Learn About the Starting Line Exhibit!

The exhibit Starting Line exhibit includes ten different interactive stations based on various fitness/sporting events.

Wheelchair Race

Did you Know?? Cheri Blauwet, an Iowa native, is a gold medalist in the Paralympics, an elite sporting event for athletes from six different disability groups. First held in 1960 in Rome with 400 athletes from 23 countries, it has steadily gained in popularity - more than 3,800 athletes from 136 countries competed in Athens in 2004. (Source: usinfo.state.gov)

Visit the Avera Sports Institute where you can view the jacket Cheri wore during the medal ceremony in Athens!

Reaction Time/Agility

Reaction time is a vital component in nearly every sport, from hitting a fastball, to deciding when to make a cut to outrun a linebacker. Studies have shown that reaction time - that period between the introduction of a stimulus and the first observable response - can be improved.

Avera McKennan Acceleration results in significant improvement in speed, vertical jump, strength, quickness and agility. In fact, ASI athletes have experienced an average of a .15 second improvement in Pro Agility.

Dance Dance Revolution

Practice in rhythm can help you improve your swing, regulate your breathing and improve your footwork and timing.

Many NFL athletes including all-time football greats Lynn Swann and Walter Peyton have taken tap, jazz and ballet lessons to elevate their game.

Basketball

Did you Know?? Basketball was invented in December 1891 by James W. Naismith (1861-1939) of Canada, an instructor at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, now Springfield College. The game was invented when Naismith was charged with developing an indoor game to keep his students in shape during the cold New England winter. The first game was played with peach baskets, and an attendant on a ladder retrieved the ball after a made basket.

The Avera Sports Institute features a full-sized hardwood court for basketball and volleyball. The Rezill-channel fixed floor offers the highest shock absorption technology on the market, and is the same flooring used by NBA and top Division I teams.

Vertical Jump

The vertical jump is an important skill in athletics, particularly in basketball. You can determine your vertical jump by subtracting your reach height from your jump height. The highest vertical jumps ever recorded are over 50 inches!!!

Participants in Avera Sports Institute training programs can expect to gain 2-3" in their vertical jump!

Green Screen

Did You Know?? When you used the green screen at the Starting Line exhibit, you were using a version of the same technology used in blockbuster movies like Spider-Man and Star Wars!

You might be familiar with other examples of green screen work:

• Football announcers appearing in front of the playing field, when they're really standing in a studio.
• Meteorologists also use the green screen to project the weather map during the evening news.

Rock Climbing Wall

Did You Know?? Indoor rock climbing is an offshoot of mountain climbing, and is quickly becoming a sport in and of itself. It's a great way to learn the basic moves of rock climbing, and to prepare for the real thing!

Popular climbing locations in and around South Dakota include the Needles in the Black Hills, Devil's Tower in Wyoming and Mount Rushmore.

Baseball

In baseball, the pitcher's mound is 60'6" from home plate. Have you ever thought how little time you have to react to a pitched ball?

A ball thrown…

• 30 mph would give a batter 1.38 seconds to react
• 35 mph would give a batter 1.18 seconds to react
• 40 mph would give a batter 1.03 seconds to react
• 45 mph would give a batter .92 seconds to react
• 50 mph would give a batter .83 seconds to react
• 55 mph would give a batter .75 seconds to react
• 60 mph would give a batter .69 seconds to react
• 70 mph would give a batter .59 seconds to react

Major baseball pitchers easily throw 80+ mph during a game. Here are reaction times major league batters have in order to decide whether or not to swing at a pitch.

• 80 mph would give a batter .52 seconds to react
• 90 mph would give a batter .46 seconds to react
• 100 mph would give a batter .41 seconds to react

Sprint Station

In many sports, the 40-yd dash is a key tool for measuring an athlete's speed. The fastest times ever recorded for humans are right around 4.2-4.3 seconds…how do you compare to the fastest humans on earth?

A runner sprinting at…

• 10 mph would run a 40-yd dash in 8.18 seconds
• 12 mph would run a 40-yd dash in 6.82 seconds
• 14 mph would run a 40-yd dash in 5.8 seconds
• 16 mph would run a 40-yd dash in 5.11

In order to match the fastest runners in the world you would need to run an average of 19 mph over 40-yds!

The world record in the 100-meter dash is 9.74 seconds, held by Jamaica's Asafa Powell. To run this fast he has to average nearly 23 mph over the course of the race, which means there are times during the race when he is actually running much faster than 23 mph.

Participants in the Avera Sports Institute's training programs have cut their times, on average, by .08 seconds in the 10 yd dash and .20 seconds in 40 yd dash.