Quote of the Week

"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing."

Vince Lombardi

Jensen Prepares for ISU

Ankeny Senior Brandon Jensen working hard on the backpedal. Brandon committed to Iowa State earlier this year and has been working hard to prepare for the upcoming Cyclone football season.

Upper Body Plyo

This is one of the upper body drills used at Acceleration Iowa to develop an athlete's ability to produce power with the upper body. Upper body strength is great for any sport when the game gets rough because athletes don't want to get pushed around, they want to be the one doing the pushing!

Physioball

Jordan Johnson, Kate Chartier, and Maggie Norland doing some core exercises with the physioballs in Ankeny.

Drake Relays Qualifiers

Congratulations to the following AI athletes who qualified in individual events for the Drake Relays. Good luck this weekend!

BOYS
100
Jahzel Fristo, D.M. Roosevelt
Dalton Parrott, W.D.M. Dowling Catholic
Trevor Edwards, W.D.M. Dowling Catholic
Tevin Mincy, Southeast Polk

110 HURDLES
Erik Bergstrom, Johnston
Tyler Donels, Southeast Polk
Austin Ward, Norwalk

HIGH JUMP
Tyler Donels, Southeast Polk

LONG JUMP
Amara Darboh, W.D.M. Dowling Catholic

SHOT PUT
Henry Kelley, Waukee

DISCUS
Henry Kelley, Waukee


GIRLS
100
Ashlee Downs, W.D.M. Valley

800
Kaly Adkins, Earlham

1,500
Kate Maxcy, W.D.M. Valley
Emily Brush, Waukee
Bailey Eppard, Johnston

3,000
Emily Brush, Waukee
Mary Kenney, W.D.M. Valley
Kate Maxcy, W.D.M. Valley

LONG JUMP
Ashlee Downs, W.D.M. Valley

DISCUS
Haley Faber, W.D.M. Dowling Catholic

Shuffle Drill

From the top Jimmy Siebert (Jr. Johnston), David Peyton (Sr. Urbandale), Spencer Hellman (So. Valley), and Brody Baumann (So. Valley) work on their shuffle technique on the Super Treadmill.

It's tougher than it looks, great work guys!

Plyometrics

Ankeny athletes in the middle of a jumping exercise. From left to right: Cole Myers, Matt Wubben, Cory Myers, Connor Schabel, and Jordan Sidwell.

Over-Speed Run In Waukee

This video shows Tyler Reicks performing an over-speed run on the Super Treadmill. These runs are a great way to train an athletes muscles to contract faster. This is accomplished by setting the treadmill at a speed that the athlete could not perform on their own which forces the athlete to move their legs at a speed to they are not used to moving. The muscles then adapt and learn to move on their own at a greater rate making the athlete faster! Good work Tyler!

Super Circuit in Waukee

This video shows Michael Folkerts, Andrew Flaherty, and Tyler Reicks completing a super circuit on the super tread mill. Each Athlete had to complete fours intense runs with less than 30 seconds of rest between runs. This is a great way to work on recovery time and getting power out of your legs even when they are tired. This isn't like running sprints on the field or on hills where you slow down when you are tired. The trainer sets the speed and when you get tired you are forced to take those extra five or six strides that you would normally fail to perform. This is how the Acceleration Iowa program can give you that edge you are looking for on the field, because when your opponent slows down you will have those extra five or six steps. When asked what he thought of the workout Michael Folkerts said, "It sucked but I feel good that I finished it." It will feel even better when you see the results this upcoming football season!

DM Register Article on Jeff Woody

Check out the article about Jeff Woody, a former SE Polk athlete who worked out at AI throughout his high school career...


Cyclone football: Jeff Woody in mix to be Alexander Robinson's backup

Ames, Ia. — Jeff Woody is goal-driven, and if you don’t believe it, have him tell you about the notes he tacks daily to the walls of his apartment:

Get on the field.

Get on the field as running back.

Get on the field on special teams.

Earn all A’s in the classroom.

