Wolverine Strength

Summer Workouts online!!

2011-06-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

Incoming athletes can find their summer workouts on the BA website. Find your team on the "Incoming Athletes" side of the page and click on the workout for you. Here is the link:

www.bridgtonacademy.org/scworkouts.cfm

Any questions? If so, please contact Coach Sawicki by email at:

jsawicki@bridgtonacademy.org

or by phone at 207.647.7664

Good luck and stay healthy!!

Finally outside

2011-04-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

The SQA program made its debut outdoors this spring with two strong days of work even though it was a little cool and windy. The guys have been itching to get outside so any nice sunny day is a good day. The progressions continued along and soon we will be seeing how the spring work has paid off.

Thoughts on Maine NSCA clinic

2011-04-11T07:04:00.001-07:00

I ventured to the OA Performance Center in Saco, Maine on Saturday for the Maine NSCA State clinic. Once again, I was extremely impressed with the speaking lineup and they did not fail to succeed.

Eric Cressey presented the first two topics which were how to continue to train while injured. His level of intelligence continues to amaze me. His speaking presence is outstanding too. He had everyone captivated.

Martin Rooney was the real surprise for me. I had heard of him and seen his name on speaking engagements before, but I had never seen him speak. His first presentation was about how to be a better coach. His combination of story telling, real-life experience, and his ability to convey his program sucked everyone into his presentation. His second presentation was about training MMA style for the general population. He undoubtedly captivated the audience, but the substance of his presentation left me hangning. I thought that there could have been much more explanation of exercises and training regimes, but a good talk nonetheless.

The last speech was given by one of the instructors at the OA Center, Adam Tielinen. The topic had some possibilities, Metabolic Training For Athletes, but he missed the mark. He is a pretty young trainer, and he still needs to find his speaking voice.

Overall, an excellent day. I was also formally introduced as one of the Board of Advisors for the State of Maine NSCA. The other members are: Chris Rizzo, University of New England Pat McCarthy, University of New England Stan Skofield, OA Performance Center Jeff Murphy, University of Southern Maine Heath Pierce, University of New England-State Director

When are getting outside?!

2011-04-04T06:01:00.001-07:00

That's the question of the day in recent weeks. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it will be this week. With the big snowstorm we had on Friday, the fields went from the possibility of being on them to under 6 inches of snow and back to wet, sloppy mess. It is melting. This weekend was beautiful with bright sun and wind to help dry off the grass. There is still time to go. Keep good thoughts. Coach Sawicki

Spring SQA finishes week strong

2011-03-24T14:13:00.001-07:00

The first week of spring SQA finished up strong this week with a large number of participants. 19 hockey, soccer, and football players worked on lateral stability and quickness as we ran through a battery of step, jump, and shuffle & hold exercises. Everyone was thoroughly spent as we finished up with 4 sets of 10 yard shuttles.

Here is a video from last year's hockey SQA program:

Thoughts on the Perform Better 1-day program

2011-03-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

I went down to Boston last Saturday for the Perform Better 1-day clinic. I have to admit that I was disappointed with the program. First up was Brett Jones. I was not familiar with him and he gave an outstanding presentation on Kettlebell Push Press. I picked up a few technique keys, but all in all nothing new.

Next up was Lee Burton. I have heard Gray Cook speak on the Functional Movement Screen in the past and this was: different face, same speech. Nothing new here either.

I have always enjoyed hearing Mike Boyle speak and this was no different. His presentation was in essence his life story and he did an outstanding job showing how vulnerable he is. If nothing else, it was really a great story of how perserverance and work ethic can benefit you in the long run. In my opinion, best presentation of the day.

Last up was Todd Durkin. This was the second time I have heard him speak and he is undoubtedly a captivating speaker. His style has never resonated with me, though. I have never been a big rah-rah guy and that's what he is all about. His presentation was about setting goals and how to succeed. It was interesting, but no real take home message.

The afternoon sessions were typical 1-day sessions. I have come to the realization that the field has really hit a plateau lately. Kettlebells, indian clubs, and medicine balls have all come back into vogue and all the personal trainers that attend these clinics eat it up. I guess that we have been fortunate that with the limited budget we have, we have been forced to be a little more creative. Generally, the afternoon session was the same as it has been for a few years now.

