Raiders Strength Program Graces National Magazine Cover

The latest cover of the American College of Sports Medicine's "Health & Fitness Journal" has a distinct Hillsborough air to it.

That's because Hillsborough High School teacher and Raiders strength and conditioning coordinator James McFarland Jr. and Hillsborough Middle School 7th grade student Lauren Caruso grace the cover of the September/October 2012 issue.

Both McFarland and Lauren are featured in the main article, “Effective Strategies for Developing Young Athletes,” as subjects for the instructional photographs. 

The article, written by Avery D. Faigenbaum and Gregory D. Myer, is on the importance of a well-designed youth strength training and skill-enhancing physical fitness program that is properly developed and led by qualified fitness professionals. The article to discusses how age-appropriate programs can not only reduce the risk of sports-related injuries, but also help students gain strength, skills and confidence for successful sport participation. 

Acknowledgement was given to McFarland for his contributions to the article. McFarland and Faigenbaum, a full professor in the department of health and exercise science at The College of New Jersey, have also worked together on previous research articles that focused on safe and effective training for young athletes. 

The Raiders program, an example of one akin to what is described in the article, provides an Olympic-style training center for Hillsborough students and student athletes in grades 5-12. Students have access to the facility through training classes during school hours and via an extracurricular club before and after school. A summer camp program is also available. Participating students focus on fitness, proper exercise technique, athletic development and conditioning. 

McFarland and Faigenbaum, along with Robert Herman, Hillsborough High School faculty member and certified strength coach, are planning to continue to strengthen their research cooperative as they examine the positive effects of regular physical education and age-appropriate strength and conditioning on the health and fitness of school-age youth.

– Information provided by Hillsborough Public Schools.