HEALTH AND FITNESS
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? By Charlie McDoniel, MS
At
Athletic Republic, we have the opportunity to work with hundreds of young student-athletes with short-term goals of improving their speed, power and agility to help improve their performance on the field, court or ice. As we get to know the athletes, many reveal that their long-term goals include playing collegiate athletics and one day becoming a professional athlete. For young athletes, this is typically one of the first occupations they wish to achieve. In fact, most young athletes would answer the timeless question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” with, “I want to be a professional athlete.” To become a pro athlete, it takes an overwhelming amount of hard work, dedication, skill, athletic performance and passion for the sport.
Alyssa Mautz Professional Soccer Player Ft. Zumwalt West Alumni
photos courtesy of nutriformance
Raymond Webber NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers Miller Career Academy Alumni
We are currently training three outstanding professional athletes from St. Louis: Alyssa Mautz (St. Louis Scott Gallagher), Lori Chalupny (JB Marine Soccer Club) and Raymond Webber (City Rec Junior Rams). Mautz has been in the National Team camps for the past several years, and Chalupny has served as a National Team captain and won a gold medal with the National Team in the ’08 Olympics. Webber is a Wide Receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with them to find out more about their journey to professional athletics. How often did you practice at a young age to improve your sport’s specific skills? Chalupny: I was crazy about soccer from the very beginning. I played almost every day, either with my club team or by myself out in the backyard. I spent a lot of time with the ball and developed a passion very early. Did you play multiple sports or just the sport you are currently playing in the pros? Webber: I tried to play as many sports as possible. The sports I played the most were basketball, baseball, track and golf.
Lori Chalupny Professional Soccer Player Nerinx Hall HS Alumni
Did you have a goal of playing professional sports at a young age? At what age did you start realizing your goal of being a pro athlete could be achieved? Mautz: My goal was always
to make it to the top level. I realized that I could reach the goal of becoming a pro soccer player in college and after attending National Team camps. How important were your academics in your road to success? Webber: My academics may be the reason I’m here today. My mother wouldn’t allow me to play sports unless I had a 3.2 or better in high school. I actually went to college on an academic scholarship. What type of advice would you give to aspiring professional athletes out there? Mautz: If you love the sport and are passionate about it, you need to not only take it as a hobby, but as a job, too. Everything matters, whether it’s at practice, in the weight room or at speed training. You need to take every training session seriously to get the most out of them. How do you feel Athletic Republic has helped you continue your career as a pro athlete? Mautz: Athletic Republic has made me faster, stronger and improved my foot skills. AR has made me a better allaround athlete. Chalupny: At the professional level, you are looking for any slight advantage over your competition. I think Athletic Republic has given me that boost. Webber: Coming off the torn hamstring, my time here at Athletic Republic has helped gain my strength back in the hamstring. The Nike Vapor
Strobe training has also allowed me to see the football much better. How is the training different these days? How much would you have enjoyed the advanced training you currently have at Athletic Republic as a younger athlete? Mautz: I would have loved to have AR. If I were to have been exposed to the kind of speed, agility and functional strength workouts, I think I could have been an overall better soccer player. Chalupny: I wish I had Athletic Republic when I was younger. It would have allowed me to be more efficient in my training and could have prevented injuries. Working separately on areas like speed, strength and agility has helped my entire body function together better. Webber: I trained on my own most of the time when I was younger. I would usually just work my body to fatigue. Since training at Athletic Republic, I am training smarter. I still work hard, but the training allows me to see results quicker. How important is your offseason training program? Chalupny: I think the offseason is where major gains or losses are made. The season is about team development, and players don’t have time or energy to really work on themselves. The offseason is where individual growth really happens. Some players take a break, while others keep pushing. v
To read more about Alyssa Mautz, Raymond Webber and Lori Chalupny’s training, as well as read the entire interview, go to athleticrepublicstl.com on our blog. Charlie McDoniel, MS is the General Manager at Athletic Republic and Nutriformance. He played professional soccer at USL and can be reached at charliem@athleticrepublicstl.com. 22
kfns.com
x
grand slam sports
have more motivation to prove it again. I think the fact we didn’t actually play in the conference last year took away from us, and I don’t think we get the respect we deserve.” With the Cougars returning 20 letter winners from 2011, Collins believes the group will play similar to last season. “I would really like to see our seniors get some recognition this year,” he said. “They have endured three seasons with no recognition and have not had a chance to play in the postseason. These guys have suffered through the road games and gone through a lot. It’s just not fair for these guys that other seniors in the conference got to experience all of these things.” Among the SUIE seniors returning to the lineup this year are Brett Keeler (C), Thad Hawkins (OF/P), Mitch Matecki (OF), Brian Lorenz (P), Dustin Quattrocchi (P), Josh Hoguet (P) and Zach Hawkins (3B). “We have a lot of experience and depth, especially with our seniors,” said Collins. In 2011, Keeler had 24 RBIs and tied to lead the team with 233 putouts. He also threw out 11 of 29 (.379) would-be base stealers during the year, appeared in 43 games and made 40 starts during the season. Thad Hawkins, who transitioned from the outfield to the mound, led the team with six saves and finished third on the team with a 3.76 ERA. He was 3-2 on the mound and struck out 21 hitters while walking 13 in 26 innings. Hawkins also had 72 at-bats in 21 games, making 19 starts as a position player. Matecki hit .302, made 43 appearances (all starts) in the outfield and was third on the team with 30 RBIs, second with 11 steals in 13 attempts and tied to lead the team with six sacrifice flies. He was second on the team with 91 total bases, and he had five outfield assists. Quattrocchi led the Cougars with a career-high 20 appearances in 2011,
S en i or M i tch M ate cki
S en i or Br e tt Ke e l e r was fourth on the team with four wins, finished with a 4-2 record and struck out 29 hitters in 41.1 innings pitched. Hoguet only made six relief appearances before suffering injury, but he led the pitching staff in 2010 with a career-best 56 strikeouts. He made 18 appearances in 2011, including six starts. Zach Hawkins led the Cougars with a .345 batting average and had 68 hits. He was one of only three players to start all 52 games during the year, splitting time at first and third base, finishing second on the team with 44 RBIs. With a .462 slugging percentage and a .407 on-base percentage, Hawkins was second on the team with 198 putouts and two for two in stolen base attempts. “The key to our success this season will be how well we pitch, how well we repeat our delivery and how well we compete,” said Associate Head Coach
Tony Stoecklin. “If we can continue to do all of those things, we’ll have a pretty good season.” SIUE opened the 2012 season in late February on the road against the University of Memphis, taking two of the three games in the series. “We were well prepared for the series,” said Collins. “I know it’s early in the season, but I hope this success can continue.” The Cougars will play the first of 26 OVC games later this month against Eastern Illinois at home. SIUE is scheduled to play 29 home games and 27 away games this season. Although the team is still a year away from postseason contention, the Cougars are determined to win the conference this year. “This is going to be a good season for us,” said Collins. v
m a r c h 2012
39