Unmatched Student-Athlete Development: O’Neal Sports Performance Training
Raising the level of play at The O’Neal School in recent years has resulted in multiple championship teams and the distinction as the 2A Wells Fargo Cup Champions. This success comes not only from the work on the court, fields and in the pool, but the addition of Sports Performance Training across all sports at O’Neal.
In Fall 2018, O’Neal began Sports Performance Trainings through a partnership with Sandhills Sports Performance. Currently, all O’Neal student-athletes from Middle School through Varsity receive multiple training sessions per week as a part of their athletic seasons. Out-of-season and summer options are also available.
Under the leadership of Sports Performance Coaches, Pat Tanner, Pierce Adams, and Chris Poulin, student-athletes receive a holistic approach to sports performance both in athletic development and injury prevention. “Understanding the intricacies of different sports,” shares Coach Tanner, “we help to bridge the demands on multi-sport athletes by developing performance programing that builds on itself over 12 months.”
“Using the sports performance room and sports performance indoor turf, our performance staff focus on building the whole athlete,” shares Coach Adams. “Sports Performance training sessions are focused on teaching kids how to move their bodies through space in three different planes. Our goal for our athletes is to address the asymmetries in the body by promoting proper positioning, developing muscles and breathing patterns. In addition, we complement the skills that coaches are teaching by improving performance through strength, speed, agility, and power.”
All O’Neal coaches work closely with members of the Sports Performance staff during their seasons to craft plans tailored for players and teams to maximize success. Since the addition of the Sports Performance trainings, the results in competition haven’t lied. The Falcons have seen a total of 45 All-State recipients, as well as, winning 11 Tri-TAC Conference Championships, 4 NCISAA Runners Up, and 5 NCISAA State Championships since 2018; ultimately, earning the Falcons the distinctions 2A Wells Fargo Cup Championships as the best athletic department in the state of North Carolina.
“O’Neal‘s student-athletes and teams have risen to the number one NCISAA athletic department over the past two years. This is largely as a result of a commitment to making Sports Performance Trainings a key element of our athlete and team development,” shared Athletic Director, James Franklin. “Our students have played their part and are dedicated to getting stronger, faster, fitter, and to the process of preventing injuries. In fact, we have seen a vast reduction in injuries and in the success of our teams. O’Neal’s sports performance programming and coaches are unrivaled anywhere locally or in this region.”
The O'Neal School
The O'Neal School admits students of any race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by law to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by law in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
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