by GENEVA, Ohio– SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio is a high school and sports complex unlike anything else in the state. Here you can find world-class training facilities along with sports programs that have brought students to campus from over 26 countries last year.
Within the academy lies a high school that ranges from grades 9-12. There is also a post-grad option for high school graduates to optimize their athletic skills and academics as well.
On the 800-acre campus is a track and field program that has ascended in recent years.
Some of the credit for the success can be linked to the on-site training and development that’s served up year-round from a slew of coaches throughout the academy.
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Tim Mack—a 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist and current head coach of jumps—has seen a lot of
change during the last four and a half years with SPIRE. Before joining the staff, Mack wanted
to start his own training facility in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he went to college and would
eventually train year-round for his appearance at the Olympics.
However, coaching at SPIRE has been something he’s called a dream ever since moving back
to Ohio. The Cleveland native has trained and performed at some of the biggest training
facilities throughout the country, but something is special about what SPIRE has to offer.
“It’s a blast, it’s sort of like my dream job now that I am back home in Northeast Ohio at one of
the best places in the world,” Mack explained. “It’s going to keep growing, SPIRE isn’t going
anywhere.”
His wealth of knowledge along with his own experiences helps connect his student-athletes on a deeper level, something he believes helps build the foundation within the program.
“We’ve gotten bigger over the years and we have a lot of focused athletes,” he said. “We have
to work with their personalities but in general, I’m really seeing success over the year and it’s
really fun. That’s one of the fun things about coaching and about spending so much time with
these kids is that we get to slowly get them focused to a point that they get the most out of
themselves… this is what I planned on doing.”
Seasonal success comes from year-round training that’s testing each individual’s mental aspect of the game.
He works closely with the school’s sports psychiatrist Zac Bruback. With the help of Bruback, he’s able to get his kids to buy into what he’s preparing them for and it all starts with the right mentality.
“You kind of have to guide them in how they need to hold themselves and carry themselves in
practice and competition,” Mack said. “That’s the biggest thing, to get them to the point mentally.
We kind of work with them a little bit more mentally to get them to perform physically when it
matters and that’s the key in any sport.”
Mack wants to push positivity within the program and one way of doing so is by building a
foundation, starting with him being able to set goals with everyone before the start of the
season. It’s something he believes can build the confidence of his athletes.
“I kind of work off each individual, I have a philosophy, but we also have Zac Bruback. He has a
process he likes to take them through and we talk with them weekly if anything pops up and
make changes throughout the year. They’re sort of guiding each student, not letting any of them
get too far off in whatever their mental capabilities are.
“We have a yearly plan and I have an idea of where I want them to be at a certain point,” he
continued. “Keeping them aware of what time of the year it is and that we want to get them to
compete at their best at the biggest events of the year, that’s generally the challenge each year.”
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Another coach finding a similar path to success is Kerron Stewart—a two-time Olympic Silver
Medalist and current head coach of Sprints and Hurdles. Her focus is on evolution and inspiring
individuals to unlock new heights that come with training and commitment.
“For most of the kids, this is their first year and they have excelled with their development very
well,” Stewart explained. “They are getting stronger in the weight room and on the track and I’m
just proud of their development and growth that these kids can make in such a short
amount of time.”
With her teams, she’s seen kids come to SPIRE from places like the Caribbeans, Peru, Trinidad
and Lithuania. It’s a process to be able to bring in a multitude of different personalities and
cultures to a SPIRE program that’s committed to becoming a stepping stone in their lives.
The adversity and adjustments these athletes have been able to push through have been
a pleasure to see, Stewart shared.
“The difficult part is for them to leave their family to pursue their dreams at a young age. It
shows their commitment and strength and how resilient they are. They are embracing this
change to pursue their dreams and the pursuit of getting better,” said Stewart. “I had to leave my
home and attend school in the United States away from my family, I can relate to them. SPIRE
has done a good job of making this a home away from home with the village that they have
created here to support these kids.”
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There will be losses throughout the year. Stewart knows that. She’s been through this
on every level leading up to the Olympic stage.
Being a teacher of the game now brings her a new perspective on things. She’s able to leave an
impact on her student-athletes that comes with certain wins and losses. Every loss is a lesson
and with that, she’s able to bring out the best in her team.
“It’s not always easy but I really love coaching,” she said. “It inspires me as well just to see how
they developed, to see them get better, to see them mature, to see them grow. This is the part
of the sport that I love the most, to watch them develop and to see them move on and to see
that I had an impact on their lives. This is not something I take lightly and I really enjoy what I
do, of course, it comes with its challenges, but the reward always outweighs the challenges.”
This has helped lead to a slew of student-athletes being able to compete outside of the United
States to represent SPIRE Academy. One event was the CARIFTA Games held in St George’s,
Grenada back on March 30-April 1. This annual competition–founded by the Caribbean Free
Trade Association (CARIFTA)— highlights the next wave of Caribbean track and field athletes worldwide.
This year, three different athletes from SPIRE Academy qualified to
compete, with two of them participating (Jenna-Marrie Thomas and Kadia Rock).
Jenna-Marie Thomas (a sprinter from Trinidad and Tobago) went on to win a bronze medal in
the 400m hurdles and the 4x400m Relay while also earning a silver medal in the 100m Hurdle.
Kadia Rock (a sprinter from Barbados) won a bronze medal with the Barbados 4x400m Relay.
The ability to go out and make a name for themselves by competing in a national event like the
CARIFTA Games cannot be overlooked. Stewart’s been able to experience this firsthand
herself. Through her own experiences, she’s able to relate to what her athletes are going
through now and that’s helped build a special connection.
“If they do my program and listen to what I tell them, there is no way they don’t improve, it’s also
teaching them to understand that it’s not an overnight thing, it takes time. Sometimes it’s just
giving them a very good base so when they go on to college, their foundation is so solid that
it doesn’t take them a long time to adjust to a college program because I try to mimic what they
are going to get into when they get into college,” Stewart said.
“I think there are expectations being at SPIRE but also a standard, we expect you to be a
student first and then an athlete second,” she continued. “I expect to help them reach
their full potential and we want to give them the tools so they can properly make the transition
into college. It’s the expectation of development.”
In 2000, Stewart won the U18 100m and eight years later, she won a silver medal in the
Women’s 100m and a bronze medal in the Women’s 200m during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Four years later, she won a silver medal in the 2012 Olympics in London in the Women’s
4x100m Relay team.
Fast forward a decade later and now she’s in the driver’s seat trying to help some of her
student-athletes achieve success throughout their upcoming careers. The same goes for Mack
and the other coaches at SPIRE.
The goal is simple; to unlock each individual’s true potential along the way.
It’s not a linear path to success, but if you trust what is being taught and stay the course, there
is always something rewarding waiting for you at the end of the road.
“You want (the kids) to have fun, but at the same time, fun is getting the most out of yourself too
and enjoying what you’re doing and sometimes fun is the victory but also fun is the journey,”
Mack reiterated. “Every competition is not just about winning it, there is always something you
have to learn to get everything out of yourself.”
“I want them to leave better than they came,” said Stewart, “to make sure I made an impact on
their life.”
