Athlete of the Month

SPORTS PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHT: JUDE STRELITZ-BLOCK

Jude Strelitz-Block has been making great progress in the gym, and he is ready to demonstrate what those gains look like in action on the tennis court! Last year, Jude made the most of his Covid-induced time off his sport by training with Coach Sierra, at first outside in a park and finally in the gym. Students have experienced major challenges this year, but athletes like Jude show how to turn what could have been a waste of time into new skills and strength. We’re proud of you, Jude!

Sierra writes:

“Jude started training with me in the midst of the pandemic last year. We were out in the field at a park in 108-110 degree heat daily, learning running mechanics, jump matrixes, sprinting and throwing. He jumped right on in, ready to take advantage of the off-time Covid brought every athlete. He was eager to work and get better to better serve him on the court.

He has made tremendous progress and, more importantly, we alleviated him of some lower leg pain he was dealing with prior. I’m excited for him and his senior year!”

We asked Jude a few questions about his experience training at ASF:

In what ways has your athletic performance or physique improved? Working with Sierra, my tennis serve has become more powerful and effective. We have been working on building strength overall and I have noticed that my muscles are more defined. 

What motivates you to keep training? The fact that I can see the results of my work with Sierra motivates me to keep challenging myself, working hard to meet new goals.

What’s something you learned from working with Sierra? I have learned that the proper execution of a rep is way more important than how much you are lifting. It’s better to be properly lifting something at 90 lbs than to be lifting 100 but doing it wrong.

What are your plans for the future? I am going into my senior year as one of the top players on Austin High’s tennis team, and I am excited to make my mark and show my teammates what I am capable of doing on the court.

Learn more about Coach Sierra Nevels.

Learn more about the Athletic Development and Performance program.