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News

TMC PROJECT, SPIRE INSTITUTE, ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH MICHAEL JOHNSON PERFORMANCE TRAINING

TMC PROJECT, SPIRE INSTITUTE, ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH MICHAEL JOHNSON PERFORMANCE TRAINING

05/4/11

SPIRE Institute, One of World’s Largest Indoor Multi-Sport Training Facilities, Launches SPIRE Academy and Michael Johnson Performance Training Center

Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion, Michael Johnson, partners with SPIRE Institute as Site for His Second Performance Training Center

Geneva, Ohio, May 4, 2011 – SPIRE Institute (www.spireinstitute.org) one of the largest indoor, Olympic-grade multi-sport training and competition complexes in the world, with over 750,000 sq. ft. of facilities, announced today it is partnering with Michael Johnson to be the home of the second Michael Johnson Performance Training Center.  The Institute also announced it will be launching a comprehensive new training and educational opportunity called SPIRE Academy. SPIRE will train the broadest mix of athletes ever assembled; high school and college athletes, weekend warriors and wounded Veterans, Paralympians and Special Olympians and will place an equal emphasis on academics with a customized curriculum infused with the business of sport. SPIRE Academy and its nationally renowned coaches will offer training in soccer, track and field, volleyball, swimming, and lacrosse, in a comprehensive mix of sports never before combined in an Academy setting.

The launch of the Michael Johnson Performance Training Center is scheduled for Fall 2011. SPIRE Academy commences with summer training camps in June of 2012 and residential Academy semesters in the Fall of 2012.

 “SPIRE Institute exists to empower athletes to reach their full potential -- not just in sports, but also in school and in life, “ said Ron Clutter, Founder of the SPIRE Institute.  “And because of this mission, we are thrilled to partner with Michael Johnson and enable our athletes from around the world to learn, train and compete with the best resources available to them.  With SPIRE Academy and the Michael Johnson Performance Training Center, there will be no place in the country like SPIRE to push your physical and mental boundaries."

Michael Johnson explained why he partnered with SPIRE.  “We share a common purpose: helping athletes at all levels reach their full potential. This was the basis for starting Michael Johnson Performance. Not every athlete who walks through our doors walks out a Division One scholarship recipient or a professional athlete, but all of our athletes reach their athletic potential.  SPIRE Academy also has the people and the facilities to provide athletes with every possible tool to achieve success. There's not another athletic training facility in the country that could rival what's in Geneva.”

The Michael Johnson Performance Training Center
The Michael Johnson Performance Center is a state-of-the-art sports performance training facility owned and operated by Michael Johnson, the four-time Olympic Gold Medalist and nine-time World Champion in track and field.  Johnson is widely considered to be amongst the greatest sprinters to grace the track and the greatest 400 meter runner of all time.

The Michael Johnson Performance Center helps both aspiring youth athletes and elite/professional athletes from around the world who are involved with a diverse range of sports. The Center is dedicated to helping athletes reach their athletic potential by improving speed, agility, strength and conditioning and endurance and will be a resource to every athlete training at SPIRE, in every sport.  One of the signature programs of the Michael Johnson Performance Training Center is its annual NFL Combine Preparatory Camp and it is also a training center used by many NFL Players preparing for the season, some of whom include; LaDainian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson, Knowshon Moreno, Tony Romo, Roy Williams, Eli Manning, Ndamukong SuhAlex Smith, Michael Crabtree, and Michael Oher.

The first Michael Johnson Performance Center opened in 2007 at Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. SPIRE Institute will be the home of the second Michael Johnson Performance Center.

Spire Academy
Spire Academy and its nationally renowned coaches will offer residential training programs in soccer, track and field, volleyball, swimming and lacrosse, which is a comprehensive mix of sports never before combined in an Academy setting.  It will be the first residential Academy custom designed with an equal emphasis on both education and athletic training. The Academy’s unique curriculum will offer classes in the business of sport. The Academy’s mission is to produce strong minds, strong bodies and strong character. The Academy will offer residential semesters, weekend training sessions and weekly summer camps and will feature the most diverse and inclusive collection of athletes ever assembled on one campus.

About the SPIRE Institute
SPIRE Institute is one of the largest indoor, multi-sport, training and competition complexes in the world and integrates sports and education, training and learning, in a way that has never been done before with a focus on the development of the whole self. With more than 750,000 sq. ft. under roof and acres of outdoor facilities, it has the unique capacity to simultaneously host clubs, leagues, tournaments and championship events no matter the weather or the season. SPIRE’s holistic approach integrates health and wellness programs; including conditioning, nutrition, sports psychology, and physical therapy.  SPIRE Institute is part of the Geneva area Recreational, Educational and Athletic Trust, a non-profit organization that re-invests every dollar back into the development of its athletes, its programs and its facilities.