Marble Falls athletes finish productive two months

CAPTION: Doak Timmerman (left) is racing Greg Colver in an effort to slap coach is Hayden Kesselring’s hand first. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

A mandatory break issued by the University Interscholastic League from June 30-July 4 signals the end of what Marble Falls Independent School District athletic director Keri Timmerman said was a highly productive two months.

After all, the Mustangs competed in both the Burnet May and Llano June 7-on-7 leagues, while the boys basketball team played in the Llano Tuesday League for four weeks. The Lady Mustangs competed in the Llano May Volleyball League and the girls basketball team is in a Tuesday summer league that includes Blanco, Dripping Springs, Faith Academy of Marble Falls and Fischer Canyon Lake.

But all of that play was at night.

During the mornings beginning in early June, the athletes made their way back to the high school campus for the start of Forge ’25, the department’s summer strength and conditioning program for those in grades 7-12. The program is drawing an average of 200-270, Timmerman said. In order to accommodate that many athletes, the Mustangs may lift first, while the Lady Mustangs are doing their agility and conditioning drills. After about an hour, they switch places.

“It’s been great,” he said. “Obviously it’s been a big number jump from last year. We feel like we’re mixing in some kids from year one. It’s growing. It takes time to get that number changed.”

The athletic director noted the number of athletes attending each session forced coaches to create more agility and conditioning stations. The teammates bring out the best in each other as they try to outrun, outjump, out-slide and out-roll one another. One station has them moving in a zig zag in a sprint, slide or other movement that forces them to stop, plant and go. Other stations are full-on sprints to a spot with a turn and coming back to the starting line.

And that’s just on the turf at Mustang Stadium.

Inside the weight room is the same intensity of moving from one lift to the other. The athletes pair up to ensure they each have a spotter as they work on the bench press, deadlift and other weights. One side of the room has jump boxes of different heights and jump machines are located in the storage room.

To the casual observer, it might look chaotic. But coaches are walking around checking and correcting as the athletes attack their workouts.

To say the athletes work up a sweat is an understatement.

In all it takes about two hours to finish the morning sessions, which include water breaks and switching facilities. Athletes have been terrific at drinking water throughout their workouts and continue hydrating once they finish. Some even show up with gallon jugs of water.

Timmerman commended the athletes for putting in the work now, pointing out the valuable gains they made in the offseason during the school year help very little if the Mustangs and Lady Mustangs stop their workouts during the summer.

“You hit summer and the less consistent you are, the less growth you have,” he said. “Keeping them in their summer routine is a big difference. They come in and how strong they are or how much faster they are — it keeps them in the groove, the consistency of how we train.”

The athletic director pointed out there’s plenty of room for more athletes to participate. The workouts begin at 7 a.m. Monday-Thursday. Forge ’25 will resume Monday, July 7. There’s no cost to join.

“The growth in a year, I’ve been really pleased with it,” he said. “It takes a lot to move the bar. In a year, we’re seeing that growth is positive. We’re moving the bar further as more attend.”

CAPTION: Addie Martin begins the next agility movement that starts with a sprint, while Addison Floyd waits her turn as Marble Falls Independent School District strength and conditioning coordinator Karl “Beef” Bielfeldt looks on. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro