Sports performance program helps young athletes reach their highest potential

(Reprinted from the June 12, 2019, Black Hills Pioneer.)

By Dan Daly
Monument Health

Over the past few years, Kellan Anderson, the REP (Regional Elite Performance) Coordinator has become a familiar sight to high-school and middle school athletes in Spearfish.

Each summer, REP hosts a strength and conditioning camp at Black Hills State University and Spearfish High School, where over 150 Spearfish community 7th- to 12th-grade athletes attend to improve their athletic performance. The camp is designed with the purpose of educating and building a strong foundation for young athletes to progress over the course of their athletic careers; improving performance and decreasing the risk of injury is the ultimate goal.

“I want the athletes to know what we are doing, how to do it correctly, and why we are doing it,” Anderson said. He believes this is how you create important buy-in, and ultimately allow the participants to reach their potential and see optimal outcomes.

“Ninety percent of what we do as strength-and-conditioning coaches is the same, or very similar,” he added. “What separates us is the art of how we coach, with communication being key.”

Over the past two years, REP and Spearfish High School have partnered on a year-round strength-and-conditioning program as well, with Anderson providing strength and conditioning services to Spearfish High School through the academic year. Both he and the high school believed this was the next step to increasing the competitiveness and success of area athletes at all levels and in all sports.

Starting this year, REP will transition to a new name, “Monument Health Sports Performance Powered by EXOS.” With the new partnership with EXOS, a leading human performance company known for its work with professional athletes, Spearfish will be able to offer training services that in the past have been unavailable here. In addition to the new partnership, Monument Health will provide a dedicated Strength and Conditioning coach to Spearfish High School to continue to grow and advance the programs currently in place.

Rose Lewis, CSCS, will assume this position. She brings several years of experience working with middle school through university-age athletes in all sports.

For more information, contact:
Rose Lewis, rlewis2@monument.health.
Kellan Anderson, kanderson9@monument.health.