Athletic Republic CEO Charlie Graves

Like a kid in a candy shop, Athletic Republic CEO Charlie Graves proudly shows off his own U.S. Army All-American Bowl East Team jersey. He’s a little older than the 90 high schools seniors on the East and West teams, but he’s just as enthusiastic about being in San Antonio for all the U.S. Army All-American Bowl week activities, including the U.S. Army National Combine, the Football University Youth All-American Bowl and, of course, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl itself.

All three Football University Youth All-American Bowl games will be Web cast live on Sunday, January 4th on www.FootballUniversity.org, and the U.S. Army All-American Bowl will be televised on NBC Sports at noon (CST) on Saturday, January 3rd.

The new Brand Jordan football spot, Become Legendary, may only be playing on U.S. television sets, but, thanks to YouTube, it’s getting global exposure. So, too, is the Athletic Republic Super Treadmill that is featured early in the spot.

If it looks like the athlete in the spot is running awfully fast, he is–over 20 mph–and he ended up running at that speed for quite a bit longer than the typical short bursts an athlete would run during a training session at Athletic Republic. Seems as if the director got carried away just watching someone run that fast.

Athletic Republic trainer working with U.S. Army All-Americans

In it’s first year of involvement with the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and Football University, Athletic Republic is all over the field, literally. Throughout Bowl week, Athletic Republic trainers are working directly with the 90 seniors on the East and West teams as well as providing technical support to the U.S. Army National Combine and the 500 underclassmen participating in it.

Here’s what a couple of the trainers had to say about what they’re seeing on the field:

It is quite an honor to work with the best high school football players in the nation.  They all have great attitudes, which really helps them adapt to the higher overall level of play and quickly learn offensive and defensive schemes. It is great to interact with the players as we do taping and stretching, trying to break the shyness barrier and talk to them about their goals and aspirations. I am amazed at the superior size, strength, speed and quickness of these athletes compared to the Utah high school athletes I have trained for the last 14 years.  Some of the players look just as talented as the college and pro football stars of today.
– Michael Everett ATC, CSCS

It’s been fun to see how the ‘Best of the Best’ are now sizing up to the other ‘Bests’ in the country. Everyone is fast here, everyone is big and strong, so now the players have to step up their physical abilities and use everything they have in order to compete. It’s a privilege to be associated with the elite level of athlete represented here.  I am also enjoying employing some functional rehab techniques to some of the kids with nagging injuries.
– BJ Maack, ATC, CSCS

Looking ahead to Football University this winter and spring, Steve Swanson, Chief Officer of Science and Technology for Athletic Republic, offered the observation that:

The intensity and focus of both the coaches and athletes here in San Antonio is phenomenal—just like what the participants in Football University will experience in the coming months.

FBU Alumni Playing in 209 U.S. Army All-American Bowl

Of the 90 high school seniors participating in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl this Saturday, 19 of them are Football University (FBU) alums: Cliff Harris, CB (CA); Tajh Boyd, QB (VA) Shaquelle Evans, WR (CA); Kevin Newsome, QB (VA); Larvez Mars, OLB (FL); Je’Ron Stokes, WR (PA); Patrick Hall, S (CA); Christine Michael, RB (TX); Chris Whaley, RB (TX); Edwin Baker, RB (MI); Tom Savage, QB (PA); Gabe Lynn, CB (OK); Chris Metcalf, OLB (CA); Cierre Wood, RB (CA); Zeke Motta, OLB (FL). FBU Alum U.S. Army All-American’s not pictured: Bryce Brown, RB (MI); Randall Carroll, WR (CA); Michael Carter, CB (FL); Byron Moore, CB (CA).

In the lead-up to Saturday’s game, which will be televised on NBC at noon (CST), you can keep track of all U.S. Army All-American Bowl week activities via daily Web casts at www.allamericangames.tv.

In the lead-up to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which will be televised from the AlamoDome in San Antonio by NBC Sports at noon (CST) on January 3rd, Athletic Republic trainers will be working directly with the 90 seniors on the East and West U.S. Army All-American Bowl teams. And, Athletic Republic will be providing technology  support for the U.S. Army National Combine—an event for the top 500 underclassmen in the country—which is also being held this week in San Antonio.

Once bowl week is over, Athletic Republic and its network of performance sports training centers will extend the Football 365 message to football players across the country through its sponsorship of Football University (FBU).

The 2009 Football University season kicks off in Dallas on January 30. The complete 2009 tour will take FBU to 30 cities around the United States. Invitations are being sent in the mail to athletes’ home or school addresses throughout December and January. If have not received an invite and would like to be considered, nominate yourself online at www.footballuniversity.org.

