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Changes for the better
New strength program pays off at GSU
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Georgia Southern didn’t just change the playbook when head coach Jeff Monken and his staff took over in 2010.
The Eagles changed everything — the way they eat, the way they train, the way they exercise and the way they run.
According to strength and conditioning coach Tom Melton, the Eagles were fast learners in the weight room.
“It’s just amazing just how far we’ve come since this time last year,” Melton said. “There was a lot of teaching last year, now sometimes we joke, ‘This is getting a little boring. They know everything.’ We hope somebody will mess up just a little bit so we can get some coaching in there.”
Now that the players know how to train the way Melton and his staff want them to, the biggest concern during the summer’s voluntary workouts has been complacency after the 10-win season and run to the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals in 2010.
“One thing we were worried about, especially after the success of last year, was, ‘Are they going to still want more?’ You can tell that they know they’re that close, and they’re even hungrier than they were last year,” Melton said. “They taste it.”
Iron Works, the GSU athletics training facility, has been busy during voluntary workouts, with only a few exceptions.
“This year it’s been a totally different approach. Guys have come in ready to go, and we’ve made such big changes,” Melton said. “This is all voluntary, and we’ve got the whole team here — I think we’ve got five walk-ons that aren’t here — but everybody else is here.”
Melton has been pleased with the progress of the whole team, but a few of the players really have stood out. Jerick McKinnon, who not only was the backup quarterback to Jaybo Shaw as a true freshman a season ago, but also spent time at wide receiver and slotback, has come a long way since arriving on campus for the first time as an Eagle in summer 2010.
“Jerick McKinnon came
in at 182 (pounds), and he’s rocking about 200 pounds,” Melton said. “You’re looking at right about a year, and he’s just lean and strong. Like some of those O-linemen, he’s just a freak, busting
his backside every time he’s in there. Our whole O-line, from where they were last year to this year is just incredible.”
Melton, a certified speed coach through the National Association of Speed and Explosion, focuses on the importance of all aspects of training when he’s coaching.
“We’re putting on a lot of weight and still getting faster. That’s my main goal,” he said. “We’re going to be big and fast. You don’t have to sacrifice size for speed or speed for size. We want to do both.”
The Eagles report for fall camp on Aug. 2 and begin practice at Beautiful Eagle Creek on Aug. 4.
The 2011 season kicks off on the road at Samford in Birmingham, Ala., for a Southern Conference matchup at 7 p.m. Sept. 3.

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Video shows skier tumble 1,600 feet down mountainside
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While shooting a ski film in Alaska, pro skier Ian McIntosh took a terrifying tumble down the side of a mountain. - photo by Grant Olsen
ALASKA A new video on YouTube is attracting lots of attention for pro skier Ian McIntosh. In the short clip, McIntosh loses control while skiing along a ridge and plummets more than 1,600 feet down a mountain in the Neacola range of Alaska.

According to a report from NBC News, the accident occurred earlier this year when McIntosh was in Alaska participating in the filming of a ski and snowboard movie called Paradise Waits. The film was produced by action sports media company Teton Gravity Research, and they posted the video to their YouTube channel last Thursday.

Teton Gravity Research gave additional details of the frightening event in a recent blog post. McIntosh was following a route hed prepared for, but lost control after falling into a five-foot trench.

"From there, my slough took over and their was no way to stop, McIntosh is quoted as saying in the article. I pulled my airbag to help prevent against any possible trauma injuries as I tumbled to the bottom.

In the blog post, Teton Gravity Research co-founder Todd Jones describes it as the most terrifying crash I've ever seen.

As he skidded and cartwheeled down the mountain, McIntosh lost one of his skis. When he finally came to a stop, he is heard on the videos audio announcing that hes OK.

A company spokesman Eric Henderson confirmed the outcome to NBC News, saying that McIntosh was able to walk away from the crash.

If youd like to see more footage of McIntosh in action, youre in luck. According to the Teton Gravity Research website, Paradise Waits will premiere in Provo at the Tanner Building Theater Friday. Tickets are $13 at the door and the show starts at 7 p.m.
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