Although the winter sports seasons are still weeks away, you might have noticed hordes of Oles training together around campus.

Hockey players are doing burpies on the track, the hoopsters are sweating their way through a circuit program, and track stars are immersed in a body weight program.

Scott Scholl has taken over as the strength coach for St. Olaf and for the past year he has been working with various athletic teams trying to help them get ready for their seasons. "Iıve always been geared towards the rehabilitation aspect of athletic training," said Scholl. "When I got that chance to be the strength coach, I jumped at it."

Over the past year Scholl has tried to change the way St. Olaf Athletes have trained. "Weight lifting is too often looked at as the only way to get stronger," said Scholl. "Iıve tried to do more multi-directional training to improve the athletesı balance and have the athletes train more sport-specific. With this method athletes can train in similar ways as to how they move on the field."

Scholl encouraged the baseball team to do more exercises for arm strength and throwing, while adjusting the basketball teamıs workout to improve flexibility and endurance.

For the athletes, this new method of training has introduced them to new exercises that stretch the boundaries of imagination. The hockey teams typically go through a 45 minute workout in which they do burpies, dips, a simulated skating exercise, a body weight row, body weight single leg squats, and body weight squat jumps. This is a much different workout than the traditional free weight workout consisting of bench press, curls, and parallel squats.

"We just got done with our fall program and got on the ice this week," said senior hockey player Jason Haider. "I definitely feel that Iım in the best shape of my life. In years past we did a lot of weight room work, but this year Scottıs circuit training program focused on cardiovascular work and speed."

Scholl has carefully designed each program to be sport-specific. In talking to people in the strength training field, reading anything he can get his hands on, and attending numerous seminars Scholl has a wealth of knowledge to draw from.

"The world of strength training can be overwhelming," said Scholl. "For each sport I talk with the coaches to determine what needs to be worked on and a lot of them give me a lot of freedom. The only bad thing so far has been that I donıt get to spend as much time with the athletes that Iıd like to. However, seeing the coaches incorporating multi-directional training into their practices has been great."

Multi-directional training has not only helped to make St. Olaf teams stronger and more athletic, but it has also helped keep the athletes on the field. "Multi-directional training improves balance, which in turn cuts down the number of injuries," said Scholl. "Because I work in Manitou Fieldhouse, I know that major shoulder and knee injuries are down in football. I also know from talking to Dan Hagen in Skoglund that injuries in volleyball and soccer are also down."

The baseball team just got underway with their off-season program and has already noticed the changes Scholl has made. "Last year we had a lot of shoulder injuries. So this year weıve been doing a lot of shoulder work to address that," said senior baseball player Nick Beissel. "Imput from the players and coaches also led to cutting down our program to three days each week allowing us to take some batting practice twice a week."

The athletes are starting to believe in Schollıs new program and the enthusiasm has been encouraging. "One of the great things Scott did was to have us come into Manitou Fieldhouse and lift as a team," said senior basketball player Ryan Olson. "It has really improved our attendance and participation in the weight room."

Scholl has created a different atmosphere for numerous teams by paying attention to their needs. Whether it be cutting down injuries, being more sport specific, or creating a program that players want to work out to, Schollıs efforts have been very effective. The new programs have already reduced the number of injuries on the field and it has also helped some of the teams in the win column.

With the winter seasons rapidly approaching, the off-season training should continue to pay dividends for St. Olaf Athletics.