The Norwich strength and conditioning program is back in action this year, pushing athletes out of their comfort zone, according to the program’s newest staff member and alumnus.
Dana Thibault, 26, from South Burlington, Vt., former NU men’s hockey defensemen, is back at Norwich holding the position of assistant strength coach. Thibault is working alongside head strength and conditioning coach Jeff Kruger.
“So far my experience has been great,” Thibault said. “I’ve only been working here a month and I’ve already learned a lot from him.”
Jeff Kruger, head strength and conditioning coach, is in his fifth year as the head strength and conditioning coach at Norwich and is looking forward to seeing the athletes’ progress yet again.
“After being here for five years now, I know that the students understand what the expectations are,” Kruger said. “They all work hard and each team has improved each year.”
Kruger, who received his undergraduate in health promotion and wellness, with a certification in strength and conditioning from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, has a great relationship with his trainees.
Kevin Horold, 19, a sophomore business management major from Niskayuna, N.Y., and member of the men’s basketball team, said, “It’s been a great experience working with Kruger. He’s really into his work and he sets up great programs to help us achieve our individual goals.”
According to Kruger, “The goal is for athletes to gain speed and strength during the off-season and then once the season comes, the priority switches right away to sports specific skills.” Kruger also suggests to the athletes that they should come in on their off days to work on areas that need the most improvement.
“You want the strongest, most explosive, agile person,” Kruger said. “To accomplish that the individual needs to work hard and be able to evaluate their own performance.”
The strength and conditioning program does more than just improve athletic ability. “Working out together really instills team spirit,” Kruger said. “They begin to understand that they’re working towards a common goal, being a successful team, not an individual.”
According to Horold, by training together, “You start to form a team before the season starts. Leaders step up, and you begin to form team unity.”
Bryan White, 22, a junior engineering management major from Cranston, R.I., who is trying out for the NU lacrosse team, said, “Our team workouts are where we begin to bond together, strengthening our overall performance.”
The school’s teams are not the only ones who benefit from the strength and conditioning program. Students who are interested in a career in athletic training or coaching, or who just want leadership experience, can do so by working for Kruger in multiple ways.
“Students interested in the field go one of two ways,” Kruger said. “One is to do an internship if it relates to their major. The other is a work-study position if the student just wants to gain experience implementing workout programs.”
The student assistants show a serious interest in the program and, “to be a student that’s also coaching their peers is something that not many people have the opportunity to do,” Thibault said.
Thibault, who graduated in 2008 with a degree in business management, said that strength and conditioning “was not something I really thought about, it was something that I found after college.” Thibault was an assistant coach for the American International Yellow Jackets Ice-Hockey Team, which lead him to strength and conditioning, “which is coaching, just a different type of practice,” Thibault said.
According to Thibault, one of the reasons he is involved in strength and conditioning is because he can actually see improvements when he does his job right. “When you test someone on squats, vertical jumps, or anything for that matter, you have a tangible result in front of you when you go to test them again,” Thibault said.
According to Kruger, seeing the students’ progress over time is what he enjoys most about his job. “You see them advance physically and mentally, and take on leadership responsibilities, whether they’re corps or civilian. They mature right in front of your eyes.”
Things have changed within the strength and conditioning program at NU since Thibault was a student-athlete here.
“We have a lot of athletes coming through with a limited amount of time and space,” Thibault said. “It is more of a circuit-type workout now, where athletes are always moving, always busy, so they’re really pushed to train hard.”
“A lot is accomplished in the hour time slot we have to work out, and by the end of that hour, you’re exhausted,” Horlod said.
According to Thibault, strength and conditioning is the foundation for everything in sports. “College athletics is so competitive that you really need that balance of on- and off-the-field training,” Thibault said.
“It’s good to know that we have a dedicated and knowledgeable strength and conditioning staff,” White said. “It is definitely a big factor in being a successful team.”
Kruger and Thibault are now in off-season training with wrestling, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s hockey, and baseball.