Athlete Spotlighting #11) Carley Terry

Hello Everyone!

Our 11th Athlete Spotlight is one of the most fun athletes I've ever had the privilege to train. She desires to learn more about how to be a better athlete and is willing to train hard to achieve her goals. She's encouraging to other athletes and has a great outlook on training. She "gets it", and by that I mean she enjoys the process involved in becoming a better athlete (not just game day). She stays in the moment and therefore has a lot of fun along the way towards her goals. It's time to meet...

Athlete Name: Carley Terry
Sport(s): Basketball
Position(s):Guard
School: Stow-Munroe Falls High School
Graduation Year: 2014
AGSP Athlete Since: April 2010
Favorite Professional Sports Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Favorite Professional Athlete: Mo Williams
Favorite Lift: Hang Clean
Favorite Movement Skill: Max Velocity
When I am not training at AGSP, I am: Hanging out with my friends and family, studying, training/working out and practicing basketball.
What are your short-term goals? To get straight A's and play basketball at Stow High School for four years.
What are your long-term goals? To go to college, majoring in Sports Medicine and play basketball in college.
How has AGSP impacted your performance as an athlete? I have become faster, stronger and more powerful as an athlete. My jump has become more powerful and increased in height. I have seen myself becoming stronger and gaining more confidence.

CHECK OUT SOME VIDEO OF CARLEY TRAINING AT AGSP!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Kephart

Are you ready for some Max Velocity?

I got to hold an Olympic Gold Medal

Hello Everyone,

This past Wednesday, August 11, at Akron General North, I got to hold an Olympic Gold Medal won by Shelia Taormina. She was the guest speaker kicking off Akron General's Multisport Festival season.

Shelia is the only woman to compete in three different sports in different Olympiads...something everyone told her couldn't be done.
"Break paradigms" Shelia encouraged the audience. "Don't falsely believe something that isn't true. Remember, people used to think the world was flat."
Dream big and enjoy the process your dreams and goals take you through. Be "process-oriented". Those days when dreams and goals are realized are amazing, but don't forget to find "joy in the process".
When I asked her how she was able to get up at 5:00am and jump in a cold pool nearly everyday in preparation for the Olympics while working a full-time job she said it was finding joy in the present moment and reminding herself that she was privileged to wake up and be able to go swim. "Everyday is a gift, don't waste it."

Shelia's advice is priceless for people preparing for the Akron General Multisport Triathlons and Duathlons September 18 & 19 put on by HFP Racing. Below is a photo of myself, Shannon of HFP Racing, Olympian Shelia Taormina, and photographer Daniel Smith. (Shannon is wearing Shelia's medal per her request)
If you are a multisport athlete (triathlete, duathlete, etc.) or thinking of becoming a multisport athlete you need to try a HFP Race! Fun, educational, and well-organized, HFP Races are always a great experience!

Keep Training! (and as Shelia recommends, find joy in the process!)
Coach Amanda Kephart

Practice what you Preach: Olympic Lifts

Hello Everyone,

This past Saturday July 31st, Coach Duarte, Coach Millender, Coach Colarusso and myself had the opportunity to train at Columbus Weightlifting with Coach Mark Cannella.

Mark offered to help us improve our own lifting techniques along with learning better cues to get our athletes to improve their Olympic Lifts. As sports performance coaches, we train our athletes with the Olympic Lifts because they require: Strength, Power, Speed, Stability, Flexibility, Mobility, and Coordination. All of which are extremely important in today's sports.

Coach Mark Cannella
Power Snatch
Power Clean and Split Jerk
Power Clean with Ride to the Bottom
OLift discussion, to shrug or not to shrug
Notice how fast he explodes off the ground (it is much faster than the rest of us). How smoothly his body moves. This is what we'd like to develop in our athletes: SPEED STRENGTH. Training like this transfers well to the competition field (train fast to be fast, train strong to be strong, train speed strength to be the strongest and fastest!)

Coach Gabriel Duarte
Snatch
Clean and Jerk
Some things Coach Duarte is working on is moving through the lifts more fluidly and faster. You will notice that Coach Duarte is training for movement, not weight, he is a very strong athlete, but understands that strength is only one piece of the athletic puzzle. By training with lighter weights and focusing on his technique he is becoming a better athlete (which is the ultimate goal!).
Mark quote for Coach Duarte: "Move faster off the floor. Speed kills on both lifts. With the lower hip, the bar sweeps really nice."

Coach Anthony Colarusso
Snatch
Clean and Jerk
Coach Colarusso is working on faster speed off the floor and fine tuning his jerk. He tends to dip and drive, but not finish with the final dip.
Mark quote for Coach Colarusso: "Track your knees over your toes at the start of the lift. Drive your hips more into the weight during your 2nd pull. Keep your elbows lower on the jerk and stay back on the heels."

