As some people know, we started The Edge because we were tired of seeing young athletes get injured and miss their season. My wife saw 5 young female athletes, all under the age of 15, tear their ACL in one year!

At The Edge, every class we offer has injury prevention training included. We can't prevent every injury but we firmly believe that with the right training we can reduce the chance of major injuries happening.

For 2 years we've tried to promote a specific class that focuses on preventing ACL injuries. For 2 years we've had to cancel this class due to lack of interest. Also during that 2 year period? Over 50% of our 1:1 training athletes come to us for the first time after suffering an ACL injury.

An ounce of prevention ....

I received an interesting email from a concerned mom who's daughter had an ACL injury a few years ago.







If you're interested in learning more about our ACL class, please drop me a note. It's one class I want to offer every single month.

I speak to parents and coaches every day and many times the first thing I hear is, "The Edge is too expensive." My automatic reply is, "Ok, how much does training cost?" At which point I don't get an answer. The lesson I learned (a very important one) is that perception is often more real than reality. From a parent's point of view I know every dollar has to be accounted for and while you want your son/daughter to become a better athlete, it has to be at an acceptable cost. From a business point of view, I need to keep the lights on and continue to provide an outstanding service to our athletes. The real issue is how to meet in the middle and satisfy both sides.

I think our Fall 2009 classes go a long way toward this goal.

We have Edge 360 - small, athlete specific training classes and you must receive approval from an Edge coach before joining. The sessions last for 6 weeks and cost $300. Only 36 athletes will be allowed in per 6 week session. Edge 360 isn't just for all-star athletes. The training is a commitment from the athletes/parents and from Edge coaches. Some will be all-stars, some will be coming back from an injury and some will be athletes who just need extra attention.

We have Edge F.A.S.T. - the number one request from athletes is how to become faster. By focusing on speed and agility (yes, increasing your strength is part of making you faster) we can offer an affordable training class and still exceed the expectations of our athletes. This training class is only $65 per month!

We now have a class that specifically targets ACL Prevention - our CSCS coaches are trained to teach athletes how to jump, land and pivot the right way. This class is only $85 per month.

Starting in September we'll be offering sport specific training classes that focus on improving the core abilities needed to excel in baseball, softball, volleyball, football, basketball and more. We don't teach you how to dribble, shoot, tackle - we do work on foot speed, core strength, vertical jump, power, etc. The cost of these classes is only $75 per month.

It doesn't matter if you want to play in college or just make the team in middle/high school - if you want to become a better athlete then The Edge has a training class for you.

I'm finding the challenge of being the General Manager at The Edge to be the coolest job I've ever held. Speaking to parents and athletes every day and realizing what a difference The Edge makes for them is amazing.

This past spring we signed a contract with the Roanoke Star Soccer Club to become their exclusive training partner. They were searching for an afforable and result driven training program for their 700+ players. We started small with specific classes designed for Star players and this summer we're attending their pre-season camp. What's cool is that we both (Edge and Roanoke Star) see the benefits of Edge training. This relationshoip goes well beyond trying to sell a service to a customer. The Star players benefit because we're making them faster, more agile, more flexible and reducing the chances of injury. The Roanoke Star Club benefits because they'll have athletes ready for every practice and their players have a better chance of staying injury free over the course of the season. The Edge benefits because we're training a large group of competitive athletes who want to become better. Our success is based on the success of the athletes we train.

This fall, The Edge will be at every Roanoke Star practice training every athlete. From there, we'll move to winter and spring training. In August, Roanoke Star will move their club headquarters to The Edge building.

This is the start of a great relationship and I'm excited to see how far we can take it.


**Reminder to all Roanoke Star players - you still receive the 10% discount off Edge classes**

Anyone who has asked me about The Edge has heard me talk about our coaching staff and why we believe so strongly in the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) certitfication. It's a topic that I'll touch on frequently in this blog and I wanted to start with some general information. I'll even get some of the coaches to post some thoughts when I can pull them away from training.

What It Is ...
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists (CSCSs) are professionals who apply scientific knowledge to train athletes for the primary goal of improving athletic performance. They conduct sport-specific testing sessions, design and implement safe and effective strength training and conditioning programs and provide guidance regarding nutrition and injury prevention. Recognizing that their area of expertise is separate and distinct, CSCSs consult with and refer athletes to other professionals when appropriate.

