The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Sports

October 11, 2006

Coach Polk ready to make Mountain State stronger

By Dave Morrison

The timing was just right.

Anthony Polk, with a background in weight training and powerlifting, was tired of the landscaping business.

“You get to create a lot of nice things,” the native Floridian said. “But after a while, it gets to be tedious work. It’s tough and demanding work.”

Mountain State University athletic director/basketball coach Bob Bolen had been selling the idea of having a strength and conditioning coach at the school.

“A lot of your bigger NAIA schools have one,” Bolen said. “It’s something we had discussed in the past and this summer we were able to do that.”

Polk sold his landscaping business — everything but one truck, that is — and packed his bags and headed for West Virginia.

Just in time to interview and then accept the position as MSU’s strength and conditioning coach.

Polk will be in charge of strength and conditioning for all the school’s athletic teams.

“It’s exciting,” Polk, a powerlifting record setter in high school, said of his new job. “I’ve been involved in weight training, especially power lifting, for most of my life. It’s a great opportunity.”

Right after he accepted the job, while still in Florida, he shadowed Florida basketball strength and conditioning coach Matt Herring, considered to be one of the premier strength and conditioning coaches in the nation.

“It was something coach Bolen set up through some contacts he has,” Polk said. “It was an incredible opportunity. We talked a lot of philosophy as well as sports-specific weight and strength training. It was all about how I can make these guys (MSU athletes) better.”

Bolen said Polk, 34, has already been a factor.

“One of the first things he did was implement a mandatory breakfast,” Bolen said. “Monday through Friday, our guys are required to go to breakfast. Hey, I’m down there with them at 8:30 a.m.”

The players are already repeating the strength rewards as well.

“Some of our guards have already added 60 pounds to their bench press,” Bolen said. “We had one guy who had added 232 pounds (since June). Ermin Tarzin and Papa Gassama have each added about 16 pounds.”

Polk, of Daytona Beach, said his methods will be tough but his philosophy simple.

“I just want to help make theses guys the best athletes they can be and help the program remain successful,” he said.

— E-mail: demorrison@

register-herald.com

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