Robson Vs. Robson

Connor Robson (left) tries to sneak one past big brother Casey during a battle of box jumps. Casey ends up getting the best of Connor beating him 15 to 14.

Quote of the Week

"The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win."

-Roger Bannister (the first person to break the 4:00 mile barrier)

3rd Grade Olympics in Waukee

Justin Urban and Frankie Accurso faced of in the 3rd Grade Olympics. There were six events they competed in to be named the #1 Athlete in March. The events included:

Backpedal - who can go 5mph for ten seconds at the highest incline.
Box Jump Face off - Who can jump continiously the longest on box 2
Ladder Frisby - first to catch the frisby seven time after completing the hurdles
Wall Sit Chest Pass - holding a wall sit and completing the most chest passes in 1 minute
L-Drill - first to get the best time of the round three times
Jump Rope - who can get the most jumps in 30 seconds

Frankie outlasted Justin in the backpedal but Justin sprinted faster to tie it up in the L-Drill. The box jump face off ended in a tie because nobody would give up after 4 minutes of jumping. Frankie gained his second point in the wall sit chest pass and justin snatched his in the hurdle frisby with a diving catch. It all came down to the sixth event in which Frankie just edged out Justin for the title. There is no doubt these atheltes will continue to train hard so they can come out on top in the next 3rd Grade Olympics. Frankie said, "I got really tired but it was fun so I didn't care." Justin said, "my face feels like it's on fire, its really hot." Continue to work hard guys, it will pay off in your upcoming seasons.

Sauer Working Hard

Kaden Sauer, a 5th grader from Ankeny showing his quickness through the ladder and over the hurdles.

Stamper is the Man!

Abe Stamper, a freshman standout at Roosevelt, works out on the Super Treadmill after coming straight from his baseball practice. A left handed first baseman and pitcher, he excels at both positions. Many of his other teammates were "too tired" to do anything once practice concluded. Putting in the extra effort is what makes Abe special.

"I throw a fastball, change up, and a natural curve since I'm a lefty," Stamper commented.

Let that be a warning to any and all of Abe's opponents. He is bringing the heat but will not be afraid to mix it up.

Abe also plans to play golf next fall for the Roughriders and show the guys on the swim team how it is done when the winter rolls around. There is no doubt that he will do a fine job at those sports as well.

Always a devoted athlete, Abe has been training consistently at Acceleration Iowa for almost five months. He is always fun to have in the gym and his efforts will pay off this season.

Great work and best of luck this season, Abe!

Ladder Drills in Waukee

Ladder drills are a great way to build cordination and quickness. The first video is Ashley Eaton, Zach Eaton, and Lucas Gutierrez doing the ickey shuffle. The second video shows Nick Wessels, Justin Boord, Stephanie Boord, Frankie Accurso, and John Henrich doing the same drill but with the therabands on. Doing the same drill with the theraband improves strength in the hip flexors. The hip flexors are what helps athletes make quick and powerful cuts. The third video is the same drill but just a little closeer. After you do the drill with the thereband you feel like you have an extra gear. Nice work guys!

W-Drill In Waukee

These videos show some athletes in Waukee running the W-Drill. This drill forces the athlete to stay in a athletic/balanced stance because of the pull of the band. If you get out of position the band will take you for a ride. On the last stage of the drill the athletes work on their knee drive and power. I couldn't decide what video to put up so I put them all up. From top down: Drew Urban, Max Urban, Izaak Dixon, Calvin Dixon, and Marcus Benton.

Backwards Is Beautiful

Nick Fox (left), one of the state's best young swimmers, works on his backpedal technique at the Urbandale facility. Foxy has been training at Acceleration Iowa for over two years and is always one of the group leaders.

Marcus McVey (below), an eight grader at Waukee, also shows off his abilities on the backpedal treadmill. He keeps pushing himself even when the legs begin to feel like Jell-0! Marcus has been putting in great work over the past five months and will be a force when the football season gets here!

Keep up the great work guys!

Power Push-Up Race

Above are videos of the 5:30 hour competing in a power push-up race. The goal of the drill is to get off the ground as fast as possible and over your partner until you get across the finish line. This drill is an excellent way to work on generating power with the upper body. Keep working hard guys!

Earning a T-Shirt

Starting from the left is Frankie Accurso, Justin Urban, and Izaak Dixon. We didn't just give them those t-shirts, they earned them by running the best speed plyo circuit. These guys competed extremely hard and not only got a t-shirt but will also see the results on the field. I guess I forgot to tell them the compitition was over though because they still have their game faces on!

