2005 Performance Series Symposia Speakers

Michael Barnes, MEd, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT: is the Education Director for the NSCA, and is highly respected as one of the top strength coaches in the country. Prior to being employed by the NSCA, he spent seven years as the Strength Development Coordinator for the San Francisco Forty-Niners, five years as a Division I Strength and Conditioning Coach at Auburn University, Texas A&M University, and UC Berkeley, and two years as Strength and Conditioning Coach for USA Rugby.
Jacqueline Berning, PhD, RD: is a nutrition consultant and associate professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Dr. Berning was previously the nutrition coordinator for United States Swimming (USS), where she planned the menus for the national and Olympic teams as well as teaching nutrition to swimmers, coaches, and parents. In conjunction with the USS sports medicine staff, she also developed sports nutrition materials geared directly for swimmers, their coaches, and parents. Dr. Berning has been the nutritionist for the Denver Broncos football team for 19 years, and has also worked with the Cleveland Indians minor league clubs for 10 years.
Avery Faigenbaum, EdD, CSCS,*D: is an associate professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at The College of New Jersey. He is a leading researcher and practitioner in the area of youth physical activity, and has authored four books and over 100 articles on youth fitness. Dr. Faigenbaum served on the Massachusetts Governor’s Committee on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Jeff Falkel, PhD, PT, CSCS,*D: is a physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach with VDP Enterprises in Littleton, Colorado. He has coached and trained youth athletes for over 25 years from the very young to elite level, international players. He is a co-author of Sports Vision: Training for Better Performance, and also a co-author with Dr. Avery Faigenbaum and Dr. Don Chu of Progressive Plyometric Exercises for Youth.
Steven J. Fleck, PhD: is the Professor/Chair of the Sports Science Department at Colorado College. Previously he served as a sport physiologist for the U.S. Olympic Committee, and Head of the Physical Conditioning Program of the U.S. Olympic Committee. Dr. Fleck also served as strength coach for the German Volleyball Association; and coached high school track, basketball, and football. He is an internationally known researcher in the area of resistance training and has authored numerous scientific articles and several books in this area.
Paul Fleschler, CSCS: is the Interim Men's Resident Coach and Technical Director for USA Weightlifting. He prepares the men’s resident athletes at the Olympic Training Center for all domestic and international competitions, and is responsible for all aspects of the coaching education program. Mr. Fleschler has been involved in the sport of weightlifting for over 20 years as an athlete, coach, and administrator, and in 1992 was an athlete on the U.S. Olympic Team. Before moving to Colorado in the summer of 2001, Fleschler served as the Head Strength Coordinator for Indiana University Basketball where he worked with Coach Bob Knight’s basketball team, and assisted with 22 other varsity sports.
Dean Golich: first worked with Chris Carmichael and Craig Griffin when he served as a physiologist for USA Cycling from 1994 – 1996. Among his contributions to Project '96 was the establishment of training protocols for the 1996 Olympic Cycling Team, across all cycling disciplines. After leaving USA Cycling, Mr. Golich completed most of the coursework for a Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology before leaving the University of Colorado to be the Manager of the Team GT Professional Mountain Bike Team. He has been with CTS since 2001; athletes he works with have won National, Olympic, and World Championship medals, and he is a frequent speaker at elite-level coaching seminars.
John Graham, MS, CSCS,*D: is the Vice President of Rehabilitation and Human Performance at Orthopaedic Associates of Allentown, in Allentown, PA. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and American College of Sports Medicine Certified Health/Fitness Instructor. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master's of Science Degree in Health and Physical Education from East Stroudsburg University.
Allen Hedrick, MA, CSCS,*D, Coach Practitioner: is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at the US Air Force Academy. Hedrick has also held strength and conditioning positions at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and at Fresno State University. He has published numerous articles in the Strength and Conditioning Journal and a variety of other fitness and performance publications.
James Herrera, MS: is Director of Coaching for Carmichael Training Systems. He has participated in road, mountain bike, and BMX racing for many years and brings a wealth of cycling and strength training experience to his athletes. Other athletic endeavors have included amateur boxing and several years training in the martial arts. Mr. Herrera received a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology and Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at El Paso, holds a USA Cycling Elite coaching license, and is a NASN Certified Sports Nutritionist.
Jay Hoffman, PhD, CSCS,*D: is with the Department of Health and Exercise Science at the College of New Jersey. He was a recipient of the NSCA’s “Outstanding Junior Investigator Award” in 2000 and currently is the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the NSCA.
Jay T. Kearney, PhD: is the Vice President of Health and Sports Science Services at Carmichael Training Systems. Dr. Kearney’s performance base goes back to his time at the US Olympic Committee where he was employed from 1986 – 2000. During his tenure there he held several positions including Director of Sports Science and Technology. His responsibilities included providing physiological testing, education and data interpretation, and performance-focused consulting to some of America's premier coaches and athletes. Dr. Kearney is an Olympian, himself, in flat water canoeing.
William Kraemer, PhD: is an internationally renowned researcher with more than 20 years' experience with both the practical and scientific aspects of resistance training. He is currently a professor in the Human Performance Laboratory in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut. A former president of the NSCA and winner of several awards including the “Educator of the Year Award” and the “Lifetime Achievement Award,” Dr. Kraemer has been a college strength and conditioning coach as well as football coach, bringing a novel perspective to this presentation. He is also the Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
Doug Lentz, CSCS,*D: is the Director of Fitness and Wellness for Chambersburg Health Services in Pennsylvania. Mr. Lentz has been involved in the strength and conditioning of athletes for over 20 years. Some of the athletes he has aided include former KC Chief's quarterback.Matt Blundin, and #1 ranked US Marathoner Steve Spense. He is a USA Weightlifting Federation Club Coach and is on the Editorial Board for the American Running Association.
