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Illinois. The advantage of this facility is the racing environment. I’m a firm believer that you can’t just train year around. These guys need to race in order to acknowledge progression. There are a ton of good tracks in that area, and great competition. From October-April we move to our Southern compound located at Climax motosports in Climax, Ga. The advantage of this facility is.............no snow, great dirt, awesome tracks, and the weather is awesome. It’s great
to have two separate fully functional facilities to call home. I might be the only trainer to claim that?
DESCRIBE THE MENTAL ASPECT OF BEING A TRAINER, AND HOW IT AFFECTS A RIDER
My job is stressful, anyone who tells you different, doesn’t understand the scope of this profession. There are many different elements to consider. I’m responsible for a rider’s safety, laptime reduction, hydration, sleep pattern, nutrition, fear management, goal orientation, track prep, and general well-being. Thankfully I’ve hired world class trainer Drew Whitehead to handle the fitness end of things at both compounds. Drew cuts my work load down dramatically.
The affect this has on a rider can’t
be measured! My guys know they’re
on an elite program. The ripple
affect of that can touch so many
areas of their life. My guys know they’re my priority, with that comes confidence. They know I have their BACK no matter what!
WALK US THROUGH WHAT A FULL TIME RIDER WOULD GO THROUGH AT YOUR TRAINING FACILITY.
I was once told to sell the sizzle, not the steak! I’ve got to be careful not to give too much information away. Each day is slightly different from the last. However, we always begin a training day with a warm up and stretch, then we hit the track, have lunch, afternoon work out, evening film study/ review. Some days are designed for motos, sprints, section training, or recovery. No matter what day it is, we always practice our starting procedure!
TELL US HOW HAVING A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR RIDER REFLECTS ON THEIR RESULTS ON THE TRACK.
A solid, healthy, mature, coach athlete relationship is the building block for success. I have to be able to communicate with my riders. It’s not just about reducing laptimes, and pulling holeshots. Once this relationship is established, my influence can surface far from the race track.
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE THE NUTRITION SIDE OF TRAINING?
We don’t tell our guys what to eat and drink. We educate them about fats, carbs, and protein’s, and a balanced meal should consist of all three. They know the difference between real food, and processed junk. Once they understand how to fuel the body correctly, they will make healthy food decisions away from the track as well. I mean what good is it if they only eat healthy once and a while? A proper
diet will allow them to perform at their best on a daily basis. That’s what its about, putting in the work EVERY day. Understanding what healthy eating patterns are a critical step in MX training.
IT’S 2015, THE BIKES ARE FASTER, THE TRACKS GET ROUGHER, THE JUMPS ARE BIGGER, HOW IMPORTANT IS TRAINING NOW COMPARED TO WHEN THE SPORT FIRST STARTED?
It’s not that training is more important now, as apposed to twenty years ago. We simply didn’t have training facilities back then. You had MX schools of course, you just didn’t have full time facilities like you do know. Colleen Millsaps pioneered this training facility industry. As with anything, training
has evolved into very specific, goal orientated training. I’m sure this curriculum would have been accepted back in the day, it just wasn’t available yet. Just like a Cell phone!
WHAT LEVEL OF SKILL ARE THE RIDERS YOU TRAIN, AND HOW DOES THE TRAINING DIFFER
BETWEEN THE SKILL LEVELS?
The skill level of the rider is irrelevant. I train hard working, self motivated athletes. These guys get up and get it done on a daily basis, and that’s all I can ask for. However, my training style, or information doesn’t vary from skill level to skill level. I mean everyone needs to improve corner speed from beginners to pros...................
AS A TRAINER, ON RACE DAY WHAT GOES ON BETWEEN YOU AND ONE OF YOUR RIDERS?
Race day is designed to be the easiest day of the week! When you put in the work during the week, there’s nothing left to do on the weekend, the guys just need to perform. I’m there on race to supply positive reinforcement, and evaluate what needs to be addressed for the following training week.
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A SOLID, HEALTHY, MATURE, COACH ATHLETE RELATIONSHIP IS THE BUILDING BLOCK FOR SUCCESS.
I HAVE TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH MY RIDERS. IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT REDUCING LAPTIMES, AND PULLING HOLESHOTS. ONCE THIS RELATIONSHIP IS ESTABLISHED, MY INFLUENCE CAN SURFACE FAR FROM THE RACE TRACK.”