Our Coaches

Colin Pistell grew up playing in the woods and streams of New England; climbing trees, catching minnows, and making wooden swords out of every scrap of lumber he could find. 

A lifelong athlete, Colin’s first coaching experience was as a  martial arts instructor in Los Angeles. He worked with hundreds of people, from children to elite marines. Colin found coaching to be extremely rewarding and continued to make time for it, even after he began a career in interactive media.

After several years of corporate success working for Disney and Sony Pictures, Colin decided to return to school to pursue an MBA with a focus on sustainability. He moved to Chapel Hill in the summer of 2008. Here, among North Carolina’s numerous forests and parks, Colin studied Parkour and began formulating his theories on the interconnectedness of play, fitness, public health, and environmental health/sustainability. 

Colin is a NSCA certified trainer, a certified Functional Movement Specialist, a MovNat Certified Trainer, and holds a Crossfit level 1 certification. He is American Red Cross certified in CPR and First Aid for both adults and children. He has over 10 years of coaching experience working with groups and individuals of all backgrounds and experience levels.

Eric DiMarzio is a North Carolina native, born and raised in Salisbury. In High School, he became a notable member of his high school's cross country and track teams. As a member of the Boy Scouts of America, Eric pursued skills in wilderness survival, watercraft, and climbing. After receiving the rank of Eagle scout, Eric became an instructor and leader within the Boy Scouts; he taught classes in climbing, rappelling, low and high ropes courses, rowing, canoeing, kayaking, waterskiing, fire building and shelter building.

Eric is a qualified professional rescuer, certified in performing CPR and Wilderness First Aid by the Red Cross. He has also been certified by the Boy Scouts of America as a lifeguard and aquatics instructor, and has been trained in Youth Protection.

Eric attended college at UNC Chapel Hill where he received his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. During his free time, Eric began training in parkour, gymnastics, barefoot running, and the natural method. He has been with Fifth Ape since its conception. Eric is currently pursuing a Masters of Arts in Teaching at UNC. Upon graduation he plans to pursue a career music education.

Kit FitzSimons has been living in Chapel Hill-Carrboro since 1995. An Eagle Scout through Boy Scout Troop 39 of Chapel Hill (2000), he's well-versed in leadership, communication, first aid, and outdoor survival and traversal skills. Kit attended college at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in English with a Creative Writing minor. 

Kit performs and coaches improv comedy every week at the DSI Comedy Theater in Carrboro, and is a motion-capture actor for Epic Games in Cary (Unreal Tournament 3, Gears of War 2, 3, & Judgment, and Fortnite). He spends his days as the Digital Content Manager for Chapelboro.com, where he tries every day not to let sitting at a computer for 8 hours completely destroy his posture. 

In the summer of 2011, Kit started as a Fifth Ape student after seeing an article in the paper about classes, and he has been an avid devotee ever since. He'd be happy to tell you all the ways learning parkour will make you a better improviser and vice versa. He also regularly carries more of Colin's business cards than Colin does.

Contributors

Sean Rogers earned his B.A. in Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina. He is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and a MovNat Certified Trainer.  He is certified in First Aid and CPR by the American Red Cross.

Sean and Colin met in 2009 and have been working and training together ever since. Sean was instrumental in getting Fifth Ape off the ground but has since left Chapel Hill to pursue a life in Europe. You can find him on the web at http://seanprogers.com