Sports Training Continues

Willaim Penn athletes work on keeping in shape during a special three week course to help keep them in shape.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – It may be the start of the summer break, but many William Penn students were taking advantage of summer strength training. Wrestlers, football players and many others took to the yard and street in front of Penn’s gymnasium to flip some implement tires and farmer carry large amounts of weight.

William Penn’s Head Strength Conditioning Coach, Ike Hammerly, says that right now the athletes are working on “general physical preparedness, we’re trying to get back in shape.” This will last for about 3 weeks, with up to 50 participants from the different sports.

Hammerly said that during spring [football] ball, is where they focus on speed and heavier lifting. This type of workout normally happens twice a year. The first time is around November and the second starting right after the end of the college school year and spring ball. Hammerly says this helps them get back in shape and gets the athletes doing “a lot of work”.

These types of workouts have nothing really to do with football, “because it’s an explosive strength sport, short duration,” where six seconds is the length of the average play. “Hopefully it will set the groundwork for when we start lifting heavy and we start doing a lot of conditioning later in the summer.”

Hammerly says that “this time of the year is a good opportunity to get outside of the weight room and enjoy the weather. It’s always nice in May.”