By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – If you want to make the field hockey team, you have to be ready to run.

Nicole Pelletier and Amy Fortin are both fully aware of that fact. One of their goals this summer is to get ready for fall tryouts at Lewiston. To do that, they’re preparing for the challenge they face during the preseason.

“I want to run two miles in 18 minutes,” said Fortin. “That’s our goal that we have to meet in field hockey.”

Both were on the freshmen squad last year and are striving to move up to the varsity. Taking part in the Jump Start camp at Lewiston is one way they hope to get closer to that goal.

Both are within a couple minutes of the coveted 18 minutes.

“Its really getting me ready for field hockey,” said Pelletier. “We have double sessions in tryouts and we have to be able to run the two miles. (This camp) really gets your muscles in shape.”

The camp is run by HealthSouth, in association with Central Maine Orthopaedic and Lewiston High School. The six-week camp offers three sessions per week, either morning or afternoon. It was held at Lewiston last year but now includes a session at Poland Regional High School as well. The camp had just 15 athletes from the area a year ago. It now boasts 42.

“Our goal was 30,” said HealthSouth’s Rich Garini. “We budgeted for 20. We believe it’s a great program, and we had great feedback last year. We have over 40 kids now, which is phenomenal.”

Word has gotten out over the success of last year’s camp. Athletes that trained and improved last year told others. Pelletier and Fortin both participated a year ago and noticed a difference in the fall.

“I feel a big difference from the beginning of the summer,” said Pelletier, who also plays lacrosse and may run winter track next year. “I didn’t really do anything between the end of lacrosse season and the start of this. When I started this, my conditioning got a lot better.”

Central Maine Orthopaedic’s has encouraged its athletes to take part while high school and middle school coaches have suggested kids use the program to get in shape.

“Some of my coaches put it right in their informational packet,” said Mary Britt, Lewiston’s athletic trainer, who along with Poland’s Brianna Woodworth and Lisbon’s Nick Van Vaught, run the sessions along with Garini. “They had spring meetings. I went to all the spring meetings and I’d have five minutes to speak about it.”

Lewiston’s Ryan Lagasse did not participate in last year’s camp, but decided he’d be better served to improve his conditioning for his senior year.

“Last year, I got hurt a little bit,” said Lagasse. “In baseball, I partially tore my rotator cuff. In football, there was a concussion and I was short-winded. I was trying to get in shape. Basketball, there constantly was something wrong.”

Athletes get tested at the start of camp, which began in late June and runs until early August. When Lagasse jumped 20 inches on his vertical leap, he was told he could improve that significantly. He’s already noticed a difference in a few weeks. The regiment that wore out his body at the beginning isn’t so hard anymore.

“They said By the end of this, you should be able to get to 25 or 26,'” said Lagasse, who also would like to increase his speed in the 40-yard dash. “To me, that’s a big improvement. In basketball, I could use a little more ups because I’m a small guy. It would help.”

Those improvements are what gets the attention of the local athletes and coaches. This year’s camp has kids from Lewiston, Edward Little, Oak Hill, Poland and Leavitt, as well as an increase in middle school athletes. The hope is to get this program integrated within the local schools and their summer programs.

“We want the coaches to say What did you do during the summer,'” said Garini. “Then we can show them the data. We can show them what they did and how they improved in the different tests that we did.”

Cost of the camp is $125 for the six weeks. Three football players that participated last year went on to earn All-State honors.

The camp not only helps rehab injuries, but can prevent them. As athletes improve their conditioning, they also improve their technique. It helps groom an improved overall performance, regardless of the sport.

“They’re starting to learn how their bodies are supposed to move and how to prepare themselves,” said Garini. “If they know how to move, they’ll get stronger a little faster because they’re moving the way they’re supposed to. Hopefully, it will start to show out on the field.”