“They’re written down,” the Iowa State tailback from Southeast Polk said Monday. “I have a list of goals that I want to accomplish every day. I post them on my wall every day, and I look at them before I leave my room.”

He’ll meet one of those goals during the Cyclones’ annual spring game at 2 p.m. Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium, where admission is free. He’s one of three trying to be No. 2 behind 1,000-yard rusher Alexander Robinson.

“That A-Rob fella,” the talkative Woody said. “He’s all right.”

But No. 2 is up for grabs among Beau Blankenship, James White, incoming recruit Shontrelle Johnson, Bo Williams once he recovers from a concussion, and Woody.

“He’s a physical, hard-running football player,” coach Paul Rhoads said of the 234-pound Woody, a walkon who didn’t play last season.

“He’s hard to tackle, and if he’s not lining up at tailback, he can line up at tight end, or we can use him as a blocker at fullback.

“He can play on special teams, too. Jeff Woody will help this football team in 2010.”

Iowa State's 2010 football schedule

Facebook: Become a fan of our Iowa State Cyclones coverage

On the field and in the motivational department, thanks to wisdom passed on by Scott Belger, Woody’s high school baseball coach.

“He brought in a speaker once who stressed the importance of setting goals, and it’s stuck with me,” the redshirt freshman said.

“When you have a goal that you see everyday in the mirror or on the wall or in your wallet, you’re going to subconsciously know that all your actions will be based on achieving that goal.”

Cyclones blog: Video from Paul Rhoads' press conference

Goals also extend to the classroom:

Turning all homework assignments in on time.

Study a week in advance for all exams.

So far – mostly so good.

He says he’s getting A’s in Chemistry, Sociology and in two labs.

He’s getting B’s “so far” in Physiology and Computer Science.

“Haven’t had the finals yet, though,” he said. “I’m a positive thinker.”

Most of the time.

Woody once wondered whether he’d ever be placed scholarship, but this time a friend set him straight.

“I got down on myself seeing others on scholarship, thinking Oh woe is me,” recalled Woody, who still isn’t on scholarship. “My girl friend reminded me that if I was playing just for a scholarship, -- you’re playing for the wrong reasons.

“That snapped me back to reality.”

Quote of the Week

"To get what you've never had, you must do what you have never done."

Girls Rule!

Amber Fistler, Jenna Borchers, and Alyssa Hendricks, all of Dallas Center-Grimes, won an intense battle of agility against a tough group of boys. The boys couldn't believe it when the girls beat them time after time.

Keep up the great work ladies!

Therabands

Ankeny athletes enjoying some theraband exercises.
Front row: Chase Dowell (left) and Matt Wubben.
Back row: Ethan Kain and Kaden Sauer.

Theraband exercises are great for injury prevention and strengthening the hip, hamstring, and quads.

New Cheetah Club Members

During the 6:30 hour in Waukee all the Athletes got a chance at making the Cheetah Club and earn a Cheetah Club T-Shirt. To make Cheetah an athlete must run 20 mph for 6 seconds. Here were the Result:
Ben Fisher: 21.5 mph Super Cheetah (Shown in the Video)

Grant Zieser: 20 mph Cheetah

Michael Folkerts: 20 mph Cheetah

Austin Waldorf: 18 mph Leopard

Stephen Folkerts: 16.5 mph Cougar

Nice work guys, keep moving up the charts!

Agility Drill In Waukee

The videos show Marcus (top) and Spencer (bottom) doing an agility drill. These two are brothers and play football at Van Meter. Marcus is a junior and Spencer is an eighth grader and both will be working out at Acceleration Iowa this spring and summer to get ready for next football season.

