University of Massachusets Athletics
Strongman Competition Highlights Evolution Of Football Program
June 26, 2015 | Football
As the UMass football program embarks on its fourth season as a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision, the evolution of the strength and conditioning program has played a critical role in preparing the Minutemen for success. Under coach Mike Golden and his staff, UMass players have undergone a physical transformation during that time that not only makes them better players, but also conditions their bodies to better handle the elevated physicality from the Football Championship Subdivision.
The strength and conditioning program saw a huge boost last summer when the Football Performance Center became operational with its fully customized, state-of-the-art weight room. As the program's dedicated strength coach, Golden has been able to utilize the facility to create specific workouts that have prepared the Minutemen in new ways for Saturday afternoons in the fall.
As part of a year-round training cycle, being able to have the team on campus during the summer months allows Golden and his staff to work with the players and to create unique and challenging programs to keep their progress moving forward. Wednesday night's Strongman Competition was a prime example of that.
"This is something we do every summer. We separate the team into even groups and they become the coaches. Everyone talks about needing leaders so we turn this over to the players," said Golden. "Once they have the teams picked, they decide who is going to do what events, how they are going to do it, and they coach each other up. The kids are the ones who are leading each other and coaching each other throughout the night and that really helps build leadership and camaraderie more than anything else."
Golden's staff sets up various stations throughout the field at McGuirk Stadium where each team competes against the others for points. With customized weight implements that require movement by lifting, pulling and pushing alongside activities that require speed and agility, the 90-minute long competition puts the players through a rigorous set of workouts that tests each individual.
"It's all about competition and that helps elevate everyone's work ethic," said rising senior cornerback Randall Jette. "It's definitely one of the toughest things we do, but you wouldn't know it because of how much fun it is."
It's one thing to be strong or fast; it's another to have those skill sets translate to the game of football.
"There are some guys who are strong in the weight room, but that doesn't convert over to the field. The Strongman Competitions bridge the gap between the weight room and field strength building their bodies in a different way," said Golden.
After running the gauntlet of tests and finishing with a 200-yard circuit which included a combination of events, Golden brought the team together to share the results.
"This is my 17th year of doing this sort of competition and it's the first time there has ever been a tie," Golden said to the squad. "The 6th-place team had 30 points and teams 1 & 2 had 38 points - everyone else was in between. I've never had one this close and I've never had one end in a tie."
As in all competitions, ending in a tie really wouldn't capture the spirit of the competition so Golden informed the two top teams, Dreamchasers and Zoo Crew, of the tie-breaking event - a 200-yard relay race using the Farmer's Walk. The Farmer's Walk utilized a pair of implements which each weighed 150 pounds and were carried in each hand. The five-foot long cylindrical tubes were not only heavy, but required great concentration to steady while moving to keep the weight from shifting.
After maneuvering down the field for the first 100-yard leg, the two teams continued to be fairly even on the return trip. That is until senior nose tackle Robert Kitching took over for Zoo Crew. The big 300-pounder easily grasped each tube in his hands and basically sprinted the last 45 yards for the breakaway win. Once he dropped them in the end zone, he was mobbed by teammates. The performance was so impressive that the entire team filled the stadium with astonished shouts as he motored down the field.
"I've always want things to be fun and I want them to be competitive; this idea started with some events I saw on ESPN that were individual, but we modified them to be team-oriented to help build leadership as well," said Golden. "It has evolved over the years with different events and implements. Every year it gets more competitive with the players with this being the most competitive ever by far."
