Marcus Graves – September 2022 Athlete of the Month
Spring 2022 marked the beginning of training at Elite Health & Fitness Center (Stoughton) for Marcus Graves, 17, of Dorchester. An avid basketball player, Marcus came to Elite with one goal in mind: “to become a better athlete than I was before.” Since training at Elite, Marcus is more confident in his basketball ability than ever before. Marcus currently plays basketball for Metro Boston. He notices a big difference in his strength on the court, particularly his ability to absorb more contact when finishing around the paint. Recently, Marcus competed in a summer league tournament, and his team won the whole tournament!
Prior to training at Elite, Marcus injured his leg, requiring two surgeries. His leg injury kept him off the basketball court for 9 months. Marcus reflected, “Those 9 months were pretty hard because I wasn’t able to do the thing I love. What got me through were my family and friends being there for me and making sure I stayed happy”. Basketball is more than just a sport to Marcus. He says, “I’ve met a lot of my closest friends through my sport. A lot of people I’ve played with are still very close to me and it made me realize that it’s bigger than basketball with my friends”.
Marcus is still actively training at Elite in preparation for his basketball season this winter. Marcus’s favorite exercise is anything plyometric, and his favorite dynamic stretch is the speed ladder. “I train because I want to better myself in my sport and because the hard work will go a long way”, says Marcus, “But I would like to continue on improving my vertical. My vertical has gotten a lot better than what it was before I came (to Elite) but I want it to keep increasing.”
Marcus values his personalized strength and conditioning program provided at Elite. He trains consistently 4x/week under the supervision of Coaches Pete Rappoli, BS, CSCS and Danny Ramsey, BS, CSCS in Elite’s Strength sessions. “Elite has helped me a lot with my athletic ability.” Marcus says he would “100%!” recommend Elite to his friends and teammates. As for the culture and atmosphere of Elite, Marcus says, “When you feel things are getting easy, you are going to get pushed which I feel makes you better – and nobody at Elite is mad to get to work and get better every day”.
When asked what defines a true athlete, Marcus tells us, “A true athlete is able to be coached because you aren’t going to know everything and you will need people around you to help keep you on course and push you to your limits to be successful.” Down the road, Marcus hopes to play D1 basketball at a high level, and to study business in college. When asked what advice he might give to younger athletes, he suggests: “If you work hard, your dreams will come true and your path isn’t going to be the same as others”.
We’re excited to announce Marcus Graves as our Elite Athlete of the Month for September, 2022! Keep getting after it and making us proud!
Elite Sports Performance & Physical Therapy offers Sports Performance and Athlete Training programs at both our Foxboro and Stoughton locations. To learn more about our programs for athletes of all ages and sports and how YOU or an athlete in your family can become our NEXT Athlete of the Month, click HERE or email us at EliteSPC@EliteFitCenter.com!