DODGEBALL!! Again!

For all of you who love to play Dodgeball with us and have been asking "when is the next tournament?" here's your answer!!

DODGEBALL!! Saturday, May 8, 2010 at All-Star Sports Academy in Toms River!

Get your 'ballers together, get the sweet uniforms ready and get registered NOW!

At 6:30 PM the madness begins!!

This is 6 v 6 Dodgeball, with a maximum of 8 players per team!

Only $75 per TEAM!

Kids, adults, even granny can play...

Check it out on Facebook: http://budurl.com/hurricanedodgeball

Contact us and we'll email the registration form to you!

We'll see YOU at the Athlete Underground for Dodgeball!

Frankie Edgar – The Champ is Here

CONGRATULATIONS TO FRANK EDGAR!! All-Star Sports Academy has a champion in the UFC!!

By Thomas Gerbasi

Frankie Edgar had been here before - on the wrestling mats for Toms River High School East and Clarion University, and now, thousands of miles away in Abu Dhabi.

He had just given everything he had in 25 minutes against the best lightweight fighter ever, BJ Penn, and now he just had to wait for Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer to render a decision that would determine whether he would have to settle for second as he did in high school and college, or if he would finally have the spotlight all to himself at the top.

50-45 was the first score, one met with oohs and aahs from Yas Island to Hilo and the Jersey shore, mainly because in a fight as close as this one was, it was shocking that someone saw it as a shutout

“I talked to my friends back home, and they thought I was getting screwed when they heard that one,” laughed Edgar. “But when I heard it, I just tried staying positive, and that was the best thing I had done through this whole camp. I thought, ‘That’s gotta be me, I know I won a bunch of rounds.’”

Score number two - 48-47.

“In wrestling in (high school) States, my biggest goal was to win a State title, I took second,” recalled Edgar. “Winning a national title in high school, I took second; to become an All-American, I lost in triple overtime in the All-American round.”

Score number three 49-46.

“For the winner,” bellowed Buffer, “annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd NEW!!!!”

For Frankie Edgar, UFC lightweight champion of the world, everything went blank.

“I’ve been there so many times that this was just unbelievable – I didn’t know how to feel,” he said. “I had been there so many times and disappointed so many times.”

Not this time, and while Edgar’s win over Penn was rightfully seen as an upset considering ‘The Prodigy’s dominance over the division since 2008, it came as no surprise to Team Edgar, who approached the entire fight and the training camp leading up to it with a calm that made it look like Edgar had been in 10 championship fights before. Forget having a deer in the headlights look due to fighting a future Hall of Famer or being overwhelmed by the UFC 112 media crush. Edgar was unmoved by any of it, even getting in a pre-fight snooze before the biggest bout of his career.

“I just believed in my preparation,” he said. “Every fight I get more and more comfortable – the week leading up to it, the night before, the day of. I took the best nap ever the day of the fight. (Laughs) I slept two hours straight and I could have slept more. Usually your heart’s racing, thinking about the fight, but I was calm, and I knew I had done everything I could do to win the fight, so there was no reason to add extra stress to the whole thing. Obviously, I was still nervous and still afraid to lose, but I was really confident.”

That confidence showed in the fight, as Edgar utilized a stick and move strategy that kept Penn off balance all night. Penn was not blown out of the fight by any means, as he landed hard counters when the two traded on the inside, but it was Edgar who dictated the pace and location of the fight, even scoring two quick takedowns for good measure. What may have been the most impressive aspect of the fight for Edgar though, wasn’t his discipline and strategy, but his stamina, as he kept the pace of the fight high for 25 minutes. Not surprisingly, the humble champion deflects the praise and directs it to his team.

“My intensity’s always the same,” he said. “I try to go full blow every time I do a strength and conditioning workout as far as intensity, but I definitely added some more rounds on (in this camp). I worked with Brian Blue out of All Star Sports Academy in Toms River, and he’s a young kid, has got an open mind, and he comes to me with new stuff. I’ve been working out with him for over a year and a half now and I don’t think I’ve done the same workout twice. So it was that, and my boxing coach Mark Henry is just on me. He doesn’t just hold pads in front of you like a lot of guys do – he moves with you and works out with us. He makes you move constantly while doing pads, and I think that’s the trick. You’ve got to train the way you want to fight.”

And Edgar did everything he wanted to last Saturday.

“You can’t go into a fight with BJ Penn and say you’re gonna stop him because you’ll totally mess yourself up mentally,” he said. “So I went into that fight knowing that I’m gonna have to fight five hard rounds, stay active, and execute my gameplan. But I’m very critical of myself and I definitely saw some things that I need to sharpen up, and that just shows me that I’ve got room to grow, and I’m happy about that.”

Continually elevating his game has been Edgar’s MO throughout his UFC career. He came into the UFC in 2007 as a scrappy wrestler with a lot of heart. By the time his 2009 bout with Sean Sherk arrived, he had developed a refined standup game that opened plenty of eyes around the MMA world. And as far as he’s concerned, the victory over Sherk was the one that gave him the confidence to rely on his standup strategy-wise for the Penn fight.

“It’s just a natural progression of everything,” he said. “By no means did it just come overnight. Every fight, even before I was in the UFC, I was willing to throw my hands, so I think I had that naturally on my side. But I think it was the Sherk fight, where I knew that a takedown wasn’t gonna come easy, so I knew I had to rely on my boxing. And that really gave me the confidence that I could do it at anytime.”

