Next Level Training Celebrates its Second Anniversary

By Alexandra Gakos, Next Level Training

Next Level Training celebrated its 2-year anniversary on April 28, 2014. When we look back at the past two years, we think not only of all of the hard work are athletes have shown, but also all of the fun times we have had with them.

We are so grateful to work with such a fantastic group of people on a daily basis, and we want to thank them for having made Next Level such an enjoyable environment for us.

We decided to commemorate our anniversary by taking a look back at the past two years.

NEW FACES AT NEXT LEVEL

Our Next Level staff has grown continuously. During 2013, we welcomed Noel Rubin as our Director of Player Development and Sis Paulsen as our Sports Performance Specialist. Noel is currently the Director of Boys Hockey for the New Jersey Colonials, while Sis is the Colonials’ Director of Girls Hockey. Their expertise and guidance have been invaluable to Next Level, and we are grateful to have them as part of our Next Level family!

In addition to Noel and Sis, our team includes trainers PJ Scriffignano, Dave Zielinski, and Bill Katinsky; our full-time on-site certified physical therapist, Dr. James O'Rourke; and our front desk manager, Marisa Shauger.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

From the moment we opened our doors, we wanted not only to serve our clients, but also to give back to the community. One of the most enjoyable parts of running our facility is working with the New Jersey Dare Devils on a bi-weekly basis. The Dare Devils team, based out of Richard J. Codey Arena in West Orange, is comprised of a group of hard-working, dedicated children and young adults with special needs. To learn more about the Dare Devils or to become involved in various Dare Devils activities/events, please visit http://njdaredevils.net/events.

In conjunction with New York Giants punter Steve Weatherford, Next Level was instrumental in organizing two events to benefit those affected by Hurricane Sandy. We are currently involved with Project Prom, Weatherford’s initiative to offer not only financial support, but also a unique prom experience, to students who suffered hardships during Sandy. Students wrote essays about the way in which they overcame adversity during Sandy and took away something positive from the life-altering event. The five winners selected in February will have their prom expenses—as well as their dates’ expenses—paid for in full, and their special prom day will include a photo shoot with NFL players.

On November 19, 2013, Next Level sponsored a luncheon in honor of a group of Long Beach Island emergency responders who were on the front line during and after Sandy. Present at the luncheon were representatives from many agencies, including the National Guard, Community Emergency Response Team, R&D Builders, Ocean County Sherriff's Department, and Long Beach Island Health Department, as well as the police departments, first aid squads, fire departments, and emergency management teams for Beach Haven, Stafford, Barnegat Light, Surf City, Ship Bottom, Long Beach Township, Harvey Cedars, and High Point. The fun, enjoyable day was filled with great company and spectacular food, the latter of which was provided by Pinziminio Trattoria.

To read more about these two events and to see photos from the luncheon, click here.

Many of our athletes likely remember our pink logo T-shirt fundraiser during October. Not only were we able to bring a new splash of color to Next Level with the wildly popular T-shirts, but we were able to raise $2,000.00, which we donated to Susan G. Komen North Jersey in support of breast cancer research and awareness.

We have also made yearly donations to Daytop, a substance abuse treatment program, contributing money for every goal scored by a Next Level athlete. Additionally, this past fall, two of our staff members, trainer Bill Katinsky and yoga instructor Jess Moore, ran in the 2013 ING New York City Marathon, raising money for Project ALS and Team for Kids, respectively.

PERSONAL TRAINING

We have an extremely motivated base of personal training clients. Whether our clients are here to shed a few pounds, to increase their muscle mass, to improve their competitive performance, or to strengthen their heart, our clients all push themselves during every session, knowing that doing so is to the benefit of their overall health. For each client, we have established structured and functional training programs that best suit their particular needs. We not only document weights used and reps performed in order to track progress over time, but we also develop individualized cardio programs so that they can maximize their individual results and make the most out of the time they spend working out alone. We also carefully monitor changes to their physique by taking body weight and circumference measurements and conducting body fat testing every six weeks.

Even when they are not physically with us at Next Level, our goal has been to provide them with the best around-the-clock access to our fitness knowledge and expertise. During the fall, we initiated Bill’s Blog, in which our very own Bill Katinsky has been providing weekly advice on a variety of fitness and health topics. He has focused on the importance of rest and of warming up, steers you clear of spot training, explained the benefits of compound exercises, and encourages everyone to use foam rollers. If you have not already been reading his weekly posts, be sure to do so!  You can find his previous posts here.  

It is our hope that each one of our clients will ultimately understand their body better and realize why certain exercises are best for their fitness level and lifestyle. To show our support of our personal training clients and our pride in our client’s accomplishments, we also implemented a Goal Incentive Program, which rewards you with a free personal training session each time you meet a pre-determined fitness goal.

BOOT CAMPS

We are currently running several boot camps, including Bridal Boot Camps and Hockey Mom Boot Camps. We recently began an Adult Boot Camp on Wednesday evenings at 7pm and Saturday mornings at 8am, which is suitable for people of any fitness level and is custom-designed for your individual needs. A few companies participate in company-specific evening boot camps, which have a great atmosphere, promote team building, and give an aerobic benefit while encouraging a little bit of healthy competition. Should your organization be interested in holding a similar boot camp at Next Level, please inquire about organizing a company boot camp with one of our trainers.