Next up on the clinic schedule is the Maine NSCA symposium on April 8th. Eric Cressey is the feature presenter and if you haven't had the chance to hear him speak, you need to. He is an extremely bright guy with a great speaking presence. I am really looking forward to it.

-Coach Sawicki

Spring SQA begins today!!

2011-03-22T10:29:00.001-07:00

There might be snow on the ground still, but the spring session of SQA begins today. I am excited to see the turnout. We had a few hearty lacrosse players who let me beat them up twice a week during the winter session. Rumor around campus is that there will be a healthy number of hockey players. Check back for updates of the spring.

-Coach Sawicki

Fitzpatrick Athlete of The Month for Early Winter

2011-02-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

BA hockey coach Jonathan Lounsbury stated, "Offense sells tickets, but defense wins games" in defense of this month's Athlete of The Month, Brendan Fitzpatrick. The Winthrop, Mass. native was instrumental in the Wolverines 8-5-1 record before winter break. Coach Sawicki stated as he presented the award in chapel, "Sometimes it is hard to quantify defense. The plays that make a difference can be hard to detect, but it shows in the success of the team". We at Wolverine Strength congratulate Brendan on his award.

You can read about Brendan, as well as previous Athlete of The Month winners here:

www.bridgtonacademy.org/athmonth.cfm

Moore, Munyanya are first Athlete of The Month for class of 2011

2010-10-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

Troy Moore (Worcester, MA) and Crispin Munyanya (Manchester, NH) are the inaugural Athlete of The Month for the 2010-2011 school year. Moore, a football player and Munyanya, a soccer player were both chosen for their game-changing play. In speaking with Coach Sawicki regarding the selection, he had this to say, "Moore looks the part. He walks into a room and you expect him to be a football player. More importantly, he backs it up. He changes the game and makes opponents work around him. Crispin, on the other hand, does it very subtley. These two guys couldn't be more night and day. Crispin gets it done though-it's as simple as that. He controls the middle of the field. He makes the plays so that his teammates can get into position for the easy goals."

The two join a long list of outstanding student athletes. For more information on these two as well as their predecessors, click here:

http://www.bridgtonacademy.org/athmonth.cfm

Wolverine Strength adds staff

2010-07-29T10:21:00.001-07:00

The Wolverine Strength program is pleased to announce two new staff members for the 2010-2011 school year. The new staff will add unprecedented depth to the program as well as a tremendous amount of knowledge for our student atheltes.

Michelle Sturgeon:Michelle joins Bridgton Academy after 10 years of coaching and training in the Boston area.
Michelle earned a B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Maine, Orono in 1997 and a M.Ed. with a concentration in Strength and Conditioning from Springfield College in 2002.
Michelle attended school while designing and implementing strength and conditioning programs for Springfield College as well as American International College. As a previous employee of Mike Boyle’s Strength and Conditioning, Michelle coached athletes from the NHL, NFL, NLL, WUSA and USA Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team.
Michelle has earned a Club Coach Certification from USA Weightlifting, Performance Enhancement Specialist Certification from NASM, as well as her Schwinn Certification.

Her primary sport responsibilities will be Soccer and Lacrosse. Michelle will also be serving the school as registrar as well as teaching classes in the science department.

Craig Moody:Craig joins BA as the school's first ever Intern Athletic Trainer. A recent graduate of the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Craig will be honing his trade in the athletic training room. Additionally, he will be working with the strength and conditioning program for the Wolverine baseball team. An avid baseball fan, Craig is currently finishing an internship with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Summer Workout Time!!

2010-06-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

For the BA class of 2011, summer workouts are in full swing. To access the workouts, check out the workouts section of the BA website. The incoming students section is on the left column. For exercise demonstrations and descriptions check out the Exercise Demos section of the website. For any more information, contact Coach Sawicki at 207.647.7662.

Testing finishes up with success!!

