MOUNT VERNON – Targeted toward students in grades 10–12, the new Advanced Sports Performance elective is a pilot program for Mount Vernon High School students.
The program will join the curriculum as a semester elective in the 2021-22 school year.
Students learn to create individualized workout plans, work on sport-specific skills to help athletes improve for their seasons, and develop communication skills with classroom discussions about various topics.
Sports coaches and strength and conditioning coach Curtis Peters help students learn new lifts, develop proper exercise techniques and develop sport-specific skills. Students who are not participating in a sport are encouraged to sign up to learn workout techniques that will help them improve overall fitness and health throughout their lives.
Reaction to the new class has been positive, based on students interviewed on the MVHS website.
"I like how I can design my own workouts based on my needs personally as an athlete," junior Liz Cline said.
"I enjoy the lifting part of this class," senior football player Jimi Foster commented. "I also enjoy that we have a day in the fieldhouse to be active with sports."
"Students' lives are so busy — with many holding down jobs after school or taking care of siblings — that getting to a lifting session or working out sometimes gets neglected," the school said on its website. "Taking a sports performance class during school hours will help alleviate the demand on their after-school time. The Advanced Sports Performance class will improve not only our athletes' physical development but all students at MVHS interested in participating in the semester course."
