|
AU Construction
Continues in the Weight Room |
|
By Andrea Adame, AU Sports Information
Over the past few months it has become more and more obvious that Ashland University is a campus under construction. As new buildings go up at AU other important needs are being addressed in athletics.
In an effort to continue to lift the level of the football program several improvements have been made to the weight room to make sure that AU is up to par with other programs in the league. “Morale-wise an upgrade in the facilities shows the players the commitment of the university and coaches to the program,” said strength and conditioning coach Doug Geiser. “The new equipment helps get the guys excited to be a part of this team.” Geiser comes to AU after coaching at the University of Akron. While at Akron he spent time working with strength and conditioning coach Dan Bailey. “Dan helped me a lot when he came into the program at Akron. I had previous ideas, but he ingrained my philosophies and he did a great job to teach technique,” Geiser said. “It’s been a big help having Steve Clinkscale working with the athletes as well since he handled the program before me. He has been invaluable in the weight room and has great insights.” As Ashland strives to keep up with the other programs in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference it begins to realize more and more the importance of adequate facilities for its athletes. “I think quality facilities are extremely important, ranking just under the importance of having quality people,” said athletic director Bill Goldring. “We want to have top-notch individuals associated with our program and we also need to supply resources, including facilities that allow them to be successful.” “Good facilities are a be-all, end-all,” said Geiser. “The athletes need to have pride in their school and facilities and a team should not skimp on the strength program. How you do in the weight room is a direct correlation with how you will do on the field.” Along with helping the morale of the team, the new equipment helps the players become more efficient in their lifting as well. “The new equipment allows us to do a lot more in less amount of time,” said senior linebacker Chris Campbell. “We go in and work. The new equipment makes our job easier because you don’t lose focus, it’s all right there.” When the new football coaches arrived at AU last winter they had a few ideas up their sleeves to upgrade the weight room. New free-weight lifting machines were purchased along with new benches. The Eagles are focusing on a free-weight based strength program placing a heavy emphasis on platform and base lifts, squats and presses. “We are very basic in what we do, said Geiser. “We do the meat and potatoes of lifting, focusing on power and strength. We don’t stop pushing when the season starts, we lift throughout.” With this new strategy intact the players are beginning to see the fruits of their continuous efforts. “I am stronger now than I was at the beginning of the season. We don’t realize it, but you look back and see it and that is a good feeling. It gives the guys more and more belief in what we can do,” said Campbell. Over the past year a heavy emphasis has been placed on the athletes to train hard in the weight room if they expect to perform hard on the field. The training started in the winter and carried on through the spring and summer. Many of the athletes stayed at AU this summer and focused on their training in order to enhance their performance on the field. “Last winter when we started the new lifting program, it was a wakeup call for the guys. For some of them, it wasn’t the program they signed up for and they didn’t want to make the commitment,” said Geiser. “This showed us who was willing to commit to this team. Now the young guys, all they know is this program and we can grow from there.” The players agree. “Being committed and doing your lifting is real important because this is such a physical game,” said Campbell. “If you are not in tip-top shape you get run over in this league.” With the improvements that have already been made to the lifting facilities the staff has many more in mind for the years ahead.
|
