When you hear the term "strength and conditioning," you might think of just lifting weights and running long distances.
It means much more than that to Paul Kolody of Hunterdon Central, and that approach has brought him special recognition. Kolody was recently named National High School Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year.
"Working at Hunterdon Central, my number one priority is to add value for our coaches and student-athletes throughout the year," said Kolody, who was honored by the National High School Strength Coaches Association. "Whether it's leadership, nutrition, recovery, building athleticism, strength, power or resilience, my path stays consistent, making sure our Red Devils become the next best version of themselves.
"Being recognized by my sisters and brothers in high school strength and conditioning for doing just that means the world to me."
Not only does Kolody affect the Red Devils of today, he has had a lasting impact on some of the ones of yesteryear, including current Monmouth University wide receiver Owen Bill.
"Coach Kolody has a unique training philosophy," Bill said. "He doesn't care how much weight is on the bar, he focused more of our time on running, jumping, balancing and different movements than the basic bench press, squat and deadlift."
Bill explained how those methods helped him get recruited.
"Being able to go out onto the field and run 22 miles per hour down the sideline during a football game is something that gets the attention of coaches on a major level and what slingshotted me past a lot of recruits at the time," he said.
"Coaches are so used to seeing kids bench press and squat, not really be able to run as fast or move like a great athlete, which Coach Kolody's program emphasized a ton."