There’s no such thing as an offseason.

Under controlled coaching leadership, the Seymour football team has created a new weightlifting culture.

Since coach Josh Shattuck took the reins in 2013, the Owls have made an effort to outwork their opponents in the weight room during the offseason.

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On Tuesday, the Owls had their second annual lift-a-thon in the auxiliary gym at Seymour High School.

Owls football and basketball announcer Curt Nichols emceed the event, as the 2015 Owls varsity football team showcased their strength in front of a crowd that filled half a gymnasium.

This year’s event featured more than 40 Owls athletes, currently in Grades 9 through 11 — the team that will take the field in August.

The Owls bench-pressed and power-cleaned to find their maximum physical limits.

Earlier in the morning, the Owls tested their parallel squats.

“We thought we had a great turnout last year. It was well-planned,” Shattuck said. “The biggest difference was we wanted to shorten down the time. It was about four hours last year and (was) about two-and-a-half tonight. We eliminated the dead lift max from it and feel our power clean max is sufficient. We did dead lifts, but the dead lift is the first part of our power clean.”

Following the bench press, the Seymour Middle School football team did a 30-minute workout. The middle school players didn’t max out in their time slot.

Two weeks after their final game of the season, which ended Oct. 24, the Owls started their “Winter Warriors” workouts.

The Owls meet three days a week before school for weight training.

“The idea is that a lot of teams take off until Christmas, and we want to really set a cultural thing through those six weeks,” Shattuck said. “We culminate with the end of the semester and then come back and do our ‘win workouts’ after school three days a week. We have worked on a lot of speed and agility lifting and team building with finish drills at the end.”

With a young group, Shattuck aims to get the program more involved in weight training year-round.

“Weightlifting is a huge part of what we do,” Shattuck said. “It’s going to take a long time to see the gains. A lot of the kids are so young, and their bodies are still developing, but you will see us having very strong numbers when we have 15 to 20 seniors, instead of six. Those kids will have five to seven years of weight room experience.”

Since many of the football players are multisport athletes, which is encouraged by Shattuck and his staff, the lift-a-thon provided an experience to get the entire team together.

“It’s a unique opportunity for us to get the football brotherhood all together for one night in the spring,” Shattuck said. “This is the first time, outside of meetings, that we have (all) been together in the offseason. It’s a great opportunity to showcase what you’ve been working on for four months.”

Shattuck said the lift-a-thon helps the football staff determine what needs to be looked at in the weight room.

“Max lifting for us is very rare. I’s not a great workout to max,” Shattuck said. “It’s a test for what you’ve been doing and how it’s working. It’s more informational for us as coaches. It’s fun for the fans and kids to see how much they can throw around.”

With the spring season about to begin, the Owls have months to prepare for the 2015 season.

The Owls will begin practices following the end of the school year.

“In this day and age, skill development and technique is huge and extremely important — but if you’re strong, then your technique can take you over the top,” Shattuck said. “You can only be so good at football if you’re lacking physical strength. What I think is really important is that no matter how talented you are, you can gain physical strength. Everyone’s equal in having the ability to improve their strength.”

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800 Pound Club

Zach Carpenter

Reace Cavanaugh

700 Pound Club

Jackson Morris

Luke Dover

Todd Kiewitt

Dalton Miller

Noah Golden

Jordan Henry

Dawson Cravens

Tanner Kimball

Jared Whipker

Jackson Bryant

600 Pound Club

Luke Prather

Evens Cribs

Nickson Cribs

Austin Engelking

Coby Shepherd

Mark Ballinas

Nik Richert

Cailen Shepherd

Evan Frische

Austin Alcorn

Jon Fields

Kody Engleking

Chris Knight

500 Pound Club

Jacob Shuffitt

Nick James

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