In order to become a professional athlete it appears to take some varying combinations of natural ability, work ethic, and determination.  Many young people grow up with hopes of being one of the elite few to make it to the pros, but few of them have the work ethic that it takes to get there.  Today, it has become much more competitive to simply reach the collegiate level of sports, much less the professional level.

Velocity Sports Performance begins training athletes at the age of 8 through the elite level.  At first, I was a bit shocked that 8-year olds were being trained at such an early age, but after spending a great deal of time with James Lee, Athlete Recruiter, I was able to get a better understanding of how important this can be.

“It’s so competitive for kids to get college scholarships now.  Training with us allows them to improve in every aspect.  More and more kids are training at facilities like ours at an earlier age, so in order to keep up, kids now have to train harder than those who are just there for after school activity,” Lee stated.

The younger athletes at Velocity are not only learning the fundamentals of various sports, they are also learning sportsmanship while still competing at a high level.

“We make sure that they have fun.  That is the most important thing for their age group.  It also gets this generation moving and having regular exercise become a part of their routine,” Lee explained.

As the ages rise, so too does the competition.  I was able to view a middle school QB working on passing drills with Velocity’s Director of Performance Coaching, Scott Greenman, and a middle school WR.  I really thought that they were much older than being in the seventh grade.  I watched the young QB doing 3-step drops, 5-step drops, pump fakes, and other drills that left me very impressed.  His accuracy was excellent and with each 5-step drop, I was left in further bewilderment.

After speaking with Lee, I wanted to get the perspective of some of the Velocity athletes.  There were several news clippings, but the name of Jeannie Buckner seemed to keep appearing all over the place. 

At first glance Jeannie appeared to be a normal happy-go-lucky high school girl.  Normal does not describe Jeannie. 

She is a 6-foot tall shooting guard for the Low-Country Lady Wildcats (home school team) and for the Low-Country Ballers (AAU team).  Even more impressive is the fact that she is the first home school student to receive a D1 scholarship for basketball in the state of South Carolina. 

I was interested in finding out if, and/or how Velocity has benefited her over the years.  She began by discussing the relationships with the people at the facility.

“The people here are great, Buckner said.  "They push you to excel and get the best results out of you.  It’s like a family.”

I was surprised because I was looking for answers on physical improvement, but it was eye-opening for me because Jeannie was describing the same things to me that James had described.  I began to realize that Velocity offers things beyond training; they offer the extra encouragement that athletes need while being completely honest in order to get the best out of each individual. 

It is reminiscent of a family.  Family may not always tell you what you want to hear, but they will always tell you what you need to hear. 

“I actually plan to major in health science or physical therapy at UNC-Asheville because of being around the trainers and everyone here,” Jeannie said. 

Even Velocity's owners, Dirk and Tracy Dewitt, give the facility a family feel.  The husband and wife duo are accomplished athletes and are passionate about their facility.  Dirk’s office was even very kid friendly for their own child.  They still compete in triathlons and are ensuring that their children will follow their love of fitness and training.

I could understand why Jeannie viewed Velocity as family.  Jeannie was an amazing young woman to speak with, but we had to cut things short in order for her to get to her training. 

She trained with the guys.  Velocity does not separate genders.  Jeannie did not seem to mind because she was keeping up with or beating many of the guys during several drills.  I watched several drills and then went into the viewing area where parents and others remained while athletes were training.  I thought that it might be interesting to find out how parents felt about Velocity.

Click here to view the video of the athletes during training. http://www.draftnasty.com/other-sports/hello/videos/velocity-sports-performance-building-from-the-ground-floor/

The three fathers that I spoke with all had sons who played high school football. 

Zola President is the father of Wando High School DE Jimel President, who is in his third year with Velocity.  William German is the father of Wando High School RB Isaac German, who is in his first year at Velocity.  Tye Venning is the father of Wando High School RB and track and field star Dezmon Venning. 

All three fathers were eager to detail their sons’ football careers and told me of how Velocity assisted their sons in improving mechanics, skills, and physical ability. 

Tye simply stated, “I believe in this place.”

By the time that DraftNasty.com was preparing to leave Velocity, we felt like family as well.  They opened their facility to us all and made us feel completely welcome and were very accommodating.  It’s no wonder why athletes such as Tye Hill and Roddy White continue to train at Velocity.  We wish all of their athletes the best and for more on Velocity Sports Performance, click here (http://www.draftnasty.com/other-sports/hello/videos/velocity-sports-performance-building-from-the-ground-floor/) to view the video.