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Strengthening
The Woodstock Academy strength and conditioning coach Brenden Ostaszewski demonstrates a weight training exercise to girls’ soccer players, left to right: Gillian Price, Lucy McDermott and Brynn Kusnarowis. At right, The Woodstock Academy junior football player Luis Miranda lifts in the fitness facility on the South Campus. Photos by Marc Allard.

WOODSTOCK — Summer may be a time for vacations, going to the beach, and hanging out with friends.
But not everyone is taking it easy as the dog days of summer approach.
Many athletes at The Woodstock Academy are getting ready for what lies ahead this fall.
Under the direction of strength and conditioning coaches Brenden Ostaszewski and Jeff Higgins, the Centaurs athletic teams have been working out in the South Campus fitness facility since school came to an end in June.
“It’s extremely important,” Ostaszewski said of the summer conditioning work. “We have to help build a foundation to help get them stronger, quicker, and prep them for the upcoming (fall) season. It’s not mandatory, but the athletes see the improvements and they keep on coming.”
To help them see those improvements first hand, Ostaszewski and Higgins are using an online software program from Volt Athletics, which was purchased for them by The Woodstock Academy Boosters Club.
“It allows athletes to track their progress and it gives them a good visual tool to use to check out their progression. It allows me to see the analytics and it’s easy to access. It also keeps them more accountable. I can see if they have completed their workout even if they are on vacation,” Ostaszewski said.
The Centaurs football program, boys’ and girls’ soccer, volleyball, field hockey and even a winter program, girls’ hockey are all taking part in the summer training sessions. For those not currently involved in a fall sport, there is also an open gym Monday-Thursday from 10 to 11 a.m.
“It’s very important to get ready for the football season and all the challenges we face ahead. We’re trying to get bigger for the season. Trying to come back and do better this year than last year,” said junior football player Luis Miranda.
Ostaszewski came to The Academy last summer and quickly set up a lifting program for the football team last August.
This summer, Ostaszewski opened that up to all the fall programs, girls’ hockey and prep basketball.
“We’re getting much better numbers now, probably twice the amount,” Ostaszewski said.
During the school year, the strength and conditioning program serves over 400 student-athletes a year, in addition to all the students living on South Campus.
Ostaszewski said he follows a periodization schedule with each individual athlete.
The athlete begins with very simple movements which Ostaszewski and Higgins monitor to be sure they can progress to the next set.
“Then, we make the lift more challenging,” Ostaszewski said.
Sophomore girls’ soccer player Gillian Price is just happy Ostaszewski is on campus.
“It’s fantastic. He does a great job, gives us great workouts. I don’t think I would have thought about them myself. It really helps,” Price said.
Price was happy not only with the strength regimen but also the running and agility drills that Ostaszewski employs.
“It helps with cutting on the field and just makes your movement smoother. It’s a good addition to just weight training,” Price said of the agility portion of the workouts.
Ostaszewski is also not working on his own any longer.
Higgins, a graduate of The Academy, has returned to his alma mater. Higgins graduated from UConn with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, went to the private sector and worked as a personal trainer in the Hartford area before coming home. He will be a full-time addition to The Academy in the fall.
Ostaszewski said with Higgins on board, the strength and conditioning programs can be offered at both North and South campuses.
“It’s unheard of, especially at the high school level,” Ostaszewski said of having two strength and conditioning coaches at The Academy.
“It’s good because one can work with the underclassmen and the other with the upperclassmen and make both groups better,” Miranda said. “It’s great to see a lot of underclassmen here. It will make the program grow and be better in the years to come.”
The girls’ soccer program became the first to be signed up for the Volt program July 19.
“I love it. When (Ostaszewski) first signed me up, I looked at it and said ‘This is cool.’ We like it,” Price said. “I think it will help keep me more motivated. I can compare the progress I made over the middle of the summer to where I am at at the end of the summer. I think that’s a good thing.”
It’s what Miranda is looking for forward to as well, seeing where he started and then looking at how he finishes.
Along the way, he expects some challenges.
“Sometimes, it does hurt. After a workout sometimes, you just want to lie down and take a nap for a few hours,” Miranda said with a laugh.
Fortunately, that’s also what summer is all about.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director






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