Forge exemplifies helping athletes grow in all phases

CAPTION: Paolo Garza holds bands that are around Noah Luckie’s waist as he runs while Landon Griffith completes running over tiny obstacles while holding a pipe over his head. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

Helping athletes grow in stature and wisdom is more than a talking point for Marble Falls Independent School District athletic director and football head coach Keri Timmerman.

It’s a truth he strives for daily. And nowhere is that more apparent right now than during the morning sessions of Marble Falls Forge ’24, the athletic department’s summer strength and conditioning program.

As coaches enjoyed the vacation of week of July 1-4, they have been encouraged by what they have witnessed during June. The program resumes Monday, July 8.

It continues to average more than 100 per day. Timmerman noted that even when athletes are on vacations, they’re texting him pictures of themselves lifting weights, running or doing something that helps them stay in shape.

The athletic director said it’s a team effort between strength and conditioning coach Karl “Beef” Bielfeldt and the rest of the coaches to demonstrate and encourage the Mustangs and Lady Mustangs to do each drill and lift properly.

“Coach Beef has a lot of knowledge and desire to impact our kids,” he said. “I think this has been a plus for them. All our kids feel like they’re getting better. They can feel changes. They can see changes.”

As the athletes’ bodies are physically changing, Timmerman said their minds are, too.

“Our kids have done a really thing about being consistent,” he said. “Our effort has been really good. We give effort in everything we do. The camaraderie and the teamwork has been good.

“I think our coaches are learning new patterns and ways to train,” he added. “Coach Beef being present in all places helps develop everyone’s level.”

Through his evaluations and conversations, Timmerman saw the emphasis on sport-specific skill was being taught by the coaches of each sport. But helping players become faster and agile athletes wasn’t as emphasized.

“To build a better athlete, we want to be strong, we need to be big, we want to be physical,” he said. “We want to train athletes to survive all seasons. The idea is we want to build better athletes. We’re passing players off from season to season to season. Our strength and conditioning in all sports was lacking.”

Going into the off week, Timmerman said the message to athletes was to enjoy “active rest,” which meant participating in an activity that allowed them to keep what they’ve worked so hard to gain.

“We tell them doing nothing negates everything they’ve been doing,” he said. “They need to be doing something. It doesn’t need to be jogging a mile or a 100 percent workout. They have to enjoy a little bit of summer. I think they understand they have gains that go away really quickly.”

As the weeks have turned into a month, Timmerman said those in the athletic department are seeing the hard work paying off. The key now, he added, is to keep pushing through with weeks left before the start of fall training camps in August.

“It’s not a one year or one-season thing,” he said. “It’s been fun to watch. I think kids naturally want to be led. They want to be good. As long as they see a coach cares about them as a person and have that knowledge to help them improve, our kids want to be good. I’m happy with our kids’ desire to be coached.”

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CAPTION: Avrie Wallace pulls a weighted sled that will make her faster as Chloe Brown (left) and Ruby Carrillo wait their turns. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro