By Dan Hardenbrook
At a recent summer workout, new Head Coach Zach Clickner could already see results from the Indians’ revamped offseason program. He’s hoping it will pay dividends when the season opens in August, but if it had to start today, Clickner thinks the Newberry Indians would be just fine.
“We are way ahead of where I expected us to be,” he said. “We’ve cut down on a lot of the things we needed to get done and when practice officially starts we are going to be able to hit the ground running.”
The Indians have formed a new partnership with personal trainer Aaron Donovan, who owns and operates Big Lake Strength and Performance, a small facility in Curtis that is known for changing lives.
Clickner first approached Donovan two summers ago, when he was an assistant under Joe Austin. Clickner was overseeing offseason and summer workouts, and though partnering didn’t work out that season, they stayed in touch.
When Clickner was promoted to the top spot following Austin’s retirement, he made partnership with Donovan an instant priority.
“A big part was getting someone on board who could get guys to buy in,” Clickner said.
This time around Donovan was in, and has been busy supporting Clickner’s vision and enhancing program results. It may end up being a not-so-secret weapon.
“Zach is very passionate not just about the football team, but the entire town itself. That’s someone and something that I can really get behind. So I wanted to help. Not just for the boys but for Zach and his vision and his goals,” said Donovan, who has seen the improvement and heard the excitement from players. “I think boys have been very responsive. When you get a group of kids that really gravitate to it and want to take it on and comply, that motivates me even more to be involved.”
Senior Captain Ethan Pavey has been a leader in Donovan’s workouts. The All-Conference lineman and All UP Candidate raved about having Donovan on board.
“Everybody has been excited. We all have the same goals. We don’t have to force guys to be here because they want to show up and participate,” he said. “I think we are blessed. He’s been there to answer anything that we have questions about and it’s been awesome. Even when things get to be hard, everyone is pushing each other and doing it together, and Coach Donovan isn’t afraid to strap up the weights or the sled and do it with us or show us.”
Donovan overhauled his garage into a state-of-the-art workout facility for his business. It features equipment that can’t be found anywhere else in the area.
His clients range from ages 13-80, with an important evaluation process being the initial step. Based on those evaluations, Donovan can break down the client’s strengths and weaknesses, while also analyzing and comparing lifestyle factors to the individual’s wellness and state. Throw in a specific goal or purpose, and you get the magic behind Big Lake Strength and Fitness.
“That evaluation process really is the bread and butter of what I do,” Donovan said. “Understanding where they are at in a lifestyle standpoint, where they are lacking, and how to prioritize that. Studying and knowing their movement then looking and saying ‘Here are their imbalances.’ We want to build up weaknesses in the body and get quicker results. I’m not going to train a lineman the same way as I train a wide receiver.”
It’s a perfect mesh with that vision Clickner has for the program. Newberry football has had programs in place for years, but he noticed a trend developing in other teams.
“Every team at every level is focusing on athletic speed and movement. That’s what we have tried to do this year with Coach Donovan,” Clickner said. “He has a line that I like to use to describe the program: ‘You’re not going to put crappy gas in a race car!’”
Clickner can see change among the 20 plus players who have participated in summer activities, and expects those benefits to be huge all season.
“The season is a war of attrition,” Clickner said. “Bodies start breaking down a little bit because there isn’t any training or conditioning program that extensive over the course of the actual season. But we have been building up through the phases of this program all offseason so far and now we can incorporate that into our regular practices and our day-to-day stuff and while we plan and progress throughout the season.”
Donovan works with everyone individually, keeping personalized training programs and charts. It’s more than just exercise or weight training. Those in his program aren’t just getting bigger, faster, or stronger. They are learning to manage their nutrition, overall wellness for the mind, body, and soul, and the goal at the end of the day is to help people simply live better, healthier lives.
He also has a current roster of seven local student athletes who train at the facility at least twice a week.
“One of the biggest areas of emphasis comes from an educational standpoint and understanding what health and wellness actually is,” Donovan said. “It’s not just lifting weights or working out. What we are doing not only do we want it to translate to what they are doing on the field so that they perform better, but we also look at lowering their risk of injury.”
Donovan stresses the importance of sleep and recovery, and of nutrition and how they are fueling the body.
“You can’t recover the right way from these workouts if you’re not refueling your body properly,” he said. “Most of these boys are multi-sport athletes so we look at how we can sustain long athletic seasons throughout the entire year.”
Donovan can help athletes who may have taken out or slowed down by injuries.
“I tell every person I work with that the worst thing you can do is to stop training and moving,” he said. “We can find ways to train through it and even aid in quicker than normal recovery.”
Donovan also works with clients of all ages, and has helped arthritis patients gain better flexibility and mobility while reducing pain. Some patients have been able to ditch their prescriptions for other conditions by managing a well-calculated diet and exercising regularly. And no, it’s not that nasty crap you get when you sign up for the latest fad diet.
Donovan measures success far away from the sidelines and wants to share that with everyone he comes across.
“I just want to help instill confidence in these young athletes,” he said. “It’s truly rewarding seeing this take place in real time. It’s going from them coming in and wondering ‘What am I doing here?’ to the realization of ‘Oh man, I can do this! I’m getting stronger! I’m feeling better!’”
That’s the biggest benefit for Donovan.
“Seeing their self-confidence grow, that belief in themselves, their self-esteem is rising – they’re happier,” he said. “They will perform better. Life, relationships, friends, this will translate positively in every facet moving forward based on what they acquire in training.”
