The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
STRETCHING OUT
Pre-practice sessions part of Lake’s strength and conditioning program
Lake Catholic football players Carson McNellie, left, and Andrew Tran practice yoga as part of their training.
The morning dew hadn’t even begun to burn off the grass at Lake Catholic’s practice field Aug. 8 when the instruction began.
“Drive through your heels,” the Cougars’ football team was told. “Drive forward. Keep your shoulders over your hips.”
Sounds like head coach Scott O’Donnell was in demanding form, right? On the contrary. Those instructions were coming from Rachel Trem, who has taken on the role of leading the Lake Catholic football team through a new pre-practice ritual — yoga.
Players moaned when stretching out muscles they probably never knew they had before. Some stumbled a little when trying the techniques being taught by Trem. There were even a few chuckles; this was only the seventh yoga session in which the players have taken part.
But the introduction of yoga to the Lake Catholic football team is here to stay, strength and conditioning coach Ron Bare said.
And if you ask the players, they’re enjoying every minute of it.
“When they first said yoga, I was kind of skeptical about what we’d get out of it,” senior lineman Carson McNellie said. “With all the stretching, breathing and tranquility of it all, it’s beneficial. And it’s also a great team-bonding exercise.
“I tell ya, if you go out to a yoga session, then go into lifting or practice, you’re so relaxed and stretched out. The risk of injury is a lot less.”
Bare said the idea for yoga is new to the high school level, though many college programs currently use the method.
Not only is Lake Catholic’s football team doing yoga now in the preseason, but the Cougars also will gather on the mornings after games during the season for yoga.
“A lot of the benefit is getting blood back into the muscles,” Bare said. “They’re going to be sore after games. They’re going to be bruised and banged up. This will get blood back into their muscles and fresh oxygen to speed
up the repair process.”
Bare said the plan going forward is to get all the Lake Catholic sports programs to use yoga on a year-round basis. Yoga will take place in the Cougar Room, he said, with the new state-of-theart Zappitelli Weight Room being part of the training process as well.
“I remember being this age and thinking yoga was boring to me,” Bare said. “I wouldn’t even try it. But once these guys tried it, they loved it — absolutely loved it. They don’t realize going in what a workout it is.”
Coach Scott O’Donnell said he hasn’t joined the yoga sessions yet because of his practice planning in the preseason. But he plans on doing so soon, and will do it with the team on the days
after games this season.
“This is something we’ve talked about doing for a while,” O’Donnell said. “Everyone thinks yoga is just about relaxation, but it’s stretching, it’s breathing. It’s training them to breathe the right way. It’s a good workout. Those kids are sweating their butts off when they’re done.”
Trem made her rounds up and down the rows of players, not only showing the proper techniques, but also providing words of encouragement.
When the 40-minute yoga session was finished, the players strapped on their pads and helmet, then went to work on their trade — football.
“I didn’t think I’d like it, but I do,” McNellie said. “I really like it.”
“If you go out to a yoga session, then go into lifting or practice, you’re so relaxed and stretched out.” — Lake’s Carson McNellie