Tomorrows Superstars

 

I was talking with my brother on the telephone one evening. I wanted to see how he and his family was doing. He told me all was well, but he couldn’t talk long because he had to take my nephew Kyle to see his personal trainer. I replied. “Personal trainer, he’s only 12 years old”!  He went on to tell me that Kyle has been working out with a personal trainer for the last two years. Beginning in January and ending in April, to help sharpen his skills playing football and baseball. His sessions are once a week for an hour and a half. I voiced to my brother that I would love to see Kyle in action during one of these session. So I asked him if I could accompany him to the next one. He told me that Kyles next session was Friday at four pm, and I could meet them there.

The name of the establishment Kyles is training at is Evolution Sports Performance, located in Easton, MA. Their goal is to help athletes of all ages, and gender to strive to be their best, not only in sports but in life. Their methodology is designed to achieve three goals. To improve athletic performance, injury prevention, and improve self- esteem. They train athletes from the ages of eight to twenty one plus. The trainers had collective degrees in Physiology/Kinesiology, USA Weightlifting Certified, US Track and Field Level 1 Sprint, and CPR/First Aid/ AED Certified.

When I arrived, I found myself standing in front of a newly constructed, large blue space building. I entered into the reception area. The first thing that caught my eye was about thirty pictures of young adults that had trained there. There were images of young men and women playing sports for some of the most prestigious colleges in United States. To the left was a lounge area for parents to kick back and relax while they waited for their children. There were two large screen televisions, and a large leather sofa. It was dimly illuminated, and had a warm cozy feeling to it. To the right of reception area was offices, shower rooms, and another large room for adult fitness. It was filled with martial arts equipment.  If you wanted to watch the training session, there was another area with bar style tables and chairs constructed of stainless steel. The glass walls gave you a complete view of the training area. The training field was green turf carpet, it measured about sixty feet by ninety feet, and was marked off in five yard increments, like a football field. It was brightly illuminated, with a ceiling height of about twenty five feet, and had the feeling of an open space. Along the right side of the field was weight lifting equipment that ran the entire length of the building. The facility was climate and humidity controlled. I looked at the thermostat on the wall, it was sixty five degrees, and I could sense the atmosphere was more humid than the air out side.

Kyle was training with a group of eight children, twelve to fourteen years old. I expected their attire to consist of tee-shirts, shorts and sneakers. To my surprise, all the kids were wearing Under Armor and Nike snug fitting tops and bottoms, and cross trainers or turf shoes for footwear. The trainers called the children by their first names, and the kids called the trainers coach. They called each other each other by their nick names. Some examples are Chewy, Sully, Browse, and Burgee.

The session starts with about ten minutes of kinetic stretching, followed by ten minutes of dynamic stretching. Which are warm up drills, running forward and backward, and moving side to side. Then they would jump rope while running. After warming up they started doing speed drills. Sprinting from line to line, and running while maneuvering between orange cones forward and then backward. Drills that worked on speed development, agility, coordination, and balance. These drills lasted for about forty minutes. Then they would complete their training with about thirty minutes of total body weight training. Squats, bench press, power cleans, and push press. Always using weight that was appropriate for the individual child. The trainers monitored the children closely, to assure they were using the proper form, and weight.

One of the observations that I found most surprising was the discipline and focus of all the children participating. There was no joking or fooling around, it was all business. When a trainer would criticize a child, they wouldn’t put their head down and pout like some children would. They keep their head high, and nod to the trainer. “Ok coach.” They never talked back or said I can’t do it. They train with the determination to do better each time they perform a drill. All the children were working hard, sweating, and panting, they were encouraged by the trainers to take lots of water. There was one child that stood out among the group. His name was Shaun, aka Chewy. He’s thirteen years old, five foot ten inches, and about one hundred and seventy pounds. He was stronger and faster than any other kid there. Maybe even faster than the trainers. He had explosive speed, and great eye- hand coordination. He was the literal definition of young man. His performance was so impressive that I thought to myself, I would be hearing this kids name for many years to come. Near the conclusion of the training session, the trainers would call all the children together. They would tell each child what he did well, and where he needed improvement. The trainers then praised all the kids for a good training session, and said there good byes.

At the conclusion, I got a minute to talk with Kyle, and two of his friends, Matt aka Sully, and Tommy aka Burgee. I expressed to them how impressed I was with their performance. I asked them why they do it, and what they hope to get out of the training sessions. They replied collectively, each contributing to the answer. They told me, though they all dream of one day playing professional sports. Their main goal is to have the opportunity to attend the college of their choice. And to be the best that they can be in the sports that they participate in. They are taught their natural skills will only take them so far. If they want to be the best and have an edge over others, they have to constantly sharpen their skills.

I found these kids to be in a league of their own. They are polite, mature, focused, and confident. They know what they want, and have the self-discipline, will, and determination to go get it.