Performance Course in full swing

Summer has arrived and that means it is time for everyone to take a vacation. Some will go to the beach, some will go on cruises, and some will go overseas. However, for athletes at Aledo High School, it is time to keep working.

Performance Course started before sunrise on Monday, June 6 and both Bearcats and Ladycats began the long summer grind. The summer workout program has been in place at Aledo since 2008 and has benefited athletes from all sports at Aledo.

The program at Aledo is one of 40 across the states of Texas and Oklahoma. It is designed to improve athletic ability for students from sixth grade through 12th grade over the summer.

Before Performance Course came to Aledo, the summer workout program was basically the unlocking of the weight room and the athletes would come and go. Due to UIL restrictions on coaches working directly with the athletes over the summer, Performance Course bridges the gap and has been an integral part in Aledo’s athletic success.

“It’s been pretty big,” Athletic Director Steve Wood said. “We used to do it ourselves and it was mainly just for football players, but now it’s grown. Every program benefits from it so it’s been huge.”

Helping to run the program is a number of Aledo alumni who went through Performance Course when they were growing up and now volunteer. Former Bearcat Calvin Loftis joined the company after graduating from TCU, and now runs the program at Eaton High School in Haslet.

Aledo’s Performance Course is led by the company’s Executive Director Kirk Byerly. A graduate of Texas Tech, Byerly has worked on strength and conditioning staffs at his alma mater and the University of Tennessee before starting his own program.

Before joining Performance Course in 2006, Byerly owned and operated the southwest region of Fast Twitch Sports Performance Training Inc. and Athletic Enhancement Systems. In that time his client list included Dallas Cowboys Emmitt Smith and Charles Haley, and Dallas Stars Mike Modano and Eddie Belfour.

“The key to it is having someone like Kirk running it,” Wood commented. “We’ve been lucky to have him. He’s very professional and very good at what he does. He’s great with the kids and has a unique way of motivating them. It’s summer time, they could do something else yet they come work and sweat. The key is the great leader and we’re lucky to have Kirk.”