Dow High Athlete Trains for State Championship

Nathan Rhee, Dow High School Senior competing in track and field 300 hurdles and 4x400, has high praise for Greater Sports Performance.

Nathan Rhee - Dow High School Senior

“The trainers know what they're doing here. Like, they know how to target what you need to improve,” Rhee said.

From day one, GSP Manager Sean Leahy knew Nathan was dedicated to getting better.

“He’s so naturally gifted that I automatically saw the potential in him, but we vibed almost immediately during his initial assessment. I understood his mindset of wanting to get better and advancing his running career for his final high school season,” Leahy said. “I needed to help make him faster and the only way to do that is to increase his power and force while running – to do that Nathan needed to get stronger. Through a series of strength building exercises like squat, lunge and deadlift variations, he is making great strides and adding muscle.”

The two of them have really clicked over the past three months.

“I get pumped when he comes in for his sessions because I know his mind is set on getting to work no matter what he has going on. I can joke and laugh with him without there being a distraction,” Leahy said.

“Beyond track, I want Nathan to develop a continuous work ethic that will help him outside of sports and fitness. He’s a terrific individual, so I want to see his growth here help him in college and his future.” -GSP Manager Sean Leahy.

“(Sean) is my homey. I like talking to him so it's a good time,” Rhee said.

Together they have set a goal for Rhee to reach state championships this year. To get there Leahy shows his passion and stresses the importance of balance to the young athlete.

“I get to train with my friends. It pushes me to work harder when I'm with them. (I’ve seen) more stamina, more speed, and more endurance.” -Nathan Rhee

“Sean, he actually cares. You can tell he actually cares about what we're doing. He makes sure you are doing stuff on your own too, sleep well or eat well. You can tell he actually wants us to achieve our goals, so that's special,” Rhee said.

“We are really starting to hone things in, as I’m seeing him beginning to reach new heights,” said Leahy. “I know he’s going to really pick it up in these coming months leading into the season starting in March and continuing to work, get faster and get stronger.”

If you’re interested in getting your athlete focused on the upcoming spring sports season, check out our Spring Sports Conditioning Camp beginning February 9.

Community Center Receives High Rating For Early Care, Education Program

Greater Midland Community Center recently received a higher quality rating for its early care and education programs, demonstrating the level of care and education they provide to area children and their parents.

GMCC’s Early Care Program was awarded a four-star rating, moving up from a two-star rating three years ago. The four-star rating puts the tuition-based program in the top 10% of Quality Care in Midland County, said Kristen McDonald, CEO and president of Greater Midland.

The rating is part of Michigan’s Great Start to Quality program, which evaluates infant, toddler and pre-K education programs based on five main categories: staff qualifications and professional development; family and community partnerships; administration and management; environment; and curriculum and instruction.

The goal of the rating, which is a scale of one to five “stars,” is to help parents decide where to send their children for pre-kindergarten education.

The Great Start to Quality program is under the Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Great Start. It is implemented by an independent, public non-profit called the Early Childhood Investment Corporation.

McDonald, who is also one of the chief architects of the ECIC and was appointed to the Executive Committee of the ECIC by Gov. Rick Snyder in July 2017, said it is difficult to go from a two-star rating to a three-star rating and even more difficult to get to a four.

Although, she said Greater Midland’s star increase was due to some changes in curriculum in addition to an emphasis on staff development.

“We really worked intentionally on adopting an evidence-based curriculum and focused a lot on the professional development of our staff and working in partnership with parents and families to think about how we can support kids at every single stage of development,” she said.

Every classroom at the center has a daily lesson plan and every child has an education plan tailored specifically to them. To track growth, the programs use key development indicators, McDonald said.

“Ninety-six percent of our kids meet their developmental milestones every single year,” she said. “And we’re enormously proud of that, particularly since more than 65% of the kids we serve qualify as low-income.”

However, she admitted that Greater Midland couldn’t do it alone. While the community center’s personal fitness program helps bring in most of the funding for the early care program, there has been outside support as well.

“Part of the reason we have been able to make these leaps forward in quality is because we have a very generous philanthropic community here,” she said. “So, everybody from Kiwanis to the Strosacker Foundation have really supported our work to improve our curriculum and the increase professional development of our staff, and even help to purchase materials for our classrooms. Had we not had that level of support, I don’t think we would have been able to do this.”

McDonald said the only reason the early care program did not receive a 5-star rating is due to the environment category. She said the building infrastructure, as it is now, would not allow for a five-star rating due to things like no direct access to the playground and the fact that there isn’t a toilet in every classroom.

“There are things structurally that this building doesn’t accommodate that would have allowed us to get to a 5-star rating,” she said. “But everything else, in terms of our curriculum, what happens in the classroom; the interaction with our staff; qualifications with our staff are five-star.”

However, the community center’s program does offer some perks in that the kids are able to access all the other facilities, such as the pool, McDonald said.

"The light in a 3-year old’s eyes when you tell them it’s their day to visit the pool is like nothing you’ve ever seen,” she said.

In addition the to the community center, Greater Midland has three other early care locations, each with their own star rating. Together, they are Midland County's largest early care provider.

The Greater Midland Community Center is located at 2205 Jefferson Ave. To learn more, visit http://www.greatermidland.org/childcare/