The newest Athletic Republic franchise opened in Libertyville, Illinois, this past weekend. The 6,000 square foot training space  offers sport-specific training programs for football, hockey and volleyball, within a 200,000 square foot facility that features two indoor soccer fields and eight basketball/volleyball courts, and attracts over one million athletes to come play or train each year.

But don’t take our word for what this facility means to the community, here are a couple of local news stories about Athletic Republic Libertyville: one is from the Daily Herald, the other is from the Libertyville Review.

Don’t misunderstand, Dagny  swims plenty of yards (miles) in the pool every day, under the guidance of her  swimming coach. But the training she and many other young swimmers do with  Blackburn at ASK certainly strays from the norm.

As Blackburn says,  this training is as unconventional as it is simple. Everything we do  at ASK is to prepare the athlete to succeed. The better conditioned an athlete  is, the greater the chance that athlete will swim at his or her optimal speed  more frequently.

The workouts Blackburn prescribes for Knutson  heavily incorporate the Super Treadmill, both as a finishing tool and for  power development. I know that when Dagny can run 20 miles per hour on that  treadmill, she’s going to be fast, Blackburn said.

Congratulations to Dagny for the national high school records she set earlier this fall. And good luck in upcoming events at the U.S. Short Course Championships.

PS: Dagny cleaned up at the U.S. Short Course Swimming Championships, setting three meet records and an American Record, taking 14 and 1/2 seconds off her previous best to set the American Record in the 400 yard IM. Read all about her success here.

As a response to normal daily activities and environmental influences, our body is constantly producing damaging molecules called free radicals.  Because these molecules are so unstable, they often “attack” the body’s cells to gain stability. This creates a damaging chain reaction.  Antioxidants quench these free radicals and help prevent further damage. 

Our body is equipped with internal antioxidants and mechanisms to fight free radicals, but it also depends on the defenses we get from various foods. This is where Vitamin E, Vitamin C, beta-carotene and other phytonutrients come into play.  When we eat foods containing these important compounds, our body can better defend against free radicals and preserve the integrity and strength of our cells. 

Athletes have increased nutrient needs across the board…of course this means a need for more calories to fuel increased activity, but it also translates to a need for more antioxidants to help keep free radical damage at bay. By consuming a diet that includes a variety of foods as well as lots of colorful fruits and vegetables, athletes most likely get all of the dietary antioxidants that the body needs.  A multivitamin may help “top off” essential nutrient stores but the body benefits from whole foods more than it does from supplemental vitamins. 

So…setting the science aside, what does this mean for you as an athlete striving to perform at your highest potential?
Eat Food!

1.) Whole grains – when the whole grain is in tact (as opposed to being broken down and processed), more of the vitamins and minerals are retained.  Whole grains are a great source of vitamin E – a powerful antioxidant.

2.) Fruits and Vegetables – a colorful diet ensures a wide variety of antioxidants – vitamin C and beta-carotene are found in red, yellow, and orange fruits and vegetables, but other colorful produce contains essential phytonutrients. Scientists are still identifying the wonderful properties of these powerful little compounds, but it seems that all of these food constituents work in synergy with one another. In other words, eating a carrot is better than taking a pill that contains beta-carotene, and eating an orange is better than taking vitamin C capsule. All the more reason to eat food and not individual nutrients! 

Happy Eating!

Max has trained on Athletic Republic programs at BlueStreak Sports Training Stamford, CT since the age of 15. His training allowed him to enter camp in great shape with 5.7% body fat and with the highest recorded vertical jump (36”) in Montreal’s rookie camp history. In a short four years his list of accomplishments includes USHL Rookie of the Year, NHL 1st round draft pick, CCHA Rookie of the Year and NHL contract.  Athletic Republic’s Vice President of Hockey had this to say about Max, “There are few athletes that test their personal limits as much as Max has done over the last four year span at BlueStreak. Max’s energy, intensity and relentless pursuit of perfection are the reason he adapts at every level. He will surprise many this year in the NHL.” 

Max played for the University of Michigan last winter and immediately earned a spot on the Wolverines number one line with Hobey Baker winner Kevin Porter. His journey from high school to NHL was recently featured on MaxPreps.com. Max credits Athletic Republic performance sports training programs for his success. “I can’t believe the incredible benefit BlueStreak & Athletic Republic has meant to my career, from the (hockey) treadmill, plyos to the plyo press. All of these things have helped me develop into a faster, quicker & more explosive hockey player.”

Good Luck Max in the upcoming season!