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All-American Standards. Tom was well aware of the BFS philosophy because of Coach Ekmark. 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 lean from the floor of 350 pounds, an 800 box squat, a 505 deep parallel squat and a 405 bench press, om is really strong enough to handle business at the Division I level. A 10 prcent 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 fro a 4.65 to a 4.47 and his vertical jump from 32 inches to 34 inches. Tom knows that he 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 hlped me to stay humble anto handle adversity. <br>As fr 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 nevr had one be proficient in sports medicine.  You don t need to know everything a physical therapist or doctor knows, but you better be fluent in your ability to talk with them, says Alejo.  You need to be privy to enough information that you can deal with these health professionals on a one-on-one basis, because injury prevention and recovery is so important at this level.<br><br> Third, you must be prepared to work with different personalities. At the college level, you can pretty much make your athletes do what you want them to do. At the pro level you can t because what they re doing is going to have a direct result on their paychec 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 ceremony, he gave his crown to his little brother Joey, who has Down syndrome. Joey was all smiles and so was everyone else as he stood as king at the homecoming assembly. <br>Tom is a true Eleven, and we at BFS wish him well as he embarks on the next chapter of his life at the University of Iowa. Our thanks go to Tom, his parents and Coach Ekmark for this inspiring story. <br><br><br><br> to come