Instead of ending summer workouts with a search for the heaviest lift, district athletes lined up Wednesday morning at Old Community Stadium to sprint, change direction and jump.
The youth combine for students in grades 7-12 brought the district’s summer training program to a close by measuring speed, quickness, power and explosiveness. It also gave students a chance to show coaches and volunteers how months of consistent work were beginning to translate into athletic performance.
Brett Doud, Director of Human Strength and Performance, said the event placed all of the district’s movement testing in one location and gave students an opportunity to see the results of their effort.
“It’s just a cap of all of our summer work, where our kids can come in, and we can test all of our movement data all in one location, one time,” Doud said. “It’s a great opportunity for our kids to showcase their efforts.”
The testing reflected a central philosophy in the district’s athletic development program: “movement over maxes.”
Rather than placing the greatest emphasis on how much weight an athlete can lift, the summer program prioritizes how effectively that athlete can move. Students were tested in the 40-yard dash, 10-yard sprint, pro agility drill, vertical jump and broad jump. Together, the results provide information about acceleration, lateral quickness, power and explosiveness.
“We try to build athletes in our program,” Doud said. “Our goal is to prepare our athletes for the demands of their sport from a physical preparedness and mental readiness standpoint.”
That does not mean traditional strength training is absent. Doud said athletes will still test in the squat, bench press and clean, but those measurements are not the only indicators of progress. Additional strength testing in combination with William Penn University and Mahaska Health will take place near the beginning of the school year.
The larger goal is to develop athletes who have a foundation of strength and can apply it in different directions and situations. That includes moving forward, backward, and side to side while maintaining the power and control required in competition.
“We want to be explosive. We want to be powerful. We want to have baseline strength as well,” Doud said. “But we also need to be able to move from side to side, front, back, and be explosive in what we do.”
The Combine also gives the district a clearer picture of where athletes are now and where the program should go next. By collecting movement data in a consistent setting, coaches can identify progress, evaluate areas for improvement, and use the results to guide future training.
For students, the event reinforces what the program values.
“A lot of people think of weight rooms as throwing a bunch of weight around,” Doud said. “But this is who we are. This is our identity.”
That identity is still developing. Doud said more than 150 students participated in the summer program each week, moving in and out of the weight room with greater consistency than the district has seen in previous years.
Oskaloosa High School senior Tyler Edgar said the Combine gave athletes an opportunity to see how their summer work translated into measurable improvement. Although baseball limited the amount of time he could spend in the weight room, Edgar said he still improved several of his testing results.
“My 40 time was faster, and some of my other times were faster, too,” he said.
Edgar said summer training is important because athletes have more time to focus on preparing for their sports. The consistent schedule also gives students an opportunity to build habits before competition begins.
“In the summer, you get the time to do that four days a week,” Edgar said. “It feels good when you’re actually able to do those workouts.”
He also said the Combine created an energetic atmosphere for athletes of different ages.
“Everyone was active,” Edgar said. “We had a lot of athletes there and a lot of little kids there. I saw a lot of smiles.”
The progress is especially significant because the program did not exist two years ago.
“Compared to two years ago, there was nothing,” Doud said.
This summer, more than 150 students participated each week, bringing greater consistency and commitment to the program. Doud said the work is still building, but each younger group of students is entering with a stronger understanding of the expectations and the purpose behind the training.
“Is it where I want it to be? Not quite,” he said. “But every younger generation kid that’s moving through, they’re starting to buy in and understand why we do what we do.”
The Combine depended on support beyond the students and coaches leading each station. Teachers, coaches, administrators and other volunteers helped organize the event, record results and encourage athletes throughout the testing.
Doud said that support helps students see that their effort matters to the broader school community.
“I’m extremely thankful for our volunteers that came out,” he said. “They keep pushing our kids, or encouraging our kids to push themselves, and to be the best they can be.”
