Blue Jay coaches reward the work, still want kids to 'be kids'

Jul. 19—JAMESTOWN — The final bell on the last day of school doesn't really mean three months free of responsibilities for Jamestown High School athletes.

Coaches make sure of that — even in the off-season.

"The expectation from the coaching staff is for the hockey boys to be involved in something," Jamestown High School head boys hockey coach Matt Stockert said. "Whether it be baseball, soccer or taking advantage of camps and clinics on the ice that they can attend, we ask that they do."

The incentive to hit the training sessions is high.

"About 95% of the Blue Jay players that hit the ice next winter will have taken advantage of BAD (Blue Jay Athletic Development) with Coach (Bill) Nelson," Stockert said. "It truly is a blessing to have that program for all of our student-athletes. Every activity needs bigger, faster and stronger players and coach Nelson and his programs deliver that."

Nelson and Jamestown High School athletic trainer Nolan Love have dedicated eight weeks of their summers to the BAD program, where athletes from all 22 sports come to JHS to work on their strength, flexibility, agility, speed and injury prevention.

BAD runs Monday through Thursday each week from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Each session lasts between 50 and 55 minutes. There is also a program known as "Speed School," where athletes are challenged in regard to their speed, explosiveness and agility. Speed School occurs every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 7 to 7:55 a.m. and 10 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. on Erstad Field.

Nelson also attended a strength and conditioning coaches conference in Chicago last month, where he picked up some new ideas for the training sessions.

Still, his presence in the weight room is definitely appreciated.

Nelson oversees 290 kids each week during the BAD and Speed School sessions.

"We have girls who are doing the BAD camp as well as various hockey camps in the area," JHS head girls hockey coach Andy Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald volunteers to conduct team workouts four days a week with the JHS girls team. The workouts include a combination of plyometrics, conditioning and hockey skill work.

As for the boys team, Stockert said most summers the Blue Jays get together as a team and do some scrimmages in Bismarck with other WDA schools a couple of weekends. Details are being finalized for this summer's scrimmages, but in the past, the team does participate with whoever wishes to do so.

While the hockey crews are taking over Wilson Arena, Sara Hegerle is busy at Jerry Meyer Arena.

Hegerle, the head coach of the JHS volleyball team, oversees a high school volleyball camp from 8-9 a.m. and a youth volleyball camp from 9 to 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The high school volleyball season is set to begin in mid-August. The Blue Jays' first official action of the season is scheduled for Aug. 25-26 at the Bismarck Crossover Tournament.

Ken Gardner and the JHS cross-country team are also looking to have themselves primed by mid-August and as a result, the squad can often be seen running the streets and trails out by Pipestem Dam and Jamestown Reservoir.

Gardner said the JHS cross-country program recommends a running schedule that helps athletes build up their mileage over the summer. The longtime head coach has volunteered to head up the training groups.

There are two groups that congregate at the Gardner house — one at 7 a.m. and the other at 8 a.m. After everyone arrives, the group starts its run. A typical run could last anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.

Their dedication is rewarded.

"After their run, I have a freezer full of freeze pops for them," Gardner said.

But it's not just the frozen treats that get the group of long-distance athletes out to the Gardner house and looping the trails near the dam.

"Summer running and running camp are optional but highly recommended for athletes planning to join cross-country," Gardner said. "Not only is it clear early in the season which athletes put in the summer miles but those who establish a strong base during the summer are often those we see performing well during the postseason."

"Running during the summer was a staple of Coach (Russ) Schmeichel's successful teams in the 1990s when many other teams weren't," he said. "Now, it is something that most successful cross-country athletes are doing to prepare themselves for the fall season."

In addition to runs around town, Gardner accompanied 12 athletes to the team's annual running camp on July 14-20 in Buffalo, Wyoming. The first practice for the JHS XC squad is scheduled for early August and its season kicks off on Aug. 26 at the Blue Jays' annual Orrigianals Invite. The invite is scheduled to be held at Parkhurst Recreation Area in Jamestown.

While some sports' seasons might be right around the corner, others may be months away but it still doesn't stop the Jays from training.

For girls basketball, head coach Andy Skunberg is overseeing camps four days a week. The high school camp is held Monday and Wednesday mornings at Jerry Meyer Arena and then Tuesday and Thursday mornings the high school team helps Skunberg with the grades 3-8 basketball camp.

Skunberg also was instrumental in starting a high school summer league at Two Rivers Activity Center on Wednesdays and has dedicated his time to traveling with his team to some team camps.

"The summer sessions provide us an opportunity to work on the fundamentals of basketball," Skunberg said. "Focusing on the basics in the summer allows us more time to focus on refining and game strategy during the season. Summer sessions also allow the players additional time to get to know each other, have fun, and develop a team culture of collaboration and building on the strengths. Just like the season, we work hard — but in the summer it's a more laid-back feel and we incorporate a lot of fun."

JHS head swim coach Ben Smith is training high school, college and adult-level swimmers with the Prairie Rose Swim Club every weekday morning while JHS head wrestling coaches Patrick Schlosser and James Meland are overseeing open mat times and wrestling camps throughout the summer.

As for gymnastics, the program's athletes train all year round and their training only picks up during the summer months. The summer baseball and softball programs also help train and expose athletes to three more months of competition.

Every program wants better athletes but here in the Buffalo City, Stockert and his counterparts agreed that letting the kids enjoy some time off is pretty darn valuable and often vital to the betterment of the athlete.

"It's also highly important to myself and the coaching staff that kids get the opportunity to just be kids," Stockert said. "Go to the lake! Hang out with friends! Spend time with family! Go fishing! Work that part-time job — it's summer, just be a kid."