NASSA, NASSA, NASSA. If you have ever listened to the announcements during I/E time, you’ve probably heard this acronym quite a few times. NASSA stands for North Acceleration, Speed, Strength, and Agility, and is a free training program for student-athletes and students alike looking to stay fit during the off-season or in general. But what is NASSA about? Why should students join NASSA?
NASSA was started by Rob Salm and was originally called the Running Program. At first, the program had very few participants but since then, it has grown to over 400 participants. The increase in participants is thanks to the coaches, who volunteer their time to help with NASSA. Mr. Bleck, who helps run NASSA, said, “A lot of times it’s still volunteered by coaches. They get paid for some [of the time], but it’s a very small amount.”
Often athletes find themselves coming to stay in shape or improve their performance for their sport. Examples of this are junior Marissa Mullen and sophomore Sophie Platten. “I participate in NASSA because it is a great training program to improve my performance in my sport,” said Mullen. Likewise, Platten said she participates in NASSA so she can stay in shape.
NASSA isn’t just about getting in shape, it’s about injury prevention. “If you don’t train during the off-season, it’s kind of like not wearing your seatbelt in the car. You put yourself at risk for different injuries whether it’s a concussion or a knee injury. Whatever it might be, your injury risk goes up without training,” said Bleck.
Also, NASSA is about making new friends or bond with your current teammates. “My favorite part about NASSA is that I got to meet a lot of new people,” said Platten.
If you want information on NASSA, you can either tune into the announcements, check out the Twitter page for NASSA, or head up to the weight room and look at the information posted there.