2020 Winter Pony Speed Results
Second year of speed training up and running
Pony Speed is in its second year at Stillwater Area High School with partner Acceleration Minnesota.
The winter session was filled with repeat participants and welcomed some newcomers. Most of the athletes worked out with Pony Performance as well.
We use two tests to determine progress made on the treadmill, including the incline fatigue test and top end speed test.
Incline Test:
We pre-test each athlete at 25% incline and a speed we know they cannot run without assistance for 10 or more seconds. HOWEVER, THIS WINTER, WE TRIED A 20% INCLINE TEST. This measures running efficiency, speed, power, anaerobic endurance, and VO2 Max. Anaerobic endurance is the ability to perform high level max exertion for short bursts over and over again. A good example of an athlete with high anaerobic endurance is a running back in football who gets the ball every down but doesn’t wear out and still has “pop” in his legs in the fourth quarter. The athletes run between six and 10 seconds before they fail into the trainers hand and then step off the treadmill. After completing 10-12 workouts of the incline sprint training, muscle activation drills in between sets, and Pony strength training, we post-tested these athletes at the same speed and incline they tested at day one. Almost all of the athletes doubled or more than doubled their pretest times. This shows that the body has adapted to handle mass amounts of lactic acid and fatigue. Below is the data for each pre and post tested football player.
| Athlete (grade) | MPH at 20% | Pre Test | Post Test | Percent Increase |
| Colin Berg (10) | 12 | 8 | 23 |
188% |
|
Billy Lomen (10) |
11 | 5 | 16 | 220% |
| Ryan McDowell (10) | 14 | 8 | 14 | 75% |
| Sam Ness (10) | 12 | 9 | 18 | 100% |
| Eddie O'Keefe (10) | 14 | 9 | 22 |
144% |
| Thomas Rosengren (10) | 16 | 8 | 23 | 188% |
| Nick Schlender (11) | 14 | 10 | 13 | 30% |
| Tanner Schmidt (8) | 11 | 9 | 17 | 89% |
| Ian Tandy (11) | 12 | 10 | 28 | 180% |
| Ryan Tierney (11) | 11 | 8 | 18 | 125% |
| Casey Venske (11) | 13 | 9 | 16 | 78% |
Top End Speed Test:
After we complete 10-12 workouts, we see how fast each athlete can run. These treadmills can reach 28 MPH and the test is performed at zero incline (flat) where the athlete sprints at speeds until they fail or cannot keep up. HOWEVER, THIS WINTER, WE CONDUCTED A SPEED TEST AT 5% INCLINE AND PRODUCED THE FLAT EQUIVALENT. This is accomplished by starting the athletes on the machine at 12-15 MPH and increasing the speed up to 16-24 MPH until they fail. This gives us a great indication of who the fastest top end speed athletes are. Below are the Cheetah and Super Cheetah Club members from the winter session.
Pony Speed Cheetah Club (19 MPH)
| Name (grade) | MPH Reached |
| Sam Ness (10) | 19 |
| Ryan Tierney (11) | 19 |
Pony Speed Super Cheetah Club (21 MPH)
| Name (grade) | MPH Reached |
| Thomas Rosengren (10) | 24 |
| Eddie O'Keefe (10) | 23 |
| Ryan McDowell (10) | 22 |
| Nick Schlender (11) | 21.5 |
| Ian Tandy (11) | 21 |
| Casey Venske (11) | 21 |
The next Pony Speed opportunity for Ponies football players will be in April and May if they are not participating in a spring sport.
“The ETS speed and strength training with Pony Speed blended in has been a great experience for our athletes,” stated Coach Beau LaBore. “I am impressed with the dedication and gains these young men achieved.”