IRON PIRATE
Strength & Conditioning
at Grand Haven H.S.
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Water Polo
Coach Briggs
The Grand Haven Strength & Conditioning Program has made a major impact on both the boys and girls water polo programs at the high school.
Our athletes are stronger, more flexible, and more confident since they have started the program. We have also seen a dramatic decrease in the shoulder and knee injuries sustained due to the program's focus on creating strong, flexible, and balanced athletes.
This program is helping to take not only our athletes, but our teams, to the next level!
What Coaches Say About Iron Pirate Weight Training:
Volleyball
Coach Burmaster
As someone who has spent 13 years as a head coach at the collegiate level, I am very excited to see the incredible strength and conditioning program we have at Grand Haven.
Olympic lifts are the ultimate form of exercise to increase the explosiveness needed to compete in sports requiring quickness, agility, power and strength; the additional complex exercises and routines that are a part of the Iron Pirate Strength & Conditioning program are tailored to increase muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular efficiency, flexibility and overall body composition.
The program is in place; all that’s needed is hard work and sacrifice on a consistent basis by our athletes to obtain a high level of athletic fitness. "Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Go Bucs"!
Boys Soccer
Coach Dean
You can’t argue with faster, stronger and more agile players. Weight training works and makes players better. The more kids workout in-season, post-season, off-season, and pre-season the better the athlete they will be. I know the Iron Pirate program is working because the soccer players that go tell me it’s working. They feel stronger, faster and more confident in their ability to compete for conference, district, regional and state championships.
As a coach its laying the foundation of sweat and dedication that it takes to be successful in the O-K Red and its building our program because we have 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade athletes all working out together.
Boys Basketball
Coach Hewitt
The Iron Pirate Strength and Conditioning program has been very beneficial, and necessary, in our basketball program.
This program is systematic, developmental, and measurable (in terms of growth and progress). We have very knowledgeable supervision in the weight room in Coach O'Neill and he fosters an environment in which our student-athletes help each other.
Coach O'Neill's efforts to work with a wide variety of our programs/athletes have not only helped our student-athletes tremendously, it allows our coaches to focus on coaching our individual sports.
I am looking forward to expanding our use of this program and all Coach O'Neill has to offer. I believe we are just scratching the surface.
Swimming
Coach Jensen
As a coach I have seen first hand the positive effects that the Iron Pirate Strength & Conditioning program has on all my athletes.
I walk in to the weight room and see the hard work my athletes are putting into their training with Coach O'Neill.
My teams, both Women and Men, are stronger, faster, leaner and meaner.
I will continue to make time for the weight room with Coach O'Neill not just for the customized workouts for my sportl but the fun and camaraderie it brings to my team.
Boys X-Country
Coach Laughlin
The Iron Pirate weight program had developed into a valuable tool for the cross-country team.
In the past 2 years that we have been consistently using the weight room, with the benefit of Coach O'Neill's personalized workouts, there has been a marked reduction of minor running injuries such as "runner's knee" or shin splints.
The team seems stronger and has more endurance at the end of the season when previously there was frequently some fatigue. And the team members seem to enjoy the workouts and are excited about going to the weight room.
All in all, the development of the program has been a huge asset to the success of our cross country teams.
