BY JOSIE DECARO (19’)

New OSU weight trainers will work with student athletes for each individual and all sports. Each sport works with these weight trainers everyday since the beginning of the school year.

“The kids are definitely getting stronger. There has been a decrease in injuries, especially with football team, shoulder injuries,” athletic weight trainer Drew Alheim said. “There is a level of enthusiasm with the kids now and they’re excited about what Ohio State’s doing”

Hard working and well behaving students have made a very good impression on Coach Alheim so far, as he is very impressed with our school.

“I’ve pushed the coaches to get involved with the strength coaches,” Athletic Director Kevin Jarrett said. “I think that will grow more as they see what’s happening and what it’s like and have that myth busted a little bit.”

All  sports teams are provided with their own weight training time with the new OSU trainers. Jarrett says a $20,000 contract started over five years ago included the athletic trainers and $5,000 more was added to the contract for the new weight trainers.

“To have a link between our rehab with our athletic trainers and our prevention, which we hope to have our strength trainers doing and kind of working together with that to make sure that we prevent you from getting injured,” Jarrett said.

To the athletic program and the school board it is of high importance for  the working together of our two athletic trainers, Steve Rose and Bri Miller, and the our new OSU weight trainers Drew Alheim and Dan Inglis. New weight training tactics and workouts are essential for preventing injuries for all student athletes.

“We have this whole half hour thing, it’s called ‘Mobility’, where we do a bunch of stretches for every ligament in your body to get you more warmed up,” football player Colin Freeman stated.

The football team is more prepared and energized to get back out on the field for game days.

“The stretching routine has made us a more flexible and a more explosive football team,” coach JR Wait said.“Coach Inglis and Coach Alheim clearly care about our players, in and out of the weight room.”

The efforts of Coach Inglis and Coach Alheim have surely not gone unnoticed. Much time and dedication is put into making sure the athletes stay safe while putting in work. Along with the coaches, parents are looking forward to the new program.

Ed Rizor is very involved with the school and athletic program, and is the parent of a child on the varsity baseball team.

“While I have not seen the program in writing, from what I’ve been told I would expect my child to gain a ‘sport specific’ workout program tailored to his position in his sport,” Ed Rizor said.

After devoting a lot of time to the baseball program, Rizor is excited about the one-on-one and ‘sport specific’ training and exercising that will be taking place with his child.

“Today’s research into strength and conditioning tells us you should not train a football player the same as a golfer or a baseball player the same as track and field athlete,” Rizor said. “Each sport requires sport-specific strength and conditioning to excel quickly.”