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About Us

To develop the gifts and talents of youth and young adults through sports, fitness, mentorship and small group training. ‘Continual Improvement” is the mantra and foundational principal used to develop each student athlete.

Our Mentors

President and Founder

Randy Morris

Randy is a native of Anderson, SC and a graduate of Furman University. As an All American High School basketball player and D1 college athlete, he has had the opportunity to be trained by great coaches and mentors like Hall of Fame great, Bobby Knight

In 1989, Randy became a resident of Honolulu, HI. His love for sports led him to begin playing beach volleyball and as a result he along with his partner, Paul McCurdy, formed the Oahu Volleyball Association. As the volleyball community continued to grow, Randy started teaching fitness, pro bono, at Queens Beach in Waikiki twice a week for 15 years.

With the growth in popularity of the beach sessions and an expanded knowledge of the fitness industry, things began to change. In 2006 he survived an emergency heart surgery from an aortic dissection, this then led him to begin another non profit organization. He was then led him to begin another non profit organization. With the guidance of his long time business partner, Melissa Lum, they formed The Extreme Fitness Club.

With over 25 years of professional fitness knowledge and experience has come the development of FITRM Academy. Over 60 students and families from the island meet weekly for fitness, mentorship and small group sessions.

Benjamin Meyer

Benjamin Meyer is a native of Washington DC and a graduate of Hawai’i Pacific University. Coach Ben is one of the most qualified fitness professionals on staff at FITRM LLC. His journey through fitness is a true example of “Continual Improvement.”

He began his journey as a participant at our Queens Beach sessions and became addicted to the process of learning more. Once he realized that this “fitness” lifestyle was where he belonged, he spent the next 4 years being tutored, obtaining a myriad of certifications and field experience.

Now, he is also a certified fitness professional at the Waialae Country Club where he conducts one on one training and has received the highest recommendations by its members and the fitness staff.

Currently, Coach Ben assist with our Small Group and Sports Specific Training sessions. The students and their parents have accepted him as the “BIG BROTHER” on staff that affectively leads by example and demonstration. We are truly appreciative to have Coach Ben aide in mentoring our students.

James Robert (JR) Bunda

JR, born and raised in Wahiawā, is a graduate from ‘Iolani School where he played baseball and football. JR attended the University of Portland on a D1 baseball scholarship and went on to pursue his dream of playing professional baseball.

In 2012, during his senior year in college, JR collapsed and suffered from Sudden Cardiac Arrest after a winter training session. After surviving SCA and waking up from a 2-day medically-induced coma, JR set out to get back on the competitive field. JR’s journey from the hospital bed to competing at the professional level tested all aspects of his character physically, mentally, and emotionally. This journey taught him the value of continual improvement in all aspects of his life holistically and relationally. JR ultimately established himself as a power-arm pitcher in the independent professional and international ranks, reaching the mid to high 90mph range on his fastball. JR’s most notable professional experience was representing the Philippines National Team in the 2016 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers as the Game 1 starting pitcher against Team Australia.

During his journey as a professional athlete, JR grew a special interest in the interconnectedness between the student-athlete’s physical development and their overall mental health and emotional wellbeing. Throughout his playing career, JR learned the value and importance of having strong mentorship. As a coach, JR focuses on improving the character of the young athlete through every aspect of their athletic journey. JR has experience coaching mainly baseball at the individual, community, and high school levels.

In 2021, JR graduated with his Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Incorporating his therapeutic training to baseball and fitness as a whole, JR is excited to represent FITRM in developing the student-athlete through a continual improvement approach.

Roy Hardy

Coach Roy Hardy has been a part of our Mentorship program for over 5 years. A long time friend and confidant of Coach Randy Morris, Coach Roy has 34 years of coaching experience in basketball, football, and volleyball with various ILH high school teams and youth club training. In High School he was a Hawaii All State Football and Basketball player. He has developed his coaching skills by working with professional athletes and player development coaches at the NFL and NBA level. With all of this experience, Coach Roy has the uncanny ability to take an exercise to it’s lowest fundamental building block and correct “from the ground up”.

Professionally he is a licensed Civil Engineer with the State of Hawaii Board of Water Supply. He is married to Tisha Hardy, an experienced body builder, and the proud father of 6.

Albert (Abu) Ma’afala

FITRM Academy is proud to introduce Abu Maafala to our list of coaches and mentors. Abu, born and raised in Hawai’i, is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools – Kapālama where he played football. He then went on to play football at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and the University of California – Berkeley (Cal) on a football scholarship.

During his time at Cal, he had an influential coach that helped him develop not only as a player but as a person as well. This inspired him to get into coaching, where he began his journey at the University of Louisville. While working as a Graduate Assistant Football Coach, Abu also obtained his master’s degree in Exercise Physiology with an emphasis in Strength and Conditioning. It was during this time of learning and application that Abu was able to develop his keen eye for developing functional strength programs to help athletes maximize their athletic potential; both on the playing surface and in the weight room. He then further honed these skills as a football coach and professor of Exercise Physiology at West Liberty University. This is where Abu confirmed his purpose and calling as a mentor to the next generation; to help lead young people through athletics.

Abu returned home to Hawai’i to become the Head Football Coach and Director of Strength and Conditioning at his High School alma mater, where he was able to further fulfill his calling for the next generation. He is now excited to utilize the skills and abilities he’s been given and refined to help guide and mentor the FITRM ‘ohana to become the people and leaders they were created to be.

Peter Balding

Peter Balding, is a teacher and coach with nearly 40 years of experience working with student athletes at the elementary, secondary, and collegiate levels. He retired from Punahou School in 2021 after 37 years of teaching both PE and in the classroom.

At Punahou he coached both boys’ and girls’ volleyball at every level: intermediate, JV and varsity. As a head coach, he coached the boys to 5 State championships, and the girls to 3 State championships. He has also coached boys JV and varsity soccer at Punahou. At the collegiate level, he has coached women’s volleyball at the University of Hawaii, Oregon State University and Willamette University.

Throughout his teaching and coaching careers, four themes fueled Peter’s passion as he worked with young people, their parents, and other teachers and coaches. First, quality of practice must always come before quantity. Second, athletes can learn how to perform optimally at critical moments in competition. A third theme is the balance of happiness and achievement; both being essential to learning and growth. The final theme is the relationship between learning and play. Participation in competitive athletics is a form of play that can foster learning and understanding even long after the athlete’s competitive days are over.

A graduate of Punahou, Peter holds a Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine from Pepperdine University (where he played volleyball and earned one national championship), and a Master of Education in Educational Administration from the University of Hawaii. In 2021, he authored a study titled: “What Did You Play at School?”: A Vision of Play, Playgrounds, and Recess at Punahou School. He lives in Honolulu and is married with two adult children and three grandchildren.