Powering through the Sprint Cords

Austin Waldorf(top) and Michael Folkerts(bottom) are shown using the sprint cords in Waukee. The sprint cords are a great way to improve the power of your stride. It goes without saying that running on flat ground only gets easier after doing a workout like this.

Knutson Plays Great in Loss to Kansas

Gabe Knutson, a former Waukee basketball player and current Lehigh forward played great for the Hawks in the first round NCAA tournament game against Kansas. Knutson, a freshman, had 8 points and 6 rebounds for the Hawks, but it wasn't enough to overcome Kansas, who is the overall #1 seed in the tournament. Gabe is on the right in the above picture.

Knutson Ready For Kansas in NCAA Tournament

Gabe Knutson, a freshman at Lehigh, is preparing to face off against the #1 Kansas Jayhawks. Gabe is a former Acceleration Iowa athlete and had a fantastic career at Waukee High School.

Knutson has started every game but one in his freshman season and has grabbed five or more rebounds in 21 games, including a season best 10 vs. Dartmouth. He has led Lehigh in rebounds in six games and scored in double figures 15 times. Knutson was named the league Rookie of the Week on January 4 after scoring a then-season-high 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting in Lehigh’s win over NJIT, and he was honored again on February 1 after he netted a season best 31 points in Lehigh’s first win at Holy Cross since 1998. Knutson sank 11-of-15 shots against the Crusaders as well as 9-of-11 free throws.

Gabe was recently named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team.

We are very proud to see Gabe's hard work pay off. Best of luck against Kansas!

DCHS Ladies Ready For the Season

The Dowling Catholic Girls Soccer Team just concluded a fantastic three months of training at Acceleration Iowa. They began the first week in January and came twice a week until spring break. They will be well prepared when soccer begins next week. Best of luck this season!

Box Seven In Waukee!

These videos show Michael Folkerts(top) and John Henrich(middle) jumping on box seven(42inches), or box three on top of box four. The bottom video is a college athlete jumping on box 10(60 inches). Not many have the guts to attempt the jump but John and Michael were not scared to try. Good work guys! Next up - box eight(48 inches).

When the Going Gets Tough the Tough Get Going!

Look at this group of Acceleration Iowa athletes! I wouldn't want to run into them in a dark alley. Top left is Garrett Nevshemal, Zach Eaton, Ashlee Eaton, Mehgan Greteman, and Will Greteman. Bottom Left is Gavin Nevshemal and Gabe Nevshemal. Each got their shot at the Cheetah test. Here were the results:

Garrett - 14.0 mph (Close to Cougar)
Zach - 17.0 mph(Personal Best-Close to Leopard)
Ashlee - 16.0 mph(First time in Leopard)
Mehgan - 13.5 mph (Cougar)
Will- 12.0 mph (Bobcat)
Gavin - 15.0 mph (First time in Cougar)
Gabe - Hardest worker Award

If you do run into these guys in a dark alley you can run......but good luck getting away =)

Quote of the Week

"Let me tell you what winning means … you're willing to go longer, work harder, give more than anyone else."
-Vince Lombardi

Illinois Drill in Waukee

Luke Shay is seen here running the Illoins Drill which is a very tough drill that involves a lot of sharp cuts but he makes it look easy. The other video is a college football player doing the same drill. Great Work Luke, keep up the hard work!

Roosevelt Muscles?

The "Men of Roosevelt" show off their guns.

These guys have been working hard to get ready for their baseball season.

"I look ripped!" said Walt Davis.

"I need a tan," commented Pete McCoy

Abraham Stamper was overheard saying "I look sweet."

Keep it up, hard work pays off!

Thank You Geoff and Jack

Starting from the left is Geoff and Kyndi Jensen and Jack and Rachel Whitver. Geoff and Jack are co-owners of Acceleration Iowa. These guys started the business about 6 years ago in the old Urbandale location. Having gone through the program themselves to gain a competitive edge they knew it was a great training program and wanted to give Central Iowa athletes the same chance to maximize their potential. After a rough couple of years, they established a great reputation by providing athletes with training that is second to none in a competitive and fun atmosphere. Since then, these two have opened up two new locations--one in Waukee and one in Ankeny. As if running a business is not enough, Jack and Geoff Stay busy during their free time. Jack has been attending law school at Drake University and Geoff has been donating his time to helping athletes at his church. I think I speak for all the workers and athletes at Acceleration when saying, thank you Geoff and Jack for for sticking with it through the good times and the bad. Your commitment to the business has provided so many opportunities for not only employment but also for athletes to improve their athletic abilities. As long as this program is available in Central Iowa its athletes will only become more competitive throughout the state and the country.

