SJCC launches new fitness class for teen athletes

Published 10:45 am Tuesday, September 15, 2015

The Stroum Jewish Community Center (SJCC) on Mercer Island is launching a new fitness program, specifically targeting high school athletes.

Called Mercer Island Strength and Conditioning (MISC), the program will focus on helping students become well-rounded, high-performing athletes through improving flexibility, mobility, speed, agility, strength, power and fitness in a safe and effective way while preventing common sports injuries.

Athletes will participate in a series of four-week modules. Each module consists of two classes per week, or eight hour-long sessions focused on a particular conditioning area. The program will also encourage sports nutrition and wellness.

The SJCC fitness team partnered closely with Mercer Island resident Amy Wolff, a longtime member/supporter of the J, mother of three and track coach for Mercer Island High School.

“We know so much more now about mobility, postural distortions and patterns of movement than we did 20 years ago,” said J.D. Green, SJCC fitness general manager. “I see Mercer Island Strength and Conditioning as a great way to educate young athletes on how to take care of themselves, and provide a ‘home base’ in between seasons.”

MISC will also serve as a supplement to multi-sport participation – a notion that has become increasingly popular, with recent studies showing that participating in several sports at a young age can lead to “better performance, less burnout, and more lifelong enjoyment of sports.”

Last week, dozens of sports organizations, including NFL, MLB, NHL, NCAA and the U.S. Olympic Committee, endorsed multi-sport participation and highlighted several risks of “early specialization,” where child athletes focus intensively on one sport year-round.

Risks cited include overuse injuries in developing bodies, decrease in athletic development, and a desire to quit sports altogether.

“It’s all about the complete development of the athlete,” Green said. “At MISC, our team of veteran coaches will work to maximize each athlete’s unique potential by improving performance, reducing potential injury, and focusing on each individual’s specific strength and wellness goals.”

Registration for Mercer Island Strength and Conditioning opened Wednesday, Sept. 2. Introductory “on-ramp” sessions start Sept. 17.

More information can be found on the SJCC website, at sjcc.org/fitness-rec.