January/February 2009

L-R: Coach Doug Ekmark, Lloyd Busch, Tom, Jean Busch, Dr. Greg Shepard Here is what BFS Founder/CEO Dr. Greg Shepard had to say about Tom Busch when he was selected as the 2003 BFS Athlete of the Year, “I have done a lot of interviews in my career of writing articles for BFS magazine, and only a handful of athletes at any level had perfect technique on every phase of strength and conditioning. Tom Busch is one of those athletes.” Busch, a graduate of Park High School in Minnesota, was coached by Doug Ekmark, a BFS clinician. By his ninth-grade year Busch had become very serious about the BFS program under Coach Ekmark’s direction. How serious?

How about a 350-pound power clean in the 11th grade! And he was also a talent on the field, being a three-time All-Conference and a twotime All-Metro (Minneapolis) player, a two-time Conference Defensive MVP and a two-time All-State linebacker. As for numbers, he recorded 414 tackles throughout his high school career. His next step was to play four years at fullback for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. Said Busch in the BFS interview, which you can read in its entirety in play on Saturdays – that’s what drives me. I love the game, and I do sometimes dream about playing on Sundays.” Well, it just so happens that in 2008 Busch signed a free-agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings.

Congratulations!

Tom Busch as he appeared in 2003 when he won the award as the 2003 BFS Male High School Athlete of the Year.

Left, Pat Mendes Below, Justin Sorenson Photo Bingham High School How Much Can You Power Clean? May 23 is the date and Bonanza High School in Las Vegas is the place of the fifth annual National High School Power Clean Championships. And as with last year, a special division for women will be contested. This event keeps getting better and better, with records broken every year. Pat Mendes, who won the over-105kilo (231 pounds) bodyweight class last year with a best of 350 pounds, is seriously involved in Olympic lifting. Justin Sorenson, the 105-kilo (231 pounds) winner, although only a freshman, has been a contributor to the BYU football team, performing kickoffs and field goals.

For more information, contact Val Balison at vjbalison@cox.net.

Total Ab Training, BFS Style During a recent workout Baylie Divino was resting between sets on the BFS Reverse Back Extension machine and came up with a new abdominal exercise. Making use of the padded surface to increase the range of motion, she performed an advanced form of a reverse crunch exercise – we’re calling it the “Baylie BottomsUp!” From a technical perspective, the exercise works the rectus abdominus starting in the external range and then finishing in the internal range (see the November/December 2008 issue for more information on these terms). Again, this is an advanced exercise.

And the Heisman went to… By the time you receive our current issue, you will know who won the Heisman. Many experts still have the University of Texas’s Colt McCoy as the front-runner, but great performances by Tim Tebow of the University of Florida and Sam Bradford of the University of Oklahoma are making the decision a close one. Whoever wins, these three players will no doubt make an impact in the NFL.

Need a Grant? With school budgets becoming tighter, most high school coaches and administrators are looking for ways to help finance their programs. One excellent way is through grants. To get you started on finding potential grants and writing the grant application, BFS offers a free booklet called “How to Win a Grant.” It’s available in a PDF format that you can acquire Taking Rehab to the Next Level Optimal Muscle Training by Ken Kinakin (humankinetics.com) is a great resource on proper exercise technique that focuses on assessing muscle imbalances. This is a multi-media presentation that includes a book and an accompanying DVD.

The program not only details the risks/benefit ratios of 33 weight training exercises but also provides many important tests to help determine muscle imbalances. Included are many valuable forms and scoring sheets to help you perform assessments. Another great resource are the two Neuromuscular Reeducationsm DVDs offered by Dr. Peter Levy. These DVDs demonstrate a hands-on soft tissue treatment that is amazingly effective for resolving many types of acute and chronic injuries. For more information on these DVDs, and Dr. Levy’s seminars, go to: www.nmrseminars.com.

Shelby Deaton, 155 power clean. Senior, 3.73 GPA, volleyball/basketball/softball, Honor Society, Key Club, ASB, volunteer (tutor; Special Olympics; local churches).

Jasmine Bingham power cleans 180 pounds and was featured in the July/August 2008 issue.

Power Clean City! How strong can a young woman become? Just ask Marc Niemeyer, a weight training coach at Wahkiakum High School in Cathlamet, Washington. In our July/August 2008 issue we featured the accomplishments of Jasmine Bingham of Wahkiakum High School. Now a senior, Bingham power cleans 180 pounds. Her weight training instructor, Coach Niemeyer, recently told us about other outstanding athletes from Wahkiakum High who are lifting some big weights in the power clean. Here are a few of them, along with some notes about their other accomplishments.

Sarah Doumit, 150 power clean. Senior, 3.91 GPA, volleyball and track, Honor Society, FFA, Key Club, volunteer (local church service; teaching).

Jordyn Wirkkala, 150 power clean. Junior, 3.97 GPA, volleyball and basketball, ASB, Honor Society, class president, Key Club, volunteer (hospital; litter pickup).

We have a great story on Wautoma football, 13-1 state champions – a great story because in 2000 after going 0-9, the school was on the verge of canceling the program. BFS clinician Jeff Scurran, who will be authoring this article, gave a BFS clinic at Wautoma High School (located in Wautoma, Wisconsin) and helped turn around the program.

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From BFS Magazine — January/February 2009. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).