Johnie Michael joined Community School in August 2017 as High Performance Specialist. In this role, he manages the Julia Argyros Training Center at the Ketchum Campus and coordinates strength, conditioning, and sport science services for high school athletes participating in a wide variety of Community School and Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation sports. Prior to joining Community School, Johnie worked at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah, providing strength and conditioning training for all disciplines with a focus on freestyle. He holds a BS in health and education and promotion and a MS in health and human performance from Oklahoma State University. He is also an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.
Johnie has loved his work in the Julia Argyros Training Center. “Since my arrival this summer, I have had the privilege of working with different teams, meeting hundreds of athletes, and attending many wonderful Community School sporting events,” he said. Over the course of the fall athletic season, Johnie was incredibly busy working with athletes. “At peak usage this fall, the training center hosted approximately 150 athletes from eight different teams and, on average, I was working 20 sessions each week with each of the different teams.”
Johnie was no less effusive in describing how the Julia Argyros Training Center’s design and equipment lend themselves to efficient and fun workouts. “The ability to have a large number of athletes in the facility at one time (i.e., up to 34 soccer players) has been paramount in developing a training culture and team camaraderie. Having space to accommodate many athletes allows for efficient sessions for larger teams. For smaller teams, having ample space allows us to give each athlete an independent lifting station so that they can move freely and not be hindered by waiting for bars, plates, or other equipment,” Johnie said. “As far as equipment goes, having barbells, bumper plates, dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, Rogue boxes, and Stages SC Series stationary bikes gives us the flexibility to prescribe a multitude of exercises, lifts, conditioning sessions, and modalities for athletes to perform. Having such a broad array of equipment allows us the luxury of creativity and also keeps the athletes from experiencing monotony from performing the same exercises over and over.”