2013-2014 HOCKEY SEASON

This past ice hockey season was marked with tremendous success for many of our athletes, whether on an individual basis, as part of a team, or both. Across the board, we were incredibly proud of every athlete’s tremendous attitude, work ethic, and drive to succeed. Win, lose, or draw, we watched a talented and hard-working group of athletes put up great numbers, push themselves to the limit on and off the ice, and show extreme sportsmanship to teammates and opponents alike.

High School Team Accomplishments

For a few of our teams, their hard work translated into noticeable success during State and Cup Tournaments. Morristown High School’s varsity ice hockey squad, named Morris County Team of the Year, completed this season with a satisfying State championship victory. After falling short of the title two years in a row, Morristown defeated Ramsey 1-0 in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Public B finals to win its first State championship. Senior captain Brian Begley’s late third period goal, with just 33.8 seconds to spare, gave Morristown the edge over Ramsey and demonstrated the role conditioning can play during high-stake games.

Morristown’s head coach, Bobby Jones, earned nods as this season’s State Coach of the Year. Although Jones called it a “tremendous honor” to receive that distinction, he stated that, in the end, “nothing compares to the State Championship.” Jones commended his team for its hard work and attributed the team’s championship to the group’s exceptional level of commitment. Noting that conditioning played a huge role in the State Tournament run, especially in the final game, Jones cited the third period as the team’s best period during the championship game. Overall, he also saw major improvements in the athletes’ on-ice skills as a result of training at Next Level.

“We’re stronger on the puck, especially in the corners,” said Jones. “Our endurance was a lot better. [It was noticeable] especially with back-to-back games—some guys were not even fazed by them.”

The Morristown-Beard boys’ ice hockey team was chosen overall by The Star-Ledger as the Boys Team of the Year. The Morristown-Beard boys’ squad had a phenomenal season, in which the team finished 21-5-2 and captured the 2014 Mennen Cup title. The boys followed up their ninth-overall Mennen Cup title with an outstanding State tournament run, where they finished as NJSIAA Non-Public co-champions. In a hard-fought battle with Christian Brothers Academy, Mo-Beard played four periods before ending in a 4-4 tie and earning their first-ever State championship. Many members of the Morristown-Beard girls’ team, which was named as the Girls Team of the Year, train individually at Next Level. On February 16th, the girls’ team won its fifth consecutive Women’s Interscholastic Ice Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic (WIHLMA) championship title. Junior forward Kendall Cornine scored the game-winning goal, propelling Mo-Beard to a 2-0 victory over Portledge (NY) and giving the team its seventh overall WIHLMA title.

Nationals

The Colonials Girls 14U, 16U, and 19U Tier I teams advanced to Nationals this year and showed an outstanding effort. Our Sports Performance Specialist, Sis Paulsen, who serves as head coach of the 19U and 16U teams, had words of praise for all three teams.

“The kids on all three teams worked very hard on and off the ice all season,” said Paulsen. “They came with energy and a great work ethic, and were eager to learn each and every day. We got a taste of what it is like to be at Nationals, and now our goal is to get back there next season and do some damage. We thank the Senior Class for all the hard work they have put into our program throughout the years and hope the younger players continue to follow in their footsteps.”

A couple of our individual athletes won National titles with their teams. Logan Hutsko and his Shattuck-St. Mary’s team won the Boys Bantam AAA Major Nationals. Meghara McManus, who came from Boston to train at Next Level, scored a goal in her Charles River Blazers team’s Girls Tier II 16U National Championship victory.

Athletes Recognized

The Star-Ledger compiled its yearly All-State girls’ and boys’ selections, as well as its boys’ selections by area and group. We would like to recognize the following athletes who train at Next Level, individually and/or with their team, for having received the following distinctions:

All-State Selections

Boys:

First Team – James Callahan, Morristown-Beard

Third Team – Luke Moser, Morristown-Beard and Shane Brown, Morristown

Girls:

First Team – Kendall Cornine, Morristown-Beard and Carolyn Chambers, Morristown-Beard

Second Team – Hayley LaFontaine, Pingry Boys’

All-Group, All-Prep, and All-Area Selections

All-Non-Public

First Team – James Callahan, Morristown-Beard

Second Team – Luke Moser, Morristown-Beard

All-Public

First Team – Shane Brown, Morristown

Second Team – Brendan Siegel, Randolph

All-Essex County

Second Team – Michael Russo, Seton Hall Prep

Third Team – Matt Farrell, Seton Hall Prep

All-Morris County

First Team – Luke Moser, Morristown-Beard; James Callahan, Morristown-Beard; and Shane Brown, Morristown

Second Team – Brendan Siegel, Randolph

Third Team – Max Cuomo, Morristown-Beard and Danny Porth, Morristown-Beard

For more updates about Next Level Training, please visit http://www.nextlevelnj.com/, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.