THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 28, 1994 TAG: 9410270194
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
DURING ITS REIGN of athletic superiority, the former Soviet Union used highly advanced, technical methods to test its athletes - finding ways to make them better and better.
The United States has been making gains in the scientific testing of athletes - especially at the collegiate and professional levels.
Monday at Green Run, Stallions athletes from several different sports got a taste of what such testing is like in a program sponsored by Virginia Beach Orthopaedic Associates.
The National Athletic Testing Program was started by athletic trainers at the University of Nebraska to help coaches target weaknesses their athletes needed work on.
Once they realized what they had, they quit their jobs with Nebraska and founded a company to market the program nationwide.
``We were contacted by their marketing people and looked into the program,'' said Wayne Gatewood of Virginia Beach Orthopaedic Associates - one of the area's leaders in athletic training.
``We studied it and decided that it would be a good thing to take into the schools. So far, the feedback has been pretty good.''
In the program, athletes are tested in a variety of areas - including agility, lower and upper body power, body composition, acceleration and speed.
Participants fill out a form asking for information, such as athletic history, family history and what sports they participate in, and they are tested on height and weight.
The material is then computerized and evaluated to determine areas of weaknesses and strengths. Athletes are compared in overall performance.
``(Salem athletic trainer) Cindy Midkiff is really getting into this and helping their athletes develop programs to work on their weak areas,'' Gatewood said. ``Of course, the program can't show heart and desire and determination, but it gives trainers and coaches a good base to start from.''
Green Run field hockey coach Margaret Brandon immediately saw a tendency toward upper body weakness in her players and vowed to work on the problem during the off season.
Football assistant and baseball coach Jeff Balance said the program will help him prepare his baseball team for the upcoming season.
``I think this is great, a big help to coaches and athletes,'' he said. ``We can see where we stand as far as what kind of shape and condition these kids are in.
``I think it's also a very humbling experience for some of them, but that can be good. We can use that as a motivational thing to make them work harder to get better.''
Each individual is given an evaluation and coaches are given overall evaluations on all their athletes - giving them a starting point for improvement.
The program can also point out other things to coaches.
``You might find a hidden talent in some of your kids, said head football coach Elisha ``Cadillac'' Harris. ``Or you might see something in someone that will help you implement a play you didn't think you could use.
``But most importantly, this will help the kids in training. Each student finds out his or her strengths and weaknesses and that is a key for offseason preparation.''
Salem and Green Run are the only schools to participate in the program, which gets considerable help from HealthSouth and Sentara.
Gatewood said his organization will bring the program to other schools as soon as possible.
Running a school full of athletes through jumping, running, sprinting and strength tests takes several hours out of afternoon practice sessions.
Stallions wide receiver/punter/kicker and baseball star David Abbott got something confirmed during the testing.
``Jumping, I need to work on jumping,'' he said, waiting to take part in the acceleration test. ``But this is a pretty cool thing. It's going to help some guys out.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Diane Waters, a volunteer, records times in a sprint at Green Run
High School. Athletes were tested in a variety of areas - including
agility, lower and upper body power, body composition, acceleration
and speed.
ABOVE: In a test of upper body strength, Lyn Balan heaves a shot
from a sitting position. LEFT: David Abbott, a Stallions football
and baseball player, confirmed his suspicions: ``Jumping, I need to
work on jumping.''
by CNB