Camp feeds young athletes' need for speed.

Byline: Timothy Normandin

LUNENBURG - Speed is the foundation that nearly every athlete builds their house on. Speed and agility. Old school thought posits that these qualities cannot be taught. You either have them or you don't.

Don't tell that to Bobby Truax, the track and football coach who runs the Blue Knights Speed and Agility Camp at Lunenburg High School.

"The philosophy has all changed," coach Truax says. "Speed can be harnessed through core strength, and a strong core helps tame speed's natural enemy - gravity.

"Simply put," he continues, "an athlete must generate a very efficient force to get up off the ground and move quickly across the landscape."

It's clear from the philosophical bent of the discussion, with the coach delving into mass and acceleration, that Bobby Truax - along with his football and track prowess - is an accomplished teacher of high-level mathematics.

On a sultry Tuesday night, the turf field holds an eclectic collection of 30 or so athletes. There are quite a few football players and runners. There are baseball and basketball players, and a soccer star. There's even a dancer. Many of these athletes have been to speed camp in summers past.

Kate Albertini, a middle distance runner, has logged in two seasons at the camp. "It definitely works,' she said.

Sara Cote, who as a freshman played varsity soccer last fall, concurs. "I'm faster and stronger," she said. "As a forward this helps me come back for the ball."

All this has not been lost on Amanda Holden, a freshman track sensation who holds the school record in the high hurdles. Amanda joined Speed Camp in hopes of becoming even faster, and she approaches each task with enthusiastic abandon.

There's a lot going on this night. Steve Boone and Steve Kyajohnian - head football coach and girls track coach, respectively - assist Mr. Truax. It's sort of like a circus - in a good way. There are plyometric boxes and ball for developing explosive power. There are weighted sleds to strengthen drive. The "ladders," a hopscotch-like maze, is designed to help athletes gain "quick feet." The colorful parachute-resistance run strengthens quick-twitch fibers. Perhaps the most astounding drill is the "overspeed tube."

Picture the mother of all rubber bands. Anchored at each end is a runner. The lead runner takes off, the band stretches taut, then - bam - the second runner is sprung like a jet from a carrier deck. "It's like running full speed downhill," Coach Truax says. "Really works the quads." There's no doubt it does just that. It also happens to be darned entertaining to watch.

With their season bearing down on them, the football players seem particularly determined. A trio of running backs work like demons on the sleds, tubes, and parachutes. "I've picked up speed in just a few weeks," Mike Rash says. Jacob LaChance and Rob Flaherty nod in agreement. Somehow the boys seem focused on a larger goal.

"We're here to improve our season," Rob says. It seems more a pronouncement of faith than an answer to an interviewer's question.

ART: PHOTO

CUTLINE: Kate Albertini, left, and Sara Cote pull weighted sleds.

PHOTOG: TIMOTHY NORMANDIN