13 minute read
FITNESS TIPS
from Benton
by kn creative
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
By Marietta McClure, Head Trainer, McClure Fitness
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During the COVID quarantine I struggled with my own personal workouts because I missed the group fitness environment. It wasn’t just the workout part, it was that I missed my team of people working toward a common goal: to get healthier. It’s not about a calorie burn; it’s the accountability, motivation, determination, inspiration, discipline, and energy that the group atmosphere provides. In the fitness world, group fitness is like a team sport. The coach (trainer/instructor) teaches form, sets the drills and rules, motivates the group to keep going and even calls out his/ her players when they take a break.
While some people prefer to work out on their own, there are a ton of folks who have discovered the magic of working out with others. I polled some of my fellow group fitness fans and asked them, “What’s the best thing about group fitness?”
“Motivation, accountability and friendships. I had to push myself out of my comfort zone to try group fitness, but now I’ll never do anything else.” – Lauren
“Not having to come up with your own workout at the gym; the trainers do it for you!” – Hannah
“For me it’s the competition. I push myself so much harder when I’m trying to beat or keep up with someone else. I’ll quit a lot quicker on an at-home workout!” – Jessica
“The people... 100% hands down, the motivation, encouragement, and love that you feel from the people going through exactly what you are going through in that point in time.” – Ashleigh
“Signing up for a class so my mind doesn’t talk me out of doing my workout.” – Sommer
“It’s motivating to see others bettering themselves. So when my mind comes up with excuses to quit, I see the person next to me continuing to move their body, and their determination pushes me to do the same.” – Lisa
“Pushing yourself because you’re in a group and don’t want to look like a slacker.” – Olivia
“The instructors: you can go to a lot of group fitness classes and have a mediocre instructor and think it’s what group fitness really is, but when you have a superior instructor it takes it to a whole new level.” – Laura How To Take Full Advantage • The best use of your time and money is to find a workout class close to you. • Look for an appropriate class: low impact if you’re just starting out, or advanced if you’re an experienced fitness enthusiast looking for a challenge. • Pay in advance for a class at a specific time. You don’t have to spend long hours making your own workout plan, or hire an expensive personal trainer. Just show up. • Introduce yourself to others in the class. They’ll help you get the right equipment needed for that class. And as you make friends, they may even
hold your favorite spot in class. • Trust the instructor. They know what they’re doing with the exercises. • You will leave feeling totally spent, exhausted, and miserable. But you will live through it. Your body will hate you in that first week, but keep showing up. Each class will get easier. The soreness will fade. You’ll be stronger, and proud of yourself. Tips for starting a new workout class:
Show up to class five to ten minutes early. Your new instructor will appreciate it because class can get started on time and they can go over what to expect.
Greet and introduce yourself to the instructor. Making that connection sends the message that you are open to encouragement and feedback. This is a good time to communicate any exercise modifications you might need.
If you loved the workout, tell the trainer—trainers are people too, and they need encouragement! Stick With It
Once you find the right team, aka group fitness gym for you, keep it up! I want to stress the importance of sticking with it. Give yourself 90 days of consistent exercise. In 30 days, your clothes will fit better. In 60 days, those closest to you will notice the change in your body. Everyone else will notice in 90 days.
Whatever it takes, stay consistent. Application is everything. Stay strong!
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Benton Panthers Head Football Coach Brad Harris describes his senior starting quarterback, Garrett Brown, as “a really laid-back guy, very easygoing.” While such a description may not seem to match with a full-contact sport such as high school football, Coach Harris considers this one of Garrett’s strengths.
“He doesn’t get rattled easy and the moment doesn’t seem to get too big for him,” said Harris. “He is not the fiery vocal guy, but when he does speak to our team, they listen. One of his best traits is that he processes everything well; that means from the offensive play pre-snap (prior to the play) & post-snap (during the play). He is able to process what defenses do and help get us in the right play if necessary.”
This ability has Garrett poised to etch his name in Panthers Football history as the most prolific passer in the school’s history.
So what influences in Garrett’s background can explain his ability to remain calm under pressure?
A quick glance at this 17 yearold’s young life shows that he is
a Benton resident, son of Allison Hogue. He has one sibling, a 21 year-old brother, Dalton.
He started sports by playing baseball at age 7 and continued through his junior year in high school. “But I decided to focus on football after knee surgery (OCD of the knee) where continuing to play as a catcher would not support my knee healing. My knee has recovered, so I hope to come back to pitch for Benton baseball after football is over. I also enjoy playing pick-up basketball games,” said Garrett.
Football was, at first, a sport just to keep him busy. “I started playing football in eighth grade just as something to do because baseball didn’t start until ninth grade. It turned out that I enjoyed football more.”
Garrett admits his first venture into football in the eighth grade didn’t get off to a blazing start. “I played linebacker and quarterback and wasn’t very good, but my freshman year, I moved to quarterback only.” In the ninth grade, he left defense behind to concentrate on offense.
Coach Harris remembers seeing Garrett play.
“Garrett was a part time starter in junior high. He was a smaller guy during those days. He hit a growth spurt after his ninthgrade football season that really helped him going into his sophomore year. Garrett always had good arm strength in Jr. High, but was a little small and slow footed so he struggled at times. I think his growth spurts helped his confidence too.”
It was this progress that gave Coach Harris the confidence to move Garrett into the starting quarterback position halfway through the 2019 season
when then-starting quarterback, Colin Morrow, was sidelined with an injury.
