Halloran tells Curbstoners about his House of Speed

By Greg Gulas

BOARDMAN — When the House of Speed held an open house on Aug. 16, over 220 youths and nearly 500 family members took advantage of the free work-out program which was held at the Downtown YMCA.

Out of that camp, 20 young athletes signed on for their extended program, all hoping to hone their skills to better fit the sports in which they would be soon participating.

Speaking to the Curbstone Coaches during Monday’s weekly luncheon meeting at the Blue Wolf Banquet Center, Steve Halloran, local owner of Don Beebe’s House of Speed franchise, noted that while the aforementioned number might seem a little low, it was a much needed kick-start for his franchise with membership growing steadily ever since.

“That group of 20 athletes is about what we expected,” said Halloran. “The most that any House of Speed franchise has ever enlisted out of a session of that type was 18, so you can see that we exceeded that number right off the bat.

“We train all athletes; boys and girls eight years old and up who participate in all sports. When the current grid season is over, we expect to get an influx of football players also.

“Things have gone really well for us since that initial session a little over a month ago, simply because of our partnership with the YMCA and Anthony Vross’ Glacier Baseball teams at Valley Sports in Struthers,” Halloran said.

Beebe, a former NFL player, is founder/owner of the House of Speed with its concept to train athletes in the essentials of top performance, character and speed.

His program, started in 2006, has expanded to 11 states with 20 franchises.

Their goal remains to operate 100 franchises within the next three years.

“Our program works all of your muscles,” said Halloran. “It is especially helpful when you switch gears from football, to basketball, to baseball to any of the other sports.

“We have a program specifically designed for anyone who wishes to take part,” he added.

Halloran said his program can equal the playing field for all athletes; especially those who hail from the so-called smaller schools.

“We go against the societal grain. We’re old school and parents can relate to our approach; more so than the youth,” he said.

“We teach discipline and our speed creed is very simple: Work hard, play with passion, play with respect, have mental toughness, take ownership and be a good teammate.

“When all of the above comes together, then you see everything under the ‘building character’ umbrella begin to take shape.

“Give me a player who works hard, trains hard and is dedicated and I will put him or her up against anyone with talent. Those with the Don Beebe spirit will always do well when it comes time to compete,” he stated.

Halloran’s program complements area coaches and what they ask of their players; both in and out of season.

“We step in and get the athletes ready for their respective seasons,” he said. “There is nothing more frustrating to a coach than having a player report to camp out of shape.

“We want area coaches to know that we’ll help their athletes become well-rounded and be ready to compete the minute they report to camp,” Halloran said.

With his program already established in Mahoning County, it is Halloran’s goal to now become positioned over the next year in both Trumbull and Columbiana counties as well as Lawrence and Mercer counties in Pennsylvania.

The House of Speed has expanded from its current location at the Downtown YMCA to include sessions at Valley Sports in Struthers.

Weekend sessions are also slated in October and November.

Upcoming camps will be held at St. Charles School on Oct. 16 (8 a.m. to noon) ; at Valley Sports on Oct. 17-18 (3-6 p.m.) and at Creekside Fitness Center on Oct. 24-25 (2:30-4:30 p.m.).

For further information on the House of Speed, call (330)-953-1518 or by visit www.HouseOfSpeed.com.