Thanks Again Jack and Geoff,
Staff and Athletes

The Nevshemal Dynasty

From the Left is Gavin, Gabe, and Garrett who are all brothers. Gavin and Gabe just started at AI two weeks ago. Gabe is too young but it doesn't stop him from doing his own workouts on the sidelines. We are excited to have these guys work out with us and expect the name Nevshemal to be well known in the future.

Varnum vs. Nuetzman

Marcus Varnum (So. Ankeny) gets the best of Ankeny director Shawn during a battle of double-unders.

Doin Work!

Drew Workman (SE Polk) performing the ultimate test of speed and endurance. 15 mph on a 15% incline for 15 seconds.

New Personal Bests Set at A.I.

Jacob Goyke (left) and Carter Boyd both set personal bests on the Super Treadmill. Jacob topped out at 13.5 mph and Carter finished at 13.0. Both of the guys have been working extremely hard and we know it will pay off. Keep it up guys!

Combine Drill in Waukee

Parker Reed running a cone drill that many coached use for the NFL combine. This drill is a good way to see how well you can stop and change direction. Good Work Parker!

Sprint Cords In Waukee

From the Left Marcus Benton, Grant Zieser, Spencer Benton, Ben Fisher, and Austin Waldorf. All of them got their shot at using the sprint cords in Waukee like shown in the video. Marcus Benton said, "I am sure I will feel this tomorrow!"

Ladder/Hurdle Circuit In Waukee

Circut Drill in Waukee! You better not slow down or you might get run over. In this video is Frankie Accurso, Nick Wessels, John Henrich, Ashlee Eaton, Zach Eaton, and Jake Bergman. Pretty good footwork guys!

Ankeny Obstacle Course

Athletes in Ankeny go through an agility obstacle course during halftime of their workout.

Future Acceleration Iowa Athlete on the Way

Reggie Hoegh(Waukee Director) and his wife Laura are expecting a baby! The baby is due in early September and should be training at AI as soon as it can walk;)

Third Grade Olympics

Jacob Huseman (left), Devin Crew (center), and Justin Crawmer (right) met in an intense Third Grade Olympic battle.

Huseman was outstanding on the jump rope, Crew showed his prowess on the cone run, and Crawmer made his mark on the Super Treadmill run.

The events of the Third Grade Olympics:
1. Jump rope (most jumps in 30 seconds)
2. Box Jumps (fastest to get 25 jumps)
3. Cone Run (first to get around 3 times)
4. Pushup hold (longest before falling)
5. Super Treadmill run (longest time)

Keep up the great work guys!

Working Hard At A.I.

Jacob Goyke (left), Carter Boyd (center), and Noah Spence pose for a post workout picture. All three of them have been pushing themselves extremely hard to get ready for their spring and summer sports.

Waukee Distance Club Test

Run/Hold/Run until failure at 8.5 mph & 15% elevation:

Josh Brunk 1:12
Devon Veach 1:07
Nick Fox 1:04
Joe Clarke 1:02
Adam Carpenter 1:02

Matt Tiby and Mitch Fondell Named 2nd Team In Central Conference

Matt Tiby and Mitch Fondell recieve honors in their conference with 2nd Team selections. Matt and Mitch had great seasons and we are excited to see their hard work recognized.

Schinstock Named Academic All-State

Michael Schinstock has been training with us for that past few years and has worked extremely hard. We are glad to see Michael recognized with an academic all-state honor. This honor just acknoledges what we at Acceleration Iowa already knew, that Michael strives to do the very best in everything that he does. Congratulations!

Six Pack For Spring Break

This video shows the 5:30 group in Waukee working hard the last five minutes for abs. Dusty Kain, wide reciever for the Barnstormers, was in the group and said, "I was just trying to keep up with everyone else."

Taking it to the Next Level In Waukee

Tyler Reicks running 13mph backwards in Waukee! Tyler is one of 6 Van Meter football players that have been working out at Acceleration Iowa.



Grant Zieser works on his explosion on the plyo press. This piece of equipment is a safe way for athletes to perform exlosive jumps with added weight.

Lanning preparing for the upcoming season


Above: Ankeny native Jeff Lanning, now with the Beloit Snappers (Single A, Minnesota Twins), pushing himself through a sprint cord workout.

Below: Lanning is exhausted after finally finishing. Keep working hard Jeff, and good luck with the upcoming season!!

Quote of the Week

"Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting."

Napoleon Hill