Coach Amanda Kephart
Snatch
Clean and Jerk
Overall speed is my biggest focus, especially off the floor. For the Snatch I need to finish with bone-on-bone and strengthen my core and posterior chain to allow myself to get taller on the catch. For the Clean and Jerk, my jerk is fine, my clean needs to finish with active arms pulling myself to bar. I tend to fall into the hole, I need to use my arms at the finish to continue to rise the bar and at the same time get myself under the bar.
Mark quote for me: "Faster off the floor on both lifts. Stretch the bar on the snatch at the finish. Pull to the bar with your fists/forearms in both pulls."

Thanks again to Mark Cannella (and Drew, thanks for the impressive lifts!) for having us down. Mark is a wealth of knowledge and I highly recommend you get to know him and Columbus Weightlifting!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Kephart

Athlete Spotlighting #10) Joe Michalowicz

Hello Everyone!

Our 10th Athlete Spotlight is very popular at AGSP. He always comes to AGSP ready to become a better athlete, respects the program, and is a great example for other athletes. He started the program learning the movements with little to no weight (like ALL of our athletes), but now he lifts as much as athletes twice his age. He's only in elementary school, but he's becoming a master of speed and strength. It's time to meet...

Athlete Name: Joe Michalowicz
Sport(s): Football
Position(s): Defensive Line, Offensive Line
School: Lincoln Elementary
Graduation Year: 2019
AGSP Athlete Since: October, 2009
Favorite Professional Sports Team: Cleveland Browns
Favorite Professional Athlete: Jared Allen

Favorite Lift: Back Squat
Favorite Movement Skill: Backpedal
When I am not training at AGSP, I am playing basketball and football and hanging out with friends.
What are your short-term goals? Play for the "B Team". Be one of the best players in the league. Sack the quarterback! Carry the ball!
What are your long-term goals? Keep getting stronger. Play high school football. Play for Ohio State. Play in the NFL!
How has AGSP impacted you performance as an athlete? I am stronger, faster and more explosive. I am learning how to train and how to keep getting better!

CHECK OUT SOME VIDEO OF JOE TRAINING AT AGSP!
Here he is hang cleaning 30 KG!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Kephart

Hudson Football Camp 2010

Hello Everyone,

I'd like to take a moment to share the great experience I had Wednesday July 14th at the 2010 Hudson Football Camp AKA The Narducci Camp.

Coach Narducci invited Akron General Sports Performance out to show the aspiring football players ways to improve their speed and performance. We worked with 6-9th graders, then with the 3-5the graders...talk about FUN!

Coach Narducci's Camp is an awesome blend of learning and games. He's able to make the campers better football players and Wednesday we helped them become faster athletes. I was so impressed with the Varsity Football Players that were helping the young campers and with all the neat take-homes Coach Narducci had for the campers. Everything from great information on how to be a better football player to oven mitts to t-shirts to certificates with campers' performance times!

Coach Nate sporting the 2010 Hudson Football Camp shirt.

It was an honor to participate in such a great camp. If you or the football player in your life didn't make it this year, you have to go to next year's Narducci Camp!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Kephart

Practice what you preach

Hello Everyone!

Talk the talk and walk the walk. A good coach/trainer should not only have the knowledge needed to serve his/her athletes, but should also live the lifestyle he/she preaches.

I am not an endurance runner, but I do preach overall fitness and being able to perform the 10 General Physical Skills:

1. Cardiovascular Endurance
2. Stamina
3. Strength
4. Flexibility
5. Power
6. Speed
7. Coordination
8. Accuracy
9. Agility
10. Balance

Today was a first for me, a 4 mile race, The Stow Firecracker Run. Training and practicing for the race taught me a lot about what many of my Adult Performance members go through when they prepare for an endurance event. Even though it was only 1/6 of a marathon, I feel that I am a better coach because I practiced what a preached...

2010 Stow Firecracker 4 mile Run
9 Adult Performance Members Participated
All completed the 4 miles in great times and for some it was the first race they've ever run

Before the run.
Myself, Dan, Ron, Eric, Juli, Keith, Jill, Dave, Kim

After the run, waiting for the moms to be :-)
Myself, Steve, Dan, Keith, Dave, Kim

Parents to be after the run/fast walk
Dave, Jill, Juli, Eric

Knowledge is gained through learner, Wisdom is gained through experience. Today wisdom was gained through a great experience with great people!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Kephart

* NOTE: Sport athletes (football, basketball, baseball, etc) should NOT run miles to prepare for their sports. The majority of sports are interval based events and should be trained accordingly. See Interval Training for Athletes for more information.