Human Powered Health and the Academy of Holy Angels have joined forces in an exciting partnership that promises to elevate the performance and well-being of their student-athletes. Through this collaboration, Human Powered Health is providing performance testing and data analysis to the Academy of Holy Angels Varsity Football, Girls’ Soccer and Track & Field teams, offering them tools they’ve never had access to before.

Preseason and In-Season Testing

This testing allows coaches and athletes to track key performance metrics including indicators of endurance, strength and recovery to ensure that they are always playing at their best. The initiative marks a significant step forward in promoting athletic excellence and health awareness for the Academy’s teams.

The student-athletes visited the Human Powered Health Performance Lab in Edina before the start of their seasons. The players performed a variety of tests, tailored to the position they play, to gather data on important movements and the demands of their sport. The initial phase included VO2max, Wingate, Force Plate and Proteus Motion testing.

Each Monday throughout the season, Holy Angels athletes perform follow-up tests using Force Plates. The tests provide detailed data on their current physical health heading into that individual week. The master’s-level performance physiologists at Human Powered Health then analyze the results and share individualized insights with the coaches, enabling them to create tailored training plans that optimize performance while reducing the risk of injury.

Coaches’ Insights

Jim Gunderson, the Head Coach of the Varsity Football and Track & Field teams, has been adamant about the importance of using data and testing with his players. He has been at Holy Angels for 14 years and has earned countless honors throughout his career.

When asked about the biggest things he’s learned throughout the first couple weeks of testing, Coach Gunderson said, “We’ve learned a lot working with Human Powered Health. We’re using the data to make decisions on how many reps kids get in practice so we can tailor it for them,” and “It’s made a big impact. We’ve rested a few guys, and they’ve responded well to the rest. The next week, they’ve performed better than ever.”

He also spoke on how the new data-driven planning has impacted him and his team, saying, “The use of science-driven data has impacted our culture in a positive way, where students understand they want to be ready for Friday night. I’m now really mindful of our workload to get us ready to peak and be at our full potential on Friday.”

We also had a chance to speak with Haezal Hartung, an Assistant Coach for the Varsity Girls Soccer team, who also runs the strength, performance, and recovery program for their team. We asked her about how the performance data will help the program, and she responded by saying, “We can pull numbers and have facts on paper, so these girls can visualize and understand what’s going on and how their bodies work.”

The Academy of Holy Angels is excited to join this data-driven movement. This level of performance and health monitoring are a game-changer for the teams, offering a scientific approach to enhancing athletic performance and improving player health. Both teams are off to great starts to their seasons and we’ll be cheering them on as they move towards postseason play!

Watch the full video below to see how data-driven insights are transforming athletic performance at the Academy of Holy Angels!