DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) – Right here in Duluth young local athletes had the chance to work with professional trainers and athletes as they look to sharpen their skills.
“Seeing the positive change that it had in young athletes’ lives, it was a no-brainer for me to do what I can to bring this to the community that I grew up in,” said Vikings full back C.J. Ham, an instructor for the event.
The Duluth Denfeld alum joined other professionals such as Adam Thielen, Kirk Cousins, and Jake Guentzel as an Englebert Training Systems (ETS) partner in his third season when he earned his first Pro Bowl bid.
“I truly felt very welcomed and like I had somebody that I could look up to like ‘this guy is really cool’,” said Devan Baker.
On Saturday, Ham and the rest of the ETS Performance staff in Duluth welcomed kids ages eight and up to one of the four free training sessions at ETS Performance in Duluth.
Many of the kids have been involved in Ham’s summer camps but felt this was more personal.
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“I think this is more special cause you get to have more one-on-one time if you need to,” said Brody Hiefenz.
The ETS training regime is now producing stars right in the neighborhood as well, including Northwestern Tiger running back, and soon-to-be University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldog Cooper Lawton doesn’t know where he’d be without the extra help and is happy to share it with the next generation.
“The little kids, they just want to do it and run and do stuff they haven’t been doing,” said Lawton. “Ever since I came up here it’s something that’s a part of me, I don’t know what I’d do without it.”
The participating middle and high schoolers tested their athletic abilities with combine-like drills specifically tailored for speed, power, and balance.
“It was good to get the speed training in and get back into that groove of the conditioning and everything,” said Caden Johns. “It was a lot more than I thought it was going to be. It was amazing.”
Each participant got to see their results at the end of the day and begin a portfolio that will be used to help specialize future training sessions for what the young athlete needs.
“The focus is to help youth achieve their full potential. Show them that with a little hard work and dedication, the sky is the limit,” said Ham.
ETS Performance in Duluth welcomes everyone to try their services, and to get started it’s as simple as picking a date and time for your first evaluation.
If you’d like to learn more or schedule a session, click here.
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