The Story
He didn't touch a football until 29. He took 131 tryouts to make it. Then he came back from a heart attack and a stroke. This is why BTO exists.
Dan Giancola · Founder
Meet Dan
Dan Giancola grew up in Thorold, Ontario and spent more than twenty years in competitive soccer — good enough to represent Canada in National Under-16 tournaments. He didn't take his first football kick until he was 29, with no collegiate football behind him.
What followed was 131 free-agent tryouts across Canada and the U.S. — getting cut, driving home, and showing up again. That refusal to quit turned into a pro career as a CFL kicker for the Toronto Argonauts, BC Lions, Ottawa Renegades, Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers — and two Grey Cup championships.
"Greatness comes from the people who decide to be that one."
The Journey
A full competitive career on the pitch — and the discipline that would carry into everything next.
Starting football at 29 and refusing to accept "no" — showing up to free-agent tryout after free-agent tryout.
Five CFL teams. Two Grey Cups. Proof that late starts and long odds don't decide the ending.
The hardest opponents yet. Dan came back from both — and turned the fight into a mission for health and resilience.
A gym built on one idea: don't chase a look — build the kind of resilience that carries you through everything else.
The Mission
In 2020 Dan suffered a heart attack; in 2022, a stroke. Instead of stepping back, he made them the centre of his work — becoming an advocate for heart health and mental resilience, and building BTO Performance around helping people unlock their best selves through intention, accountability and a winning mindset.
Today, alongside coaching at the Fonthill studio, Dan shares that message as an author, on the podcast circuit, and through the Be That One apparel line — all pointed at the same idea: at any age, from any starting point, be the one who keeps showing up.
Train With DanThe Book
The full story, in Dan's own words — and the mindset behind it.
Written with award-winning sports author Perry Lefko, Be That One is more than a sports memoir. It's the story behind Dan's mantra — an inspiring account of chasing your dreams and never giving up hope, no matter how big the obstacle in front of you.
Drawing on the long odds of his own life — 131 tryouts, two Grey Cups, and a comeback from a heart attack and a stroke — Dan makes the same case he makes with every client at the gym: you can be anything you want to be.
Co-authored with Perry Lefko · foreword by CFL legend Michael “Pinball” Clemons.
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