SCRANTON, Pa. — Here at Riverfront Sports in Scranton, Dunmore-native Allison Dempsey is hard at work.
"I have to be ready for high school sports and everything," Dempsey said. "We've been away from everything for so long. It's good to be back. Anything you can do right now. You've got to do it."
So before her freshman season in volleyball, basketball or softball, Dempsey is making sure she's up for the task, participating in a speed, strength and agility clinic – put on by Dunmore football coach and NEPA Youth Football's Kevin McHale and the owner of New Breed Athletics, Jermaine Loughney.
"Gives them an opportunity to come in and hone their skills, learn about injury prevention, learn about speed learn about strength," McHale said.
All for free in two, hour-long sessions for 7th to 12th graders.
"A lot of kids, especially with what's going on with COVID and everything, are just looking for things to do," Riverfront Sports Co-Owner Kevin Clark added. "Being able to offer and give back to the community on this level is something we're proud of and we've had a great response to it."
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The turnout for these clinics has been great. There are athletes of all different ages from all different sports, all with one goal in mind.
"Just strengthening up the muscles, the back of your legs," Dempsey said. "Lost a lot over all of quarantine. So, anything you can do to get stronger."
Now's the time to do it.
"Just sitting around knowing that they've been off of school, not really training and everything like that, some of the kids may have access to the type of training that we do," Loughney said. "Some may not."
"Some of them may have been on the shelf a little bit for a few months," McHale added. "So to get them back out there, get them active, give them some basic coaching points and those types of things and we're hoping for them to take them out here and utilize those skills they develop on their own."
"To learn about it right now and hopefully utilize some of that stuff, makes him a better athlete, making them all around better athletes," Loughney said. "So that's our goal down there."