And today, he’s a world champion, with all the perks and perils that come with it. On the plus side, he’s the talk of the fight game, and he’s got a nice shiny belt on his couch that he promises he won’t be wearing around the shore this summer. “The win means much more than the belt to me,” he smiles. “The belt will be for my kids when I’m old.” But on the other side, despite being the king overlooking his kingdom of contenders…

“Heavy lies the crown,” he interjects with a chuckle. “I just got a nice bull’s eye painted on my chest.”

“But I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.”

You know he wouldn’t, but there is a growing list of contenders lining up for the next shot at the belt, one of main responsibilities of being the man at the top.

“Right now, I’m not even thinking about it to be honest with you,” he said when asked about what’s next and his thoughts on possible challengers like Gray Maynard and Kenny Florian. “I’m sure my coaches are, though. (Laughs) Both of those guys are well deserving – Florian just runs through people, and Maynard, he beat me last and it was my only loss. So obviously those two guys are deserving. Even BJ is deserving for a rematch – he’s a legend. So whoever the UFC decides, I’ll start training for.”

But for now, it’s time for Frankie Edgar to sit back, relax, and enjoy being number one.

Blood, Sweat and Cheers

It's been a remarkable spring for All-Star Sports Academy and our athletes and clients. These achievements are remarkable, and a testament to the commitment of these student-athletes. One All-Star athlete just rocked the sports world on national television!

One of our athletes scored over 100 points as a sophomore for TRHS South girls' lacrosse

Another scored 112 points for TRHS North's girls lacrosse team.

Both of these lacrosse players were chosen to represent New Jersey on the 2009 National Women's Lacrosse team

Still another won a womens Lacrosse National Championship with Franklin & Marshall College

One hit well over .500 for Donovan baseball.

One is on the verge of signing a National Football League contract to play fullback.

One was named to the All-State HS Hockey team & signed to play Juniors Hockey with the Philadelphia Revolution.

One was chosen to the NJSA 04 Pre-Academy Soccer Team & is working with Tab Ramos.

One was chosen to the U14 New Jersey Olympic Development Program Soccer Team

One terrorized high school pitchers while playing for TRHS North baseball

One made the JV softball team & became the starting JV catcher at TRHS East

The Jersey Shore Hurricanes AAU boys basketball put a team into nationals

One has been invited to Under Armour HS football combines, & may be named to the All-America team

One took 2nd in the county in shotput for 8th graders & was named to the Trilogy Lacrosse Elite team

One broke the TR Intermediate South school record in the discus

Woodbridge HS baseball went 14-10 & reached the semi-finals of the Middlesex County Tournament

Dozens of youth baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer players are having great seasons & more fun as a result of their experiences with All-Star Sports Academy.

Dozenz of kids and parents dropped extra pounds, got in shape and had a blast in our breakthrough fitness programs.

Oh yeah, there's one other athletic achievement that we're pretty excited about. On Saturday, May 23rd, Frank Edgar, former Toms River HS East and Clarion University wrestling standout, won the biggest bout of his career. In an edge-of-your-seat 3 round UFC fight against Sean Sherk, Frank ("The Answer") took another step toward a title bout by dominating Sherk in every aspect of the game!

Frank has been working harder than ever in our Strength and Conditioning Center with Brian Blue getting ready for this bout. After watching video of his workouts with previous trainers, then watching how his opponent was "training," we had a funny feeling that Frank was going to be ready for Sherk. We were right!

Congratulations to Frank, and congratulations to all the athletes, parents and everyone who has been working to achieve fitness goals that matter to them!

Find out why they chose All-Star, and why it really does matter where you "get your sweat on!"

Go here to request YOUR complimentary trial membership: http://tinyurl.com/allstartrial

We'll see YOU at All-Star Sports Academy!

Friday Round Up

Well, we approach the end of another exciting week here at All-Star Sports Academy.

When Monday rolls around, one of our athletes, Charlie Henry, formerly of Toms River North High School, Monmouth University and Susquehanna University (Phil's Alma Mater!) will very likely be a National Football League Fullback!

Here's just a taste of what Charlie said about what All-Star Sports Academy did for him:
"I have done many workouts where players say 'why am I doing this? I'll never do this on the field!' Every exercise we do is relevant to my sport, and even my position. I feel I could not have had an equal experience with any other sports facility in New Jersey!"

Wow! Thanks, Charlie! Watch this blog on Monday or Tuesday. We're all pulling for Charlie, and the early word is he'll be in a Cleveland Browns or Dallas Cowboys uniform this season!

Also in the All-Star news: The Answer calls All-Star Sports Academy his training home!

Frank "The Answer" Edgar, a Toms River resident and up-and-coming mixed martial arts competitor is preparing for what many are calling the fight of his career!

So, where does a tough UFC guy like Frank go for his conditioning training? All-Star Sports Academy, that's where!

On May 23, you can catch Frank's big fight against Sean Sherk on pay-per-view live from Vegas.

Between now and then, he'll be working hard at All-Star! Video coming soon...

Let's see, the best athletes at the Jersey Shore call All-Star their training home. NFL prospects tell us they couldn't have it better anywhere else. A professional mixed martial artist chooses us to get him ready for the fight of his career.

What's YOUR reason for not being here again?

We'll make it really simple for you.
Go to http://www.allstarsportsacademynj.com/free-trial-membership

Apply for a trial membership. In the "Comments" section, write "Charlie and Frank sent me!"

We'll DOUBLE YOUR TRIAL PERIOD! That's 2 weeks of no-cost, no-obligation sports fitness preparation on All-Star Sports Academy!