Concordia Athletics Season One kicks off this Friday as we host the Shanghai Cup Volleyball tournament. With this exciting sporting event comes our first Phoenix Friday of the school year. Phoenix Fridays are a great way to build community and show support for our student athletes, who have been working hard in preparation for the start of the season.
Training Concordia Shanghai high school athletes
To help prepare our athletes for the upcoming season and to set the proper tone for the year in sports ahead, the Concordia Athletic Department invited Director of Sports Performance at Western Oregon University Cori Metzgar to work with the athletes from our high school sports teams. Metzgar, who was named Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association in 2015, worked with each team in the weight room, demonstrating lifts and workout specifically designed for their respective sport. She also showed them how to perform dynamic warm ups and proper stretching to prevent injury and help them have longer, healthier athletic careers.
While on campus, Metzar attended middle and high school PE classes, where she instructed students on ways to improve flexibility, mobility and dynamic/functional movement. Last Wednesday evening, Metzgar spoke to the community at a special Concordia Presents about the benefits of sports diversification versus early sports specialization at a special Concordia Presents event held in the Ford gym. As part of this interactive presentation, Metzgar had the audience practicing the same stretches and exercises she uses with the college athletes she trains.
