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Essentially the idea is that the stronger you get, the less important extra strength becomes. Tom agrees there is a point of no return when it comes to athletic strength. In other words, with a power clean from the floor of 350 pounds, an 800 box squat, a 505 deep parallel squat and a 405 bench press, Tom is really strong enough to handle business at the Division I level. A 10 percent increase in strength in the next three to four years would be plenty. What Tom should concentrate on is his speed, quickness and linebacker savvy. And that is exactly what Tom has been doing. His 40 went from a 4.65 to a 4.47 and his vertical jump from 32 inches to 34 inches. Tom knows that the difference in being an effective linebacker that he could make by going from a 350 power clean to 380 is not nearly as good as going from 4.65 to 4.47 in the forty. Plus, the strain on the body and chance of injury is always something to consider at that level of strength. <br>Tom believes there is no substitute for hard work.  You have to set goals every day, Tom advises.  There are a lot of people with talent, but to rise above the pack you need to be disciplined and consistent. Coach Ekmark has inspired me to be thankful and not take things for granted. I hope and pray I will make the most of life. My parents have helped me to stay humble and to handle adversity. <br>As for drugs and alcohol, Tom is totally against them for teens and athletes. It was a wonderful thing for Tom to be able to look me straight in the eye and declare in all truthfulness that he had never had one drop of alcohol or gone near an illegal drug.  Taking drugs and drinking alcohol are not good decisions, confirms Tom.  Not even a little bit. If you do something illegal long enough, you are going to get caught. I will never do it. I want to surround myself with good people and, thankfully, I have been in a good environment. <br>Whenever an athlete like Tom has extraordinary strength, the question of steroids invariably comes up.  Steroids have never been an option, says Tom.  I never even think about it. If you think you need steroids, you are thinking and training wrong. Nothing could ever make me take steroids. <br> The Be An Eleven concept is important here at Park High School . . . to be a great individual in all areas like athletics, school, family and community, says Tom.  To me, it is going the extra step to stand out. Spiritual values are also important. It also became known to me that Tom prays every day.<br>Tom tries to be an example, and he is very much aware that the younger athletes and students are looking to him for leadership. He tells others,  Have fortitude. Have courage and strength of mind. Make your family important. If I couldn t play football again, I would still consider myself fortunate. <br>I want to mention two other amazing facts about Tom s life. First, Tom does not have a driver s license and does not drive. His driver education class conflicted with his workouts and the start of football practice, so he chose football.<br>Second, Tom was elected homecoming king last fall. At the presentation ceremox jumping, and wrked on foot-speed and quickness using dots, hurdles, and form running. Senior DB, Al Green (Liberty signee) saw his total in the three cores explode almost 200 pounds, while gaining fifteen pounds and shaving two tenths off of his forty time.<br><br>It s Not Over Yet<br><br>Fall 2000 saw another playoff run for the Golden Eagles with a 7-3 season (3 losses by a total o