Are you Combine Ready?

Zone Ready Press Release 4.12.09

Are you COMBINE-ready?

Los Angeles, CA – 800 Los Angeles high school football players took time out from their Spring Break to test their skills at the Nike Football Combine.  Nike sponsors the most respected and legitimate testing combine for high school athletes - hands down.  To pull this off, Nike brings in combine testing gurus ESPN Rise and ZoneReady to provide the athletes with a fair and fun testing environment. This year Nike used Southwest College in Los Angeles, California as one of the 17 stops.  This brougth athletes from the western region together to demonstrate their skills.

ESPN Rise has been conducting high school combines for 15+ years and have the administrative process and event logistics down to a science.  ZoneReady brings their experienced staff to put the muscle, motivation, and method behind this fine tuned machine.  The events increase in size and number every year – 17 Football Combines will occur across the United States from January to June, with some events drawing as many as 1,200 participants.  To meet this need, all facilitators must be on the same page.  ESPN Rise’s Chris Keldorf elaborates: “Preparation and communication are essential!  To guarantee all athletes a first class experience, (ESPN) Rise, ZoneReady, and all other volunteers must be in sync.”

“In sync,” as Mr. Keldorf states, may be an understatement.  The event runs like clockwork – from the registration, to warm-ups, to testing -  all the way to the closing motivational remarks.  The athletes leave feeling like they were on center stage.  They also leave with plenty of encouragement and solid coaching cues to better themselves for future testing days as well as the season ahead.  SPARQ provides a “goodie bag” full of fun give-a ways,  Nike gives everyone interested a chance to demo their sport sensory training devices, and ZoneReady provides each athlete with a free 9 week training program along with tips for injury prevention and workout recovery.

If you’ve never seen one, it is worth an hour to witness this event in action.  If you are a high school football player and you have never participated, you should make every attempt to participate in one of the upcoming scheduled events near you.  The experience extends far beyond clocking your speed.  ZoneReady’s Chris Gizzi sets the record straight, “The Nike Combines are not just for athletes intending to play college football.  Unlike the NFL Combine, these events aim to provide a safe and legitimate testing ground giving each participant the ability to gauge and identify areas where they may improve during the off-season.   Add the fact that the platform is conducive to building team unity and personal self esteem, and you have a coach’s off-season dream.”

It’s more than just the Xs and the Os or the fastest 40 yard dash.  It is ultimately about the individual athletes and an opportunity not only to showcase their talent but to get feedback and guidance from some of the most seasoned professionals of the game.  ESPN Rise and ZoneReady are making it happen at the Nike Football Combines – and they encourage all to make an impact in their own football communities.