CLC students conduct fitness tests for Chicago Blackhawks players during summer camps

Dozens of students in the College of Lake County's health and wellness promotion program have scored an "assist" with the Stanley Cup-contending Chicago Blackhawks, helping the players assess their fitness levels in summer training camps since 2011.

No other college is involved with the Blackhawks in this way, according to Dr. Francis Ardito, chair and founder of CLC's health and wellness promotion program. Ardito, who joined CLC seven years ago, has worked with the Hawks since the late 1980s under the auspices of Kim Rostello, the Blackhawks' exercise physiologist and CLC adjunct instructor in health and wellness promotion.

With dozens of players participating in each camp, completing the fitness tests in a timely manner takes more than 15 people, many of whom are CLC students or graduates, Ardito said. The students are volunteers, but their participation counts toward the clinical hours required for earning their degree or certificate.

Three different camps, one each for Blackhawks rookies, prospects and veteran players, are held each summer, usually at the United Center, according to Ardito, a fitness and wellness expert. In addition to the Blackhawks, he has worked with hundreds of professional and elite athletes, including the U.S. karate team.

Because working with the Blackhawks is a resume-building experience, Ardito and Rostello conduct a competitive process to select participating students.

"The training camps offer our students real-world experiential learning that looks great on their resumes," Ardito said. "Having a long-standing relationship with professional and elite athletes and sports teams like the Chicago Blackhawks really enriches the reputation and credibility of our program."

The fitness tests in which CLC students have participated have included a vertical jump to measure lower body muscle power, a test measuring oxygen consumption during exercises and skin-fold measurements of body fat composition. In another activity, the Y-balance test, a Blackhawks player stands on a fixed platform with one foot and pushes a separate, sliding platform with the other leg, a test that measures limb balance, strength and range of motion.

Rostello uses the results from each test to design individualized strength and conditioning programs for the team. "Taking a science-based approach to working with the team has proven extremely effective in terms of enhanced performance and reduced incidence of injury," said Rostello, who has been working with the team for about 30 years.

The chance to work with Blackhawks players has left a lasting impression on the CLC students. "It's been a huge blessing to work in a professional environment that reinforces my studies," said Nia-Shea Grosche, who is in her third year with the Blackhawks' training camps. She earned an A.A.S. in health and wellness promotion at CLC and is now studying exercise science and pre-physical therapy at Trinity International University. She plans a career as a physical therapist.

Another student who is grateful for the experience is Michaela Roark, who has participated in the training camps for four years. She is pursuing an A.A.S. degree in health and wellness promotion as well as certificates in wellness coaching and personal training. "One year, when our group was eating lunch, Patrick Sharp and several other players came over to our group and expressed how much they appreciated us and our work," Roark said. "That meant a lot."

To view a 2014 video of the CLC students working with the Blackhawks players, visit http://video.blackhawks.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=631060.

For more information on CLC's health and wellness promotion program, visit

www.clcillinois.edu/programs/hwp/. For a list of late-starting Fall Semester courses, visit http://www.clcillinois.edu/features/late-starting-classes. Registration for the Spring Semester 2017 opens on Nov. 2, and classes begin Jan. 17.