the then-Oakland Raiders in 1999, playing for The Silver and Black until 2008, when he joined the San Francisco 49ers, before retiring in 2011. 

Sims and his wife Shae, who used San Francisco during and after his career as their home and training base, moved back to the Park City area in 2021 to raise their children. The pair, who are both from the area and met while attending the University of Utah in the ’90s, have become quite active within the community as owners and operators of two Athletic Republic Centers. 

Athletic Republic, which offers athletes of all ages, abilities and sports unique science and data-driven training opportunities, has numerous locations across the globe. They have helped foster many high-performance athletes, including most-notably the reigning Heisman Trophy Winner Caleb Williams, who lit the college football world on fire in his first season at USC last year.

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The Sims’ first got involved with Athletic Republic long before their move back to Park City. Athletic Republic’s programming and training helped Barry recover from an injury and subsequent surgery that he suffered while playing for the Utes back in the ’90s, advised to give the gym a try by Shae’s coworker at the time, when she worked at TOSH (Intermountain Health’s Orthopedic Specialty Hospital).

One of Shae’s old bosses from TOSH eventually became the Head of Science and Development for Athletic Republic, so when the pair moved back to the area, they knew they had to come check out what the company was doing. They were immediately hooked and soon became involved in acquiring the gym at Park City Center. 

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The Sims’ are able to combine their unique expertise with the resources that Park City Center has, as the company’s headquarters and central database, to impact as many local athletes as possible. Shae stated “(with) my undergraduate degree in exercise physiology, and him (Barry) as an athlete, we really know the value of hiring. All of our trainers have bachelors or masters degrees in exercise science.”

These trainers interestingly put their wide scope of athletes, even ones from different sports, through Athletic Republic’s rigorous programming all together. Under the Sims’ ownership, the Park City Center has seen D1 Football players, up-and-coming figure skaters and many more come through its doors to train. 

The Sims’ mentioned the most special part of operating these centers, their other and newest being in West Jordan, is seeing or hearing the tangible impact they’re making on their athletes. Barry comically shared that he recently had a satisfied customer and father call him and exclaim, “thanks for turning my son into a dude.”

Moving forward, Athletic Republic sees itself growing with new locations and opportunities with their expansive database. The company is constantly seeking potential franchisees like the Sims, who an Athletic Republic representative described as amazing examples, due to their skillsets but more importantly natural ability to network and connect communities like Park City. This natural ability has been seen in their partnerships with Park City Soccer Club, Black Diamond Gymnastics and more within the area.