While several of the area’s top football players use track as a way to springboard their way into the football season, it is not the only way for elite athletes to be in peak physical condition for the grueling summer months.
Offseason work is all about getting bigger, faster and stronger, and that does not have to be done with blocks and a baton.
Walk into Total Athletic Development’s new Granville facility on the average day, and the training does not look too different from what athletes are doing on the track. Owner Clint Cox began working with football players on their strength, explosion and change of direction soon after the 2014 season ended.
“If you want to run track because you love track, want to be a part of a team or play a spring sport, then run track. It could be a great sport for people,” Cox said. “If you want to run track because it will make you faster for football, there are probably other ways to do that to make it geared toward a football player’s needs.”
Cox noted the importance of avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach. Some of his athletes are already strong and need to increase their flexibility, whereas others need the weight training to hold up during a long fall.
Nick Showman, owner of Showtime Strength & Performance, has a mix of football players. Whereas several are working with Showman in place of competing in a spring sport, others, including Utica’s Colton Danison, are using their work with him to supplement one.
“With (Danison) specifically, he is a super strong kid, so we have to keep his mobility up,” Showman said. “We have to keep his hips and his hamstrings to where they are not too tight. His max weight is heavy right now, so it is more speed and accessory work to complement his weak areas.”
Newark assistant football coach Terrell White certainly sees benefit in keeping the Wildcats on the athletic fields so to speak. White is assisting with the track program in hopes of seeing more athletes move in that direction.
Newark plays in the Ohio Capital Conference-Ohio Division, one of the state’s most competitive conferences in most every sport. White said success and confidence can carry over to the following season.
“It’s still a question of mental toughness,” he said. “No matter what sport, I like the fact that they have to compete. You show up to win.”
Johnstown senior Cody Farley has nothing against track, but he simply needed a break each spring. After playing football and basketball each of his four years at Johnstown, Farley wanted a chance to move at his own pace.
That is not to say Farley was kicking his feet up. He and his football teammates, many of whom do not play a spring sport, lifted four days a week each spring.
“Once it started to get warm out, we would do agility training to work on our foot speed and off-the-ball quickness,” said Farley, who will play running back at Denison University next fall.
Farley said the informal work in the spring was a great bonding experience for the Johnnies. A tight-knit senior class fed off each other on the field while winning the Licking County League-Small School Division title.
“Because of the bonding, once actual practice starts, you know how hard you can push and how hard you can push all of the other guys,” Farley said. “It gets intense, and you don’t want your teammates to give up.”
Ask Watkins Memorial junior Evan Caniff, however, and he says nothing beats track. He can catch a kickoff at the goal line and be in the opposite end zone in less than 11 seconds.
“It helps a lot with getting a burst, so I can go from 0 to 100 real quick,” he said
