A.P.D. helping athletes grow as people,too
By: Gary Fiore – Staten Island Advance
Thursday, June 9th 2011
BLOOMFIELD – Behind every great play,every great shot, every great catch comes preperation,dedication and hard work that seperates the avergae person from an athlete.
Over the years,sports have grown to become much more complex and competitive,thus the conditioning and athletics training has become much more rigorious and sophisticated.For those athletes looking to improve their game,look no further than Bloomfields own Athelite Player Development (APD) Program.
APD is a skill building program for athletes looking to enhance their performance on the field and obtaining that certain “edge” over their opponents.The Program created by Chris Reyes,27, was developed on the basis of “making people get better” with the mindset of not allowing the words “I cant” into their vocabulary.In general terms,APD’s main focus is to prepare and train their athletes to perform at high levels of play.
Reyes, founder of APD is a New Springville native who now resides in Woodrow.Reyes, growing up in a family with strong religious background, used his faith to guide him through his baseball career.That path guided him through Tottenville High School and The College of Staten Island (CSI) where he was a catcher who earned All-Conference honors.
When his playing days ended in 2006,Reyes was motivated by both his love for the game and his faith to coach and mentor young athletes to work hard to become better players on the field, but exceptional individuals in their community as well.
“Baseball is more then a profession for me, it is a calling from God to help kids grow into respectable young men so that one day the can do the same for other kids and their kids as well,” said Reyes.
Unlike most athletic training programs ,APD prides itself on its place in the community. APD is an active contributor to programs like Project Hospitality, St. Francis Xavier Soup Kitchen in Manhattan and Children of the City.Once a month APD takes time out of their schedule to feed less fortunate people and try and motivate them to get them back on their feet.
While APD is widely recognized as a major contributor in the community,the program is obviously known for the amount of success its players have had since 2008.
Despite being founded as a baseball orientated program,APD has expanded its mission to improving the overall athlete.For baseball players ,APD offers programs that provide pitching and catching instruction,including arm maintenance and correct mechanics and also hitting instructions including timing and technicalities.
Besides baseball ,APD touches on speed,agility and power training for all sports,as well as sports performance evaluations. APD offers team,group and one on one sessions.
Most recently, APD has issued a clothing line named “Athelite Wear” which incorporates the ideals of the program with motivational quotes to keep clients focused on their goals. Athelite Wear is worn by the entire staff during all clinics and events and is now available in stores in Staten island and New York City.
For more information on APD and its program options, contact Reyes directly at 917.755.2747 or by email,Athelitepd@yahoo.com. You can also visit the main office located at 1110 South Avenue, Staten Island NY 10314, Bloomfield