2010-05-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

The last day of testing for the class of 2010 finished up earlier this afternoon. There was a big crowd for outside running of the 40's. It was a beautiful spring day in Maine with temps in the 80's. Like the times inside last week, there were some tremendous improvements from the fall.

Overall, the year finished up with guys getting bigger, faster, and stronger. We'll say goodbye to the class on Saturday and start thinking about the class of 2011, which will start the summer program at the end of May.

Weather ruins day 3

2010-04-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

With a combination of rain on Wednesday and a very heavy wind today, not much testing happened. A couple of the guys tested in the max rep 225 bench press and a couple of guys tested on standing broad jump.

A few trends started to surface, however. We noticed that not many guys improved significantly in the power tests. Speed and agility tests were through the roof and maybe that was because of an increased emphasis on these throughout the spring.

It's back to the drawing board for next years class...

Surprises on day 2 of testing

2010-04-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

In a day full of surprises, none was more significant than from an athlete who has been too busy for the SQA program.

As expected, the testing numbers from the SQA athletes was outstanding. Everyone testing in the 40 yard dash improved their numbers by at least a tenth of a second. Jake Lane and Viondy Merisma continued to show tremendous growth this spring with Lane posting a 5.04 at 275 pounds and Merisma running a 4.98 at 285 lbs.

Steve Goniprow (Barrington, RI) and Brian Wilcox (Jericho, VT) both turned in excellent times with Goniprow improving from 4.71 in the fall to 4.50 and Wilcox going from 4.62 in the fall to 4.47.

The biggest surprise of the day was turned in by Tad Gold (Oak Bluffs, MA) who decided to test because the baseball team had a rainout vs. Hebron. Having never run a 40 yard dash before, he blew away all preconceptions by turning in a school-best 4.30 on three separate runs. The hockey-baseball player then took a turn on the vertical jump test and jumped a very impressive 30.5 inches. He then followed us into the gym and ran a blistering 4.98 seconds in the 20 yard shuttle.

This coach was impressed and blown away by this display of athletic prowess. Tomorrow is bench press and standing long jump so check back for reports on that.

Exit testing all week

2010-04-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

A week before the BA students get their final academic exams of the year, the Wolverine Strength program is doing its exit testing for the spring strength & conditioning programs. A group of 10 athletes came out for the first day of testing which measured the 20 yard shuttle and pullups.

9 out of the 10 showed a significant improvement from their testing numbers in the fall in the 20 yard shuttle. The day's top performer was John Moscatel (Lexington, MA) who set a blistering pace with three consistent performances of 4.03 seconds. This represented a 2-tenth of a second improvement from the fall. The most drastic improvement came in from Jake Lane (Harrison Valley, PA) who came in at 4.66, down from 5.28 in August.

For pullups, the days top performer was Ethan Barnes (New Bedford, MA) who knocked out 28 pullups. The most impressive performance in this test came from Viondy Merisma (Waltham, MA) who did 10 pullups at 285 lbs.

Coach Sawicki to present

2010-04-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 24th, Athletic Trainer/S&C Coach Joe Sawicki will be presenting at the Maine NSCA conference at the Portland campus of the University of New England. The title of his presentation is "Developing the College-Ready Athlete" and focuses on trends that separate the typical high-school athlete versus the college-ready athlete. For more information contact Coach Sawicki at jsawicki@bridgtonacademy.org

SQA program hits record number of participants

2010-03-31T14:11:00.000-07:00

A program that was once a throw-in activity for a few football players each spring has blossomed into a vital part of the athletic development program. This spring, the SQA program is reaching nearly half the student body. It has become a key supplement to the spring workouts for all our programs. The spring SQA program is currently following the schedule below:

Football: Tuesday-Agility and lateral speed, Thursday-Straight ahead speed
Soccer: Tuesday-Footwork and speed, Thursday-Power development
Hockey: Monday-Footwork and footspeed, Wednesday-Power development

Wolverine Strength kickoff!

2010-03-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Wolverine Strength blog. I've been toying around with the idea of doing this for a while. Last week I was at the Perform Better Clinic in Boston and I realized that we might be the only organization without a blog. So here we go! I am sure we have plenty of activity to report on so check back regularly!

-Coach Sawicki