is all about weight training. Lifting weights is just a small component of the total program, which also includes movement, flexibility, cardiovascular, nutrition and wellness. Being able to squat 500 pounds isn’t for everyone, and it shouldn’t be any student’s singular focus. “We need to expose them to other things,” Estok said. “Not into lifting weights? You can try aerobics, yoga, modified CrossFit, Zumba or kickboxing. In here, you’re only limited by your own imagination.” Estok and PC Athletics have worked to provide individualized attention to athletes while simultaneously building a team-first
John Estok came to PC to help build a stronger strength and conditioning program.
has offered them life lessons to prepare the kids for their time beyond Penn Charter. It’s a neat thing, and it works hand-in-hand with what this school is all about.” Or, as Director of Athletics and Athletic Planning John Thiel succinctly put it, “We thought there would be a connection with the kids when we hired him. We got it.” Estok, 24, is wise beyond his years in his field of expertise. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2012 with a bachelor’s in health and physical activity, with a concentration in exercise science, and completed his master’s in exercise science at California University of Pennsylvania. Estok interned in the athletic department at the University of Maryland and has also worked with athletes at Villanova University. But the high school level is where his true passion lies. “Coming here was a no-brainer,” Estok said. “With a sport requirement, every kid – each boy and girl – is exposed to athletics in some capacity. This is where my passion is. I’m here to be that extra voice for the kids who need it, to provide structure and guidance at the crucial ages of 13 to 18.” A common misconception Estok is helping to disprove through PC’s new strength and conditioning program is that physical fitness
atmosphere. Estok works with most of PC’s varsity programs as a team, and also assists individual players in establishing specific goals. The center opens for faculty at 6:00 a.m.; Estok usually works with a team in the morning between 6:45 to 7:45 a.m. and after school from 2:30 to 6:00 p.m.; Upper School physical education classes use the facility during school hours. Even if Estok is working with a team at the time, individual students pop in to use the room. The Fitness Center is open year-round, Monday–Saturday, save for winter break and a two-week “dead period” in August. Going forward, Estok said interest in the initiative
“Not into lifting weights? You can try aerobics, yoga, modified CrossFit, Zumba or kickboxing.
In here, you’re only limited by your own imagination.”
– John Estok, strength and conditioning coach
In Honor of Blaine
In a fitting tribute to a passionate and determined scholar-athlete, the new Fitness Center will be named in honor of Blaine A. Steinberg OPC ’11. Blaine, who passed away of a heart attack last spring while a junior at Dartmouth College, was a four-time All Inter-Ac soccer and three-time All Inter-Ac lacrosse player at Penn Charter. During her time at PC, she spent many hours in the weight room of the Raymond Dooney Field House. “While Blaine made the most of her experience in that space, she also spent a lot of time talking about how it could be improved to reflect the excellence that is Penn Charter,” her parents, Jill and Sid Steinberg, wrote in a letter to friends. The Steinbergs have stepped forward as the lead donors to the new Fitness Center. In the spirit of Quaker tradition and to reflect the community connections that Blaine so loved, they have invited friends and family to join them in a fund-raising effort to support the renovation and new equipment. To learn more about this effort, contact PC’s Director of Major Gifts Stephanie W. Ball at sball@penncharter.com.
Fall 2014 •
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