Personalities

Jay was raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, land of 11,842 lakes. Outdoors is the place to be in MN, all year round. And winters there make it tough! Ice fishing is awesome too! So that is what Jay did growing up, fishing, cycling and otherwise always outdoors.

When a person spends so much time in the wilderness there is no way you can get by in Minnesota without knowing what the weather is doing. Jay became hooked on trying to figure out how and why the weather was doing what it did. So becoming a meteorologist was only the natural course to take.

He graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1990 with a BS in meteorology, and two years later from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with an MS.

After several years with the government, Jay then plunged into TV, First in Rapid City South Dakota, then Champaign Illinois. TV was something Jay always wanted to do, but still there were other things that he enjoyed.

When the station in Champaign did not re-sign his contract, Jay took the opportunity to explore personal training and triathlon coaching. Physical fitness and triathlon racing are Jays other passions in life and had a home business and a position with Refinery, a fitness facility in Champaign.