Newest Distance Club Member

This is Grant Zieser who made the distance club on Tuesday. This is one of the hardest clubs to make at Acceleration Iowa because it tests your ability to block out the pain and push on. To make the club you must run eight seconds, then hold eight seconds, then run eight seconds, hold eight seconds at 10 mph and a 15% grade for at least 1:30. Five athletes made an attempt and here are the Results:

Ben Fisher: 56 Seconds
Austin Waldorf: 48 Seconds
Michael Folkerts: 1 minute 4 Second
Stephen Folkerts: 56 Seconds
Grant Zieser: 1 minute 32 Seconds

Newest Bobcat Club Members

Jacob Huseman and Marcus Chew are the newest members of the Bobcat Club. In order to qualify, you must run 12.0 mph for 6 seconds on the Super Treadmill. Jacob ran 13.0 mph and Marcus ran 12.0 mph.

3 on 3

Athletes in Ankeny hustling through a 3 on 3 relay.

Left team in order
Kaden Sauer (5th Grade/Ankeny)
Cory Myers (Soph/Ankeny)
Matt Wubben (Soph/Ankeny)

Right Team in order
Nathan Schabel (8th Grade/Ankeny)
Connor Schabel (Soph/Ankeny)
Ethan Kain (Freshman/PCM)

Pain is Temporary

This Video shows the 6:30 group in Waukee finishing up the workout with some hard core exercises. A strong core makes athletes more balanced and also more explosive allowing them to make sharper cuts and get up to speed faster. To get a strong core it takes hard work but as some might say if it was easy everyone would do it; and those who choose to endure the pain will gain the result. Good work guys!

Quote of the Week

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."

Thomas Jefferson

AI Athletes on the 2010 Shrine Bowl Roster

Congratulations to the following athletes who were named to the 2010 Iowa Shrine Bowl All Star football game to be played in Jack Trice Stadium this July:

Michael Chia, Indianola
Nick Kron, W.D.M. Valley
Brandon Jensen, Ankeny
Tommy Gaul, W.D.M. Dowling Catholic

Nice work guys!!!

Luke Shay Gets Results

Luke Before Acceleration Iowa

Luke After Completing the Acceleration Iowa Program

Luke Shay has been coming to workouts at Acceleration Iowa in Waukee for the past six months to get ready for the upcoming soccer season. We have all enjoyed having Luke around because he always comes ready to work hard and has made some great speed improvements as a result. Good Luck this soccer season Luke and we look forward to seeing you back soon!

Player Profile: Colton Feeley

Colton Feeley

School: Summit Middle School

Grade: 6

Sports: Football, Basketball, Baseball, Wrestling

Favorite Athlete: Adrian Peterson

Favorite Food: Pizza

Favorite Team: Minnesota Vikings

Favorite Subject: P.E.

About his time at Acceleration Iowa:

"Great experience, had a wonderful time."

Colton finished his 12 month program today and had a fantastic testing session. Keep up the great work, Colton!

Barnstormers Start the Season

The Iowa Barnstormers begin the 2010 season tonight with a home game against the Chicago Rush. Many of the players spent their off season training at Acceleration Iowa and we wish all of them the best this year!

The following Barnstormers trained at A.I. this offseason:

Brent Curvey FB/LB

Brian Villanueva QB

Eric Rothwell OL/DL

Jeff Glas K

Khalil Carter WR/DB

Mike Dansby OL/DL

Tanner Varner WR/DB

Todd Blythe WR/DB

Tommy Ellingworth WR/DB

Dusty Kain WR/DB

Jason Ripke FB/LB

Tyson Smith OL/DL

Best of luck to Coach Jack Whitver as he makes his national television debut on the sidelines as the game will be shown on the NFL Network.

Becoming Balanced Athletes in Waukee

The three videos shown are athletes performing three different balance drills. These are drills we at Acceleration Iowa like to use so the athletes can catch their breath from the workout while gaining practice at a valuable skill to any athlete, balance. The first video shows the two foot balance performed by Justin Boord who is very tall for his age so this drill is great practice for him to gain coordination. The second video shows his sister Stephanie doing a more advanced drill. She is also very tall for her age and we added a little difficulty by passing the ball. The last video shows Marcus Benton, Spencer Benton, and Ben Fisher doing another more advanced drill on one foot and touching their toes, which is really hard. Once an athlete masters one balance drill we will always challenge them with a more difficult drill.