Photos by Jacob kepler/View Above, from left, Western High School football players Deangelo Dotson, 17, and Giovan Grant, 16, work out on March 21 with personal trainer Gerard Fabros at the Bodysport Fitness Center, 1400 N. Rampart Blvd., Suite 103. Right, Dotson uses weights at the center.
Photos by Jacob kepler/View Above, from left, Western High School football players Deangelo Dotson, 17, and Giovan Grant, 16, work out on March 21 with personal trainer Gerard Fabros at the Bodysport Fitness Center, 1400 N. Rampart Blvd., Suite 103. Right, Dotson uses weights at the center.
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Deangelo Dotson whipped the jump rope around at a dizzying speed as his trainer watched him exercise. It was part of his cardiovascular workout. Next, he would power through muscle-specific workout machines to increase his strength.
"It's only been a month and I can already tell," he said, talking about the difference the training has made. "The workouts, they're tough."
The 17-year-old junior at Western High School is a running back on the football team. Training alongside him was teammate Giovan Grant, 16, a wide receiver and a free safety.
"They work you hard here," Giovan said. "You can feel the burn."
Both work out at the private gym Bodysport Fitness Center, 1400. N. Rampart Blvd., Suite 103. Access to the machines and the personal trainers there are free. That's because Deangelo and Giovan are the first recipients of a new scholarship through the facility, called The Coach's Choice Scholarship in Bodysport's Maverick Sport Training Program.
It was designed and implemented by Chris Hatley, a strength and conditioning coach who, in the past three years, has brought nearly 20 high school athletes up to college sports, some on full scholarships. Also instrumental in the program is Gerard Fabros, certified personal trainer.
Gym owner Mel Fabros said it was his way of giving back to the community. He said the foundation targets promising high school athletes whose parents don't have means to pay for specialized training.
The program accommodates up to six students at a time, but is so new, only Western High School got back to the gym about sending participants for the first session, Fabros said.
Under the program, which began on Feb. 2, Deangelo and Giovan receive 1-on-1 training at the gym about four times a week. Training sessions last an hour, and the scholarship covers six months. If someone were paying for such training, it would cost $50 an hour.
Pete Peña, assistant principal in charge of athletics at Western, said the program gave the two students role models they could look up to.
"Both of them are up-and-coming kids, both talented," he said. "They need something like this to show them that they can be successful."
The scholarship requires that participants keep their grade point average at 2.5 or higher. The ultimate goal, said Mel Fabros, is to get the participants college scholarships.
Married with two young children, Fabros, 42, hails from Northern California and is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. He and a business partner opened a fitness gym called Fitness Group of Los Gatos in 1996. Los Gatos is near San Jose, Calif.
After moving to Las Vegas in 2003, he opened Bodysport Fitness Center. The private, upscale personal training center caters to people of all ages and all levels of fitness. Its 3,400-square-feet of space is covered with machines of all types, plus a free weight section.
The club uses Cybex machines, which are not found in most schools, Bodysport staff members said. The facility also has the Vertimax -- a platform with the user tethered to it via bungee cords and harnesses -- for exercises involving explosive movement with variable resistance.
That apparatus made an impression on Deangelo, who said he's seen an improvement in all areas, such as size, strength and agility.
"I like that I'm getting better than the other football players at school," he said.
Fabros seemed pleased with their enthusiasm and commitment.
"These guys are taking it all in like sponges," he said. "They want to learn."
For more information, visit www.bodysportfitnesscenter.com.
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