Organized sports have long been a way for likeminded students to interact with one another and form lasting, meaningful bonds. But not every student may find themselves interested in a particular sport during their school years.

Mark Rhynard, a lifelong Warren resident and coach at Mt. Hope High School since 2008, understands how important these types of opportunities are for developing positive behaviors and growth in adolescents and teenagers.

“The one key thing I’ve always known and we believe in is that all kids really want to belong to something, especially at that age,” Rhynard said. “But a lot of times, some kids are left out of the loop of that, or they can’t find a sport to attach to.”

He started Anchor Health and Performance on Water Street in Warren in 2014, which began offering a program called Junior Warriors that sought to provide age-specific strength and performance training to kids aged 8 to 17. Rhynard dreamed of eventually opening up a student-centric program for students at Kickemuit Middle School and Mt. Hope High School.

This led to a pilot program with the Mt. Hope track team during its winter season, which provided physical conditioning training focused around soft tissue with the goal of improving body control, injury prevention, joint health, and physical longevity through activities such as yoga and foam rolling.

“We have had an amazing season filled with victory. We owe some of this to Coach Mark,” wrote senior Gabriella Marsili, captain of the Mt. Hope track team in a testimonial about the program. “Coach has been teaching us how to lift properly, how to keep up our strength, and most importantly, mental toughness. Coach has had a huge impact on our team, he keeps us motivated through workouts and cheers. Coach's lifting program has grown my strength so much and has helped me run faster and stronger. I truly appreciate coach Mark's effort and motivation and it definitely helped me be successful this season.”

“Not only has this program created personal records each meet, but it has allowed my teammates and I to feel healthier and perform in a way we never thought we could,” wrote junior track athlete Karsyn Medeiros. “Without this program, the mindsets and goals we have set for ourselves would not have been possible.”

Opening up training to all
With the success of the track program, and through donations of parents and community members, Rhynard was able to gain support from the school administration to open up Anchor Athletics school-wide for both Kickemuit Middle School and Mt. Hope High School, beginning this March.

“We want to bring all kids together,” he said. “Kids from theater, or kids who have never tried sports or working out before, mixed with kids training for collegiate level basketball and so on.”

Rhynard said there is already a waiting list for places in the two open sessions, which run on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m. Each session can accommodate up to 24 kids, and Rhynard said he is already exploring opening up a third and fourth session to accommodate increasing demand. Other blocks at the school are also open and running throughout the week specifically for kids playing football, soccer, and the track team.

The open sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays include various elements of cross-training, which focus on improving general athleticism. Rhynard and two other volunteer trainers provide supervision and guidance during the sessions.

“It’s basically a beginner level functional training program that helps to develop and teach all fundamental movements before we add the competitive piece,” he explained.

Eventually, Rhynard envisions the Anchor Athletics program evolving into its own kind of sports team, with a prolonged season and summer sessions that culminates in the CrossFit Open, a three-week international competition.

And the program isn’t just for students, either. It is open to faculty and all staff who want to join as well.

“My hope is that it helps bring the school together,” Rhynard said. “How great would it be to look out there with all the faculty and students doing something positive together and getting healthy together?”

Rhynard said that he remembers a time when he was going through school where he felt lost and without a purpose. He credits coaches and faculty that lifted him up and provided him outlets to express himself, both in theater and on sports teams. He said it is mission to provide that opportunity to as many students as possible.

“One thing kids are missing is this sense that they belong to something greater and part of a team. There’s a lot of kids walking around lost, and I can remember being in that kind of position,” he said. “ The idea is to surround them with a bunch of other positive kids striving to be healthy and do something positive together.”

Through this type of activity, Rhynard believes that kids can learn lessons that improve their lives in other ways too.

“Our model, I believe, helps kids build self confidence and in turn makes them want to do better not just in sports, but in life,” he said. “We’re looking to build these kids up and build their self esteem.”

Any student or faculty member interested in joining the Anchor Athletics program should contact Mark at Mark.Rhynard@BWRSD.org.