Fiona Lockhart: has worked as a personal fitness trainer, sports conditioning coach, and yoga instructor with over 9 years experience in helping people achieve their athletic goals. She has been an expert-level mountain bike racer for 7 years, with a focus on long distance mountain bike events. In addition to cycling, she also enjoys cross-country skiing, trail running, and snowboarding. Her training philosophy is “Make it challenging, but make it fun.”
Gary McCoy, MA: is the former Vice President of IDEA and Director of Education for CYBEX International. Mr. McCoy has been a catalyst in the fitness and rehabilitation industry's education in the United States since his arrival in 1992. In 2004, he launched the EVOLVE Sports Medicine Group, and has also acted as a consultant to Major League Baseball organizations such as the Florida Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Cleveland Indians, European football teams such as Manchester United and the Glasgow Rangers, rehabilitation facilities, and major medical device manufacturers worldwide.
Patrick McHenry, MA, CSCS,*D, Coach Practitioner: is in his fifth year as Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Ponderosa High School in Denver, Colorado. In 2003, American Football Monthly picked him as one of the top five high school strength coaches. He is a Coach Practitioner, USWF Level 1 Olympic lifting coach, and a member of the NSCA High School Coaches Special Interest Group. Mr. McHenry has been published in journals, videos, and has authored two books.
Patrick Mediate, CSCS,*D: teaches physical education and health at Greenwich High School. He is the currently a member of the NSCA Board of Directors and has served as the State Director of Connecticut and District Regional State Director Coordinator for the northeast. Mr. Mediate is the Physical Education teacher for Cahperd High School.
Peter Melanson, MS, CSCS,*D: is the Education Programs Coordinator with the NSCA. His experience includes seven years as the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the United States Air Force Academy. He has trained elite collegiate, amateur, and professional athletes at such places as the New York Jets, Tennessee Volunteers, and at the United States Olympic Training Center. Mr. Melanson also served as the National Director of Strength/Conditioning and Advanced Rehab for HEALTHSOUTH, while developing and operating their Human Performance Center.
Mike Nitka, MS, CSCS: is the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Muskego High School in Muskego, Wisconsin. Nitka has over 28 years of coaching experience with adolescent athletes. He has served as NSCA Vice-President of Youth and Adolescents Activities, received the NSCA Strength & Conditioning Professional of the Year award, and is currently the chairman for the NSCA High School Special Interest Group.
Jim Rutberg: has been a part of Carmichael Training Systems since its incepetion. Originally an athlete personally coached by Chris Carmichael, and later an employee, he learned the theory and practice of Carmichael Training Systems first-hand. In 2003, they coauthored The Ultimate Ride. In 2004, Carmichael, Rutberg, and Kathy Zawadzki wrote Chris Carmichael’s Food For Fitness: Eat Right to Train Right, which reached number six on the NY Times Bestseller List. He also earned certifications as a USA Cycling Elite Coach, NASN Sports Nutritionist, and CTS Pro Coach.
David Sandler, MS, CSCS,*D: is an exercise science and strength and conditioning professor at Florida International University where he developed and directs the Strength and Conditioning Curriculum, and is also the president and co-owner of StrengthPro Inc. consulting group. Sandler has been a strength and conditioning consultant for more than 16 years, and is the former Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Miami. He has presented more than 50 international, national, and regional lectures, authored two books, and published more than 30 articles in power and strength training. He is a former powerlifter and focuses his research in power development.
Mark D. Stephenson, ATC, CSCS: has 15 years of experience working with elite, professional, collegiate, and high school athletes. Stephenson is the NSCA's Resident Coach, where he works with athletes from a variety of sports, and serves as the strength coach for the Colorado College ice hockey team. He has worked in both the private and Division I arenas, and has owned his own training facility. Most recently, Stephenson served as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Providence College where he worked primarily with men's basketball and men's and women's ice hockey athletes.
Mike Stone, PhD, CS: is Head of Physiology at the United States Olympic Training Center. Previously he was Professor and Chair of Sport at Edinburgh University. Dr. Stone’s research is primarily concerned with physiological and performance adaptations to strength/power training. He has 120 publications in reviewed journals and has contributed chapters to several texts in the areas of bioenergetics, nutrition, and strength/power training. He has coached several international and national level weightlifters and throwers in both the United States and Great Britain.
Diane Vives, CSCS,*D: is president of Vives Training Systems in Austin, Texas. She uses a multi-disciplinary approach providing purpose-driven strength training for all levels of performance. Vives has worked with both athletes and fitness enthusiasts, and recently served as a fitness consultant for the Dr. Phil Show. She has been a popular and dynamic speaker at numerous events across the country.
Randall L. Wilber, PhD: is a Senior Sport Physiologist at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he oversees the operation of the Athlete Performance Laboratory. He has worked with U.S. Olympic team athletes from a variety of sports and advised them on the scientific and practical aspects of altitude training. Dr. Wilber holds a PhD in exercise physiology from Florida State University where he conducted research on training and detraining in endurance athletes. He has been involved in sports his entire life as an athlete, coach, and exercise physiologist, and has completed the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race and the Pikes Peak Ascent Run.