The CSCS is the only strength training and conditioning certification to be nationally accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and has been nationally accredited since 1993.

To be eligible to take the CSCS examination, candidates must hold at a bachelor's degree or currently be enrolled as a college senior from an institution that is accredited by one of the six regional accrediting associations. Current CPR and AED certification is also a requirement.

From the NSCA website:

• Passing a challenging exam demonstrates your level of commitment to the industry and your career, helps to substantiate your competency level to others and proves that you are indeed qualified to perform the tasks expected of you.
• By passing a difficult-to-obtain exam, you gain instant credibility and an edge in the industry over personal trainers and strength and conditioning professionals who have earned a less challenging and less respected certification.

At The Edge, three of our coaches hold a CSCS certificate and our fourth coach will be taking his exam this fall.

I'm very excited to announce that we're bringing back the Kevin Dresser Wrestling Boot Camp starting in August. The clinic will be run by Coach Dresser and his staff and local wrestlers will have the chance to learn from some of the best coaches in the country - and a Top 20 program. We start on Sunday August 30th and we'll go until November 1st (skipping Labor Day). For more information, click here

This Fall we're starting a new program that I think is a win-win situation for everyone. We're actively looking for athletes who want to represent The Edge at their middle/high school. Here's how it works:

• The Student Athlete Recruiter (SAR) agrees to represent The Edge
• We're looking for 1 SAR per grade in every middle and high school
• We give each SAR a stack of business cards with their name on it
• The goal for each SAR is to refer their fellow athletes to one of our free Evaluation Classes
• When an athlete shows up for an evaluation and presents the business card, that SAR gets $10 towards training for the month

WIN - SARs get free clothing and money towards training
WIN - Athletes learn about The Edge and get a free evaluation


If you're interested, please contact Adam for more information.

To join a sports performance training class, every athlete must attend a free evaluation class. For several months we have been offering the evals on Monday and Wednesday from 8pm to 9pm.

Fortunately, we're getting too many so we've expanded the number of evaluation slots. Starting this week, we are holding the free evaluations Monday through Thursday night from 7pm to 8pm. If you're interested, please call or email me to register. Each evaluation takes about 20-25 minutes so we only do 3-4 per night.

We take Mondays very seriously at The Edge. One on One Performance Training starts at 6am, Soccer Camp starts at 8:30am (Head Women's Soccer Caoch at Ferrum, Sandy Lagana), William Fleming Football Session I (40 athletes) starts at 9am, HoneyTree Learning Center, Session I at 10am -----> Lunch ------> HoneyTree Learning Center, Session II at 12pm, at Cave Spring High School (Football) at 3pm, William Fleming Football, Session II (60 athletes) at 4:30 and then we start our Sports Performance Classes. What a great start to the week!

NOTICE to any and all coaches looking for court rental space: contact me asap if you want time between mid-July and April. The schedule is filling up.

This past weekend we partnered with VertFreak 101 to host a 2 day vertical jump/basketball clinic and ended with an Open Run Tournament. WDBJ 7 stopped by a few times and took some great video, check it out.

The tournament was very cool - especially the Dunk Show. I was almost positive we'd lose a rim or two because these guys could jump!

Team VertFreak held on to defeat the Sleepers (led by Michael Lewis) by a score of 69-67.

Stay tuned for more tournaments in the future and if you're interested in joining our adult men's league, drop me an email.

On Monday July 13th, I'm officially becoming the General Manager at The Edge here in Roanoke. For the past 2 years, I've tried my best to manage from a distance and we've been able to accomplish some really awesome things. Looking forward, the business is going to need my full attention in order to reach our goal of becoming the best place to train athletes on the East Coast. It's going to be time consuming and the road ahead is full of challenges but we have a great group of coaches and I'm excited about what we can do.

I'm starting this blog so athletes/parents/coaches can easily learn what's going at the center. I'll use it to put a spotlight on some of the amazing athletes and teams who trust us to train them and I'll also post upcoming events like camps, clinics, leagues and events.

If you have any questions or want to know more about The Edge, please either drop me a note (adam@theedgesp.com) or call the center 540-265-8585.

Thanks~

Adam Williams