September/October 2007
Stop the Presses! Recently Robin Jennings, our head of BFS Baseball, came into BFS headquarters with a stunned look on his face and said, “I’m in a book!” Not just a mention or a footnote, but an entire chapter with photos even! The book, by Kurt Dusterberg, is Journeymen: 24 Bittersweet Tales of Short Major League Sports Careers, and it reviews the careers of 24 athletes in four sports: baseball, basketball, football and hockey, “I could have been a contender!” might be an appropriate phrase to represent the contents of this book, but not really.
The athletes Dusterberg profiles all played at the highest level of their sports, but their time in the spotlight was brief – although not necessarily due to lack of talent. For example, in 2001 Jennings played for six teams, ending with the Cincinnati Reds. He started off the first four games with the Reds hitting two home runs and 10 RBIs; and if he had been with the team a full season, those results would have projected to over 80 RBIs. Jennings was awarded with a guaranteed major league contract in 2002 worth $310,000, but before the season started he was sent down to AAA ball and replaced by a player who’d had one hit and one stolen base in his last 18 at bats!
Despite earning a major league salary in 2002, Jennings said the disappointment of being sent down to AAA ball led to his eventual retirement from the game in 2003. Jennings attempted a comeback in 2007, at age 34. Despite putting up impressive numbers that should have attracted the attention of the major league teams, Jennings was cut in favor of younger players. To read more about Jennings and the other 23 fascinating athletes profiled by Dusterberg, pick up a copy of Journeymen. It’s published by Orange Frazer Books (Wilmington, Ohio) and can be ordered online at www.orangefrazer.com.
Still on Top (Wilson, Holcomb and Heath photo)
We recently received a great update from Steve Price, head football coach at Trinity Christian School in Dublin, Georgia. Trinity Christian, a BFS school that was featured in our May/June 2005 issue, won six state championships in the 2006-07 season. The sports the Crusaders won championships in were boys track, football, girls basketball, girls track, golf, and softball. Congrats, again!
Gina the Intern and the Shawn Ray Classic Just as Jay Leno has his interns covering important events, we decided to send BFS Team member Gina Smith to check out the Shawn Ray Strength and Fitness Expo, held June 1-2 in Denver, Colorado. Held in conjunction with a bodybuilding event called the Shawn Ray Colorado Pro/Am Classic, which offered $70,000 in prize money, this event had a format similar to the Arnold Classic. First, it should be mentioned that Gina entered the Olympic weightlifting competition, making all six of her attempts and exceeding her Utah state record in the snatch – nice job!
(Note Gina accepting her classy trophy from meet director Dan Gaudreau.) As for other events, there was always something going on: arm wrestling, strongman, karate, break dancing, Muay Thai kickboxing, powerlifting, pro wrestling demos, fencing, boxing . . . you couldn’t see it all! Gina reports that everyone was nice to her, especially the arm wrestlers, such as World Champions John Brzenk and Allen Fisher, and was willing to take time for a pose and short chat. (Oh, and even though that short-haired blond fitness model says her real name is Jamie Eason, we know Kelly Pickler from American Idol when we see her.) the blindness was another story.
Josh’s father, David, an ophthalmologist, said the outlook for this condition was bad and that individuals who do not begin regaining their eyesight within a few days usually never regain their sight. BFS Editor Kim Goss, who coached Josh when Goss managed a private gym in Dallas, talked to Josh Reagan was featured in our Winter 2002 issue. At Josh six months after the accident. Josh was still legally age 12, this figure skater from Duncanville, Texas, competed blind in his left eye, but his outlook was in the Junior Nationals.
He also positive; Josh’s neurosurgeon would not competed in swimming and used permit Josh to perform any strenuous weight training to help him perform physical activity for six months, at which in both sports. Weighing only 105 time Josh was allowed to gradually return pounds, Josh could power clean 110 to swimming. The news gets better. pounds and straight-bar deadlift 220 Nearly a year after the accident, pounds – remarkable lifts, especially to the amazement of his father and his when you consider that figure skaters neurosurgeon, Josh Reagan regained are not known for impressive feats his vision in his left eye! Further, Josh’s of strength.
His figure skating coach, swimming performances have caught Pierre Panayi of the Dr Pepper Josh Reagan (left) with his friends the attention of many colleges; in July StarCenter in Plano, Texas, describes Dawn Richerson and Charles Melton at the United States Swimming Long Josh as “a great young man who this July at the United States Swimming Long Course Sectionals Course Sectionals in San Antonio, Texas, worked hard and had tremendous in San Antonio, Texas. Josh made the finals and set a personal potential.” Then the unthinkable record of 24.90 in the 50-meter freestyle. He also happened.
made personal bests of 55.49 seconds in the 100-meter On August 1, 2005, Josh was attempting a triple Salchow freestyle and 1:06.90 in the 100-meter backstroke. and missed his toe pick, causing him to fall and slam his Currently a senior at Duncanville High School head against the ice. The fall caused a significant concussion, in Duncanville, Texas, Josh now has a clear view of amnesia, and blindness in his left eye. It took nearly three continued success. months for Josh to completely recover from the amnesia, but Anatomy Made Super, Super Simple There are many, many books published that promise to make anatomy simple to understand; most fall far short of their promise.
However, we recently received an anatomy software program that is not only inexpensive ($29.95) but also absolutely one of the best ways to learn anatomy. The software is called Essentials of Interactive Functional Anatomy (IFA) and is available through Human Kinetics (www.humankinetics.com). The IFA software features high-resolution 3D models of the human musculature that can be stripped down to 11 layers of anatomy. What’s more, the muscles can be highlighted and rotated up to 360 degrees and stopped at any point for study. A help function with text pertaining to the areas viewed is also provided. Wow!
If you’re looking for a great anatomy software program at an amazing price, Essentials of Interactive Functional Anatomy is for you.
When Canadian strength coach Paul Gagné visited us during our 2007 BFS National Convention, he gave an impressive demonstration of posturology. Because one of our top salesmen, Kam Shepherd, was suffering from chronic back pain that was affecting his workouts, Paul set up Kam with a pair of postural insoles – essentially a thin insole with a small battery placed in the center. These before-and-after photos were taken nine days apart, and in that time period Kam performed no special exercises; he simply wore the insoles.
As you can see, there has been a dramatic improvement in Kam’s forward head posture during this brief period; what’s more, Kam says his back pain has diminished by at least 50 percent. We have many more such before-and-after photos of athletes using the insoles, and we will share these with BFS readers – along with more details about posturology – in a future issue of BFS magazine. Paul Gagné Raising the Bar on BFS Equipment “You only pay for quality once,” is a motto often used at BFS, and now it’s even easier to see why that’s true. This year we’ve decided to put two custom features on all our stock equipment, but at a BFS price!
Now all our stock equipment will have chrome on all slides, guides and weight horns; and we will include protective stripping on all bar contact points. These two features not only prolong the life of your equipment, they also enhance it esthetically. Such quality upgrades, already in effect, will cause a price increase (Fall 2007). But the improvements are worth it!
SUPERIOR WEIGHTROOMS TRUST BFS – FROM A new or updated weight room is a source of pride and motivation for any program and can help build strength and character in all athletes. BFS will help you see your project through from planning to implementation.
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W ith our many custom options the look of your facility is limited only by your imagination!
ATHLETIC DOMINANCE CONCEPT TO COMPLETION ™ BFS provides unmatched, ongoing support. With instructional clinics in safety and technique as well as coaches’ certification courses BFS provides all the tools for raising your program to THE NEXT LEVEL! let BFS help you design the weightroom of your dreams!
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From BFS Magazine — September/October 2007. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