“He really did a good job as a sophomore. We tried not to put too much on him and let guys make plays around him until he got more comfortable. Even as a sophomore, Garrett understood our passing game really well. He knew his abilities and didn’t try to do too much. He was not a running quarterback, so he knew he needed to get the ball out to the wide receivers on time and whom to get it to. I think that goes back to how coachable he is. He does a good job of studying our opponents and knowing how we can attack them. Garrett threw for 2,021 yards—seventeen touchdowns with only five interceptions— during his sophomore season.”
For Garrett, jumping into the starting lineup and the confidence he had taking it was due to the help of a teammate. “At age fifteen, it was an unforgettable experience for sure, but the senior quarterback at the time (Colin Morrow) really helped me stay calm so I wasn’t too nervous. He was recovering from an injury that year and I had no idea how much his strength would help me make it through the next year.”
During the 2020 season, Garrett took up where he left off the previous year.
Coach Harris sums it up this way. “I thought Garret had a really productive junior year. He passed for 3,093 yards: twenty-seven touchdowns with interceptions. We would like for him to take care of the football a little better this season by not throwing as many interceptions, but overall he had another really good year.”
Which brings us to the chance to break the all-time passing record for Panthers football.
Coach Harris knows the record is in the vicinity of 5,300 yards but isn’t exactly sure. When asked about the record, Garrett said, “I have no clue what the passing yard record is, if that answers your question, but I do think it would be cool.”
Laidback indeed.
But don’t let that fool you. Garrett’s vision for the season is clear.
“I think it’s time for Benton to be back at the top. Second place just isn’t it.” Brent Davis
This coming football season is unlike any other before it. It is a first for all, as we navigate our jobs, school, and sports during a pandemic. The Salt Bowl—the most anticipated game in Saline County—has been on many minds. At the time of this writing, the game is still set to go, with safety precautions in place.
There have been many players behind the scenes to give the Benton Panthers a somewhat normal preseason going into the football frenzy. One of them is former Coach Rusty Davis, who has 18 years of coaching and teaching experience. Now, he’s Assistant Principal at Benton High School, but he comes at the new school year and upcoming football season with a player’s heart.
He notes that coaches thrive on consistency, and this season is anything but consistent. “I think the biggest challenge this year going into football season is trying to deal with the unknowns. These are unprecedented times we are living in and we are all trying to make the most of the situation. New information is coming out every day, and coaches and administrators are having to adapt.”
While consistency and routines have been thrown out of the window, he says, “We just have to attack each day with a positive attitude and try to make the most of the time we are given.”
The problems are the same experiencing this uncertain time from the administrative side, Davis says. “They just present themselves in a different manner. We are all trying to do the best we can for the kids with what resources and information we have at the time.”
As a first-year administrator, he says, “I don’t know any differently. It is a crazier time, but I don’t have any routines or preconceived notions be it in these times or more normal times. I feel fortunate to see things from this side.”
He has a new appreciation for administrators, too. “All the planning and the meetings and uncertainties and the burdens they carry for being responsible for students.” Especially during this pandemic, he says, “We’re learning something new every day. It’s a good challenge, though.”
Davis knows what it’s like to be involved with school and sports under “normal” circumstances. A 1997 Benton High School graduate, he continued playing baseball into college at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He played football in high school as well, but not his senior year because of back-to-back seasons ending in knee injuries during his sophomore and junior years.
Davis began coaching American Legion Baseball in Benton during the summer while still in college and playing baseball himself. After graduation, his first coaching and teaching job was at Benton High School, teaching math and coaching boys’ basketball and boys’ soccer.
Since 2002 when he joined the BHS staff, Davis has taught Algebra I and II, Geometry and 12th-grade math. “I was an assistant boys’ basketball coach for one year, then an assistant football coach from 2003-2019. In the spring, I was head boys’ soccer coach from 2003- 2010 and head girls’ soccer coach in 2009-2010. From 2011-2020, I was an assistant baseball coach.”
The only thing Davis says we can expect this fall is “to expect the uncertainty.” And while he won’t be cheering and mentoring students from the sidelines this year, Davis says he will always admire what sports instill in kids.
“I love the competitiveness that sports bring out in kids,” he says, and “those tough situations that present themselves that allow good coaches to teach lifelong lessons. I love the opportunity that I have every day to be a positive influence on our players. Lastly, I relish the relationships that I have built with the coaches that I have worked with over the years. I’ve tried to learn something from every coach that I’ve ever coached with, and I’ve had the privilege of being around some really good ones.”
Staying true to his life’s priorities helps Davis be the best leader he can be. “I have always tried to coach with perspective and keep my priorities in line: God, family, school, sports. That can be a tall task at times, but I always thought, ‘If I can’t prioritize my life, how can I expect my players to?’”
The Salt Bowl may look and feel differently this year, but the same spirit will be there. The competition between the Benton Panthers and Bryant Hornets is more than a football game, Davis says. During his high school football tenure, Davis actually never got to play against Bryant because of those injuries during his sophomore and junior years.
“It is a representation of what is so great about high school sports: the sense of community, togetherness, and pride in your school. I consider myself very fortunate to have been associated with it for such a long time. There are very few things that compare to walking down the tunnel at War Memorial Stadium before kickoff in front of 25,000 fans.” Jillian Jacuzzi
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