JUMP STRETCH Hartzell's bands helped Nyack team to state title
The bands helped the New York-area team improve its strength and flexibility.
SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR
NYACK, N.Y. -- There is no way of accounting how many miles Dick Hartzell, the inventor, owner and ambassador for Jump Stretch Inc., travels in a year.
Everywhere he goes a story of success in athletics usually develops. Nyack, a town north of New York City, is one of those places.
The success of the Nyack High's football team, the Indians, over the last five seasons, is one of those stories.
The Indians have won two Section One Class A state championships, including this season, a state semifinal appearance and two state quarterfinal berths.
That's quite a turnaround for the tradition-rich school which had always been competitive but had never been to the state playoffs. Much of the credit has been given to veteran coach John Castellano and one of his assistants, strength coach Jim Massaro, who joined the staff in 1999.
Massaro was an athlete with a career cut short by an injury who turned to weightlifting.
He became an outstanding powerlifter in the 1970s with several world and national bench press championships. Part of his training included the use of Hartzell's stretch bands.
Immediate success
He took the bands to Nyack High and the Indians had immediate success, finishing with a 10-1 record. The following season Nyack went 12-0 and won the school's first state championship.
The three seasons since produced a combined record of 34-3 with two appearances in the state championship game.
When asked about the reason for the turnaround for the football program Massaro said, "Without a doubt it is the stretch bands. Before I came here I was amazed at what they did for the progress of power lifting in my gym. And after meeting Dick Hartzell, I was even more amazed at how many things they can accomplish for an athlete."
Massaro's first meeting with Hartzell was at a Penn State strength and conditioning clinic.
"I was astounded with Dick's football knowledge and immensely impressed with his enthusiasm and his own flexibility, which is better than athletes half his age," said Massaro.
"You never stop learning from this guy," Massaro added. "He helped at just about every aspect of the game. He gave me working examples from his running back and wide receiver drill stations which dealt with hand and arm strengthening to correct a big fumbling problem we had."
"Ring of Fire" workouts
Hartzell's "Ring of Fire" workouts improved the team's flexibility and developed the best starting and lateral speed the team has ever had.
"The best of Dick Hartzell's teaching was showing me how to traction sprained ankles," said Massaro. "I am not going to say we went through the season without a sprained ankle, but not one kid missed a game this season due to a sprained ankle.
"Until you get firsthand work with Hartzell, you don't realize all the aspects of proper use and what can be done for each individual. What makes the band workouts amazing is the variety of exercises and how they actually made our workouts fun for the team," added Massaro.
"That is why I travel all over to the clinics and schools and something like this is what makes everything worthwhile," said Hartzell. "All my comings and goings are much more than the business aspect, [but] it is making personal contact and seeing results myself and I will continue to do this as long as I can."