Maine Prince, Philadelphia Sports Training Center (March 30, 2011):
Tell us about your center and how it differs from other athletic training centers?
Philadelphia Sports Training Center (PSTC) is an Academic & Athletic Sports Performance Training Facility for all levels of athletes.
PSTC is different from other facilities because as scientific sports trainers we focus on the biomechanical analysis of an athlete to improve their overall sports performance in their respective sport.
How did this all get started and how are you funded?
This started from a conversation with a client, Marc Jackson, former NBA veteran/Temple University standout/Roman Catholic High School graduate while we were talking about the many sports training facilities that I’ve started and developed.
Four different facilities; Aspiring Champions Sports Performance Center in King of Prussia, PA; Summit Sports Training Center in Bryn Mawr, PA (owned by Pat Croce / Ed Snider (owner of Comcast); and Velocity Sports Performance Training, Cherry Hill, NJ; & Rockford YMCA Sports Training Program in Rockford, IL.
We are funded through the revenue from our clients, grants & sponsorships to our youth program, as well as investors from various professional levels.
What specific services do you provide to those that enter the program and at what age are athletes eligible to enter?
In terms of the normal sports training program, our programs start at age 12 with a modified weight lifting program to demonstrate the proper techniques on weight lifting, which also includes our patented Anatomy of Speed Program that I’ve developed over the past 15 years of training athletes.
The NFL Combine Training Program is only for those student-athletes leaving college that have been invited to participate in the exclusive NFL Combine held in Indianapolis, IN at the Indianapolis Colts’ Lucas Oil Stadium.
The NFL Combine training is typically an 8-16 week training program for 5-days a week with 2-3 hour training sessions per day.
How do athletes learn of your program?
Athletes learn of our program through our direct marketing accomplished through typical recruiting practices. We reach out to local student-athletes from the tri-state area of Philadelphia, then we get referrals from the sports agents that want their clients to have the best opportunity to get the most impactful training available.
What’s next for you and the center?
We have programs that run at minimum every 8-weeks for the sports training program. We are now going to be working with several past clients that are NBA Prospects as well as professional baseball players.
We also have an ongoing College Recruiting Seminar that I do nationwide from coast to coast to present the college recruiting process to middle school and high school student-athletes and their parents.
We are also planning LeSean McCoy’s Community Day on May 14th in his hometown of Harrisburg, PA. This is a free event that he wants to give back to the community where he grew up.
Do you work only with those in the Philadelphia area or are you nationwide?
I work with clients in the Philadelphia tri-state area and nationwide. I have conducted a sports training program for the NBPA MBA Program at Stanford University which is a program that instructs NBA players, coaches, past players with the opportunity to receive a Stanford University Certificate of Completion in their MBA Program. My small part if to continue keeping them in shape through the 4-week course.
How do you define “success” as it pertains to a student athlete?
Our facility/company motto of Philadelphia Sports Training Center is….”Where Academics plus Athletics equals Success?” The term of success as we define is a student-athlete that enter high school as a freshman, graduates as a senior, and has the opportunity to participate in their respective sport at the next level…then graduate from college and obtain employment in their chosen career.
How do you work with athletes to prepare them for the pressure and lifestyle found at the college and professional levels?
At our facility, we are blessed that my wife is also a 2-time Academic All-American soccer player from Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA. She focus her efforts as the Director of our Student-Athlete Counseling & Tutoring Program which is an open dialogue with student-athletes to help them as a 3rd party when they have a need to discuss any dilemmas.
We provide them with individual time to discuss what they may be facing and what to look out for in terms of the lifestyle of a college student-athlete and the rigors of playing professionally.
You work with athletes once they turn professional as well. How do you do so and what are they usually interested in focusing on?
When working with professional athletes, their focus is on improving their sports performance to sustain their progress in their sport.
Many times, professional players would rather do without “BIG Brother” watching their every move when they workout and they are always seeking an objective opinion on how to improve. One of the determining factors in a professional players longevity past the average 3-years is the ability to continue to get faster, flexible, stronger, athletic, and maintaining their weekly weight goal.
Every NFL player has a weight maximum and a weight limit where they must be during the 26-weeks of the season including pre-season.
For our Pittsburgh audience, have/do you worked with any players that went on to Pitt/Penn State or that have gone on to play for the Steelers? How so?
I have worked with a few basketball players, Brad Wanamaker, graduating senior, NBA first round draft prospect…we are entertaining the possibility to work with LeSean McCoy, RB, Philadelphia Eagles, former PITT Panther…due to the recent situation with the NFL Lockout. I am good friends with his old high school coach Corey Jett, a Penn State Nittany Lion.
Any last thoughts for readers?
Sports Performance Training is becoming a necessity for middle school and high school student-athletes around the country.
The criteria for athletic scholarships is growing, while the amount of scholarships seems to be reducing, which means that the academic requirements that have already changed from 14 core credits to 16 credits for division I schools is only a mere fraction of the changes that are being made.
If a student-athlete can focus on their grades as much as their athletics then they would be guaranteed a partial academic scholarship, as well as an athletic scholarship which equates to a full scholarship. I believe that sports performance training can be the initiating source to help those high school student-athletes reach their own personal success.