Collegiate Athletes 2009 News

Darren Small
September 2009
 
Hey Guys,

Hope everything well back in NY, (and NJ for John) and everything is
going well. So I have to apologize for not getting in touch sooner. Got
caught up in camp, and school started this week so its been a lot. As for
camp, it went well. I tested in the top of every category. For Bench I
repped 343, Squat I did 431, and did 12 pull-ups (which really doesn't
matter). In the running we did a 20 yd. dash instead of a 40 and I ran a
2.71 in that and in the pro agility I ran a 4.21. So all in all it worked
out pretty well.
Now as for football itself, Coach called me into his office today and
told me I can't play defense anymore. I looked at him pretty confused and
not sure what to say, but then he looked at me and told me he wants me to
run the ball. So I guess John was right. Maybe you should stop training
people and go into fortune telling. Predicted Andrew playing guard, now
this. When Coach told me all of I could think of was you guys. I almost
laughed. So I'm going to be running the ball, and I actually have a huge
opportunity in getting the nod. Since our two starting backs are hurts and
another has swine flu, I just need to run over a couple of people first.
Anyways, I got to get to bed we have meetings before class tomorrow. Stay
beautiful guys. If no one told you today, I love you guys.

All the Best,
The New Running Back

--
Darren Small
Middleburry College
 
 
 
Diego Maquieira
September 2009
 
Hey Dave and John,
 
 It's been a while, so I thought I should check in with you guys and tell you about my progress. Camp went really well for me, and I've learned the system here and am getting in better shape everyday. As far as testing, there wasn't anything very serious, except for the conditioning test. We had to run 17 25 yard shuttles in under 8.75 seconds, and I ended up failing my first time around, but got it with ease my second time. I think it was just a case of the jitters and not really knowing what I was doing. As far as weight room stuff, they recorded my bench max at 275, my squat at 325 and my clean at 185. We're in season now, so were not doing the heaviest of weights but I feel stronger and faster. I've actually dropped to 210 on a good day now, but the coaches are looking for that, because they want me to get quicker, since I'm playing outside linebacker. I played JV yesterday and had a field day on the other team, so I feel like that should help with my attempt to make the travel squad. I have a good chance of making the travel squad since the senior starter at my position sprained his MCL, and so the backup moved up to starter and im now in the mix for the #2 spot. I've been working hard everyday, going all out on every play, giving it all on the sprints and running, and I have never taken a knee during a practice. I have to thank you guys for everything, because beyond the physical gains, you guys helped me prepare mentally, and I saw a handful of guys drop out already, because they just couldn't handle it. Thanks for everything, and I hope talk to you soon, and hopefully with good news. Keep going strong and I'll come visit when I get out of this place.

-- 
Diego Armando Maquieira
Bucknell University
 
 

College Football Players Making Gains at Manhattan Velocity Sports  

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From left to right: Sebastian, Andrew, and Darren. (6/30/09) 
 
 
Three current and future college football players have been training at Velocity Sports Performance NYC this summer in preparation for their upcoming seasons. These New York City based athletes are: Darren Small, a rising junior safety at Middlebury College; Sebastian Pedraza, a rising junior middle linebacker at Bates College, and Andrew Dos Santos, who recently graduated from the Asheville School and will be a freshman at Ohio Wesleyan University this fall. 
 
Each afternoon the athletes come in and train with Coach Dave Tebidor and Coach John Badurek. When you're in the gym at the same time as this group it's hard to miss them; their workouts are extremely hard and intense.  "They're not only physically strong, they're mentally strong as well, which is just as important," Coach Dave T has said. While Coach John Badurek adds, "Darren, Sebastian and Andrew have seen great physical improvements in their speed and strength. For example, over the course of the three weeks, all three athletes have had more than a 20lb increase for their bench press, and more than 40lb increase for their squat." The effort these three athletes exude when they're training is a testament to their strong work ethic and willingness to be prepared for their upcoming seasons.
 
In addition to the physical gains that Darren, Andrew, and Sebastian have been making, they have also developed a sense of teamwork and competitiveness that is not typically found in off-season training. "We've been pushing each other to do better each day, there is also a competitive atmosphere, each of us wants to do more than the other," Sebastian says.  "We try to match and exceed each other when we're lifting and or doing agility drills," Andrew stated.  All of us at Velocity Sports Performance NYC hope that the hard work will pay off for these three athletes in the fall!

We have provided pictures of one of the group's training sessions and an interview with Darren Small to give you a better idea of what these athletes have been working on. Enjoy! 
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Above: Sebastian doing 405lb boxsquats. (6/30/09)

 newsletterpics3                                       Below: Andrew doing 475lb deadlifts (6/30/09)

     

 

                               

 

                               

 
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