LET'S GO TO THE HOP TRAINING CENTER GIVING ATHLETES THAT EXTRA EDGE.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

SAUGUS - Athletes are getting bigger, stronger and faster every year. That's no secret, of course, especially when you see video clips of football, baseball or basketball players from a generation ago. Pros look like today's college players, and college players look like today's prep stars, etc.

At any rate, with power and speed becoming increasingly important, athletes today are constantly looking for an edge.

That's where Hopsports comes in.

A specialized training center in the Santa Clarita Valley, Hopsports has a growing list of 250 clients, from professional football and basketball players to some of the brightest young stars of the future, such as local high school football standouts Andrew Shantz, Nate Longshore and Louis Montano of Canyon and Sean Norton of Hart, and softball standout Christina Ross of Valencia.

At Hopsports, athletes use various resistance machines to increase speed and power, always under the watchful eyes of a full staff of professional trainers.

``It's an amazing kind of training. I've been going there for about a year and a half, and it's made a big difference,'' Shantz said.

Shantz isn't all talk. At a Nike football scouting combine in Los Angeles last month, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds and bench- pressed 185 pounds 21 times - a performance that instantly elevated him into one of the state's top high school linebacker prospects according to recruiting expert Greg Biggins of Cal Hi Sports, who organized the combine.

``It was weird. I saw so many great athletes at that combine, so I just brought my `A' game,'' Shantz said.

Meanwhile, Montano, a running back who barely has seen much recruiting interest, won a weight-lifting competition at a combine in Ridgecrest last month.

Their performances are no coincidence, swears Hopsports owner Tom Root.

``We build this place to train athletes, combining sports training with technology,'' Root said. ``We're the ones who got Shantz and Montano ready, we taught them all the tricks, and we groomed them.''

Ted Iacenda, a former all-state running back at Hart who played college football at USC and New Mexico, is one of Hopsports' managers. He's worked with athletes such as Kyle Boller, Gilbert Arenas, Manuel White and Jerry Owens among others.

If the finest athletes in the Valley - and beyond - are Hopsports regulars, the facility must be a vital component, correct?

``Without a doubt,'' Iacenda said. ``Weight lifting and working out with your respective team is important, too, but we offer another avenue.''

Factoring in the cost of private training, Hopsports is a relative bargain at $300 for a four-month membership. Besides athletes, people from all walks of life - including actors David Gallagher of the TV show ``7th Heaven'' and Mark-Paul Gosselaar of ``NYPD Blue'' - enjoy working out at Hopsports.

But mostly, Hopsports is for athletes who are committed to improving, such as football players who weren't drafted by the NFL but want tryouts as free agents, or NBA hopefuls.

Lodune Sincaid, a martial artist who competes in Ultimate Fighting, is among eight trainers. He's incorporated into Hopsports' workouts the training methods of such athletes as wrestling legend Gene Lebell to kick boxer Benny ``The Jet'' Urquidez.

Fighters from Ultimate Fighting work out there, giving the place a ``macho'' feel. But plenty of females take advantage, too, such as Ross and Hart girls' basketball standout Ashlee Trebilcock.

The Master's College women's volleyball team even has a group membership.

The 21st century is a new generation for athletes, as recreational sports enthusiasts who eventually excel seem to be getting fazed out a bit more as time goes on.

Organizations like Hopsports certainly appear to be the wave of the future.

``We've had kids as young as 8 years old whom we've put on a training program, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that,'' Root said. ``We're not trying to build the next Arnold Schwarzenegger or Lou Ferrigno. No, we're more into creating the next Kobe Bryant.

``We want kids to come here and eventually be able to jump out of the building.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2) Will Poole of Ventura checks his power output on a machine that measures watts at the Hopsports Training Center in Santa Clarita (above). Poole also does agility drills at the center (left). Hopsports has a clientele ranging from high school athletes to pro stars who are trying to increase their speed and power using the latest technology. Local athletes who train at the center include Hart High football star Sean Norton and Valencia softball pitcher Christina Ross.

David Crane/Staff Photographer