Teams pump iron with Gallucci

The average starting football player rarely takes the field for more than 30 minutes a game. Over a 10 game season, even the best players won't be in action for more than a few hours.

Those hours, however, are just a fraction of the time put in by the team, and nobody knows that better than Princeton strength and conditioning coach Jason Gallucci.

He witnesses every morning workout and afternoon practice — and not just for the football team. Gallucci is responsible for the physical conditioning of over a dozen varsity teams ranging from softball to men's basketball.

"We all respect him and know that he knows what he's talking about," senior lacrosse goalie Alex Hewit said.

Gallucci's career began at Penn State, where he majored in biomechanics and played on the 1994 Penn State team that went 12-0 and won the Rose Bowl. He returned for his master's degree and worked as a graduate assistant for the football team before moving on to Princeton.

A white board, filled from end to end and top to bottom with the week's schedule, dominates Gallucci's office in Palmer Stadium. This Monday's schedule is typical:

Gallucci is in his office by 6:00 a.m. for a 6:30 football team lift emphasizing core training. Then it's on to the basketball team at 7:15, followed by two more team lifts at 8:30 and 9:30. After a lunch of working on paperwork and forms, it's time for another football group lift at 1:45 and then on to football practice at 4:00. After helping the team warm up and stretch he's back to the weight room for the afternoon workouts. Today there are only men's and women's hockey teams and softball — other days there are more.

Even with 13-hour workdays, there is simply not enough time for Gallucci to personally manage the routines of over 400 athletes on a daily basis. He has to decide which teams will train with him and when.

"The question has been which teams need it the most in terms of injury prevention," Gallucci said.

For example, Gallucci's program focuses on building core and neck strength for football players to minimize the risk of serious injury. But the football team is not the only team to benefit from his expertise.

"Not only is he willing to explain to you why you're doing a particularly exercise, but he's also willing to go in early to do extra workouts with you," Hewit said.

For Gallucci, the training schedule runs not only all day long — it runs all year as well. Gallucci sees the football team more in the off-season than he does during the year.

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Over the summer most teams are not allowed to practice, but that doesn't mean Gallucci has no work. Gallucci works with coaches to develop comprehensive plans that includes exercise, nutrition and rest. All players leave Princeton with a massive personal binder detailing their summer training schedule.

For the teams that are allowed to have limited team practices, Gallucci does his best to navigate NCAA rules that often seem confusing or contradictory.

For example, the NCAA makes a distinction between "voluntary" and "not mandatory" practices. The former is encouraged, while the latter could land a school a harsh punishment.

The NCAA also strictly regulates football and basketball team summer practices in "private facilities" — so the athletic department opens up the Palmer facilities to members of Dillon Gym for a few weeks over the summer.

Gallucci came to Princeton at a time of "transition." While the University has done its best to upgrade facilities and expand its staff, the other Ivy League schools are catching up.

"When the Palmer weight room was built, it was the most modern facility in the Ivy League," Gallucci said.

Since then, several other Ivy League schools have added on to their athletic programs with the help of alumni donations. And with Ivy League rules banning athletic scholarships, the pressure is put on the support staff to sell the school to recruits.

"The facilities are a showcase for recruitment," Gallucci said.

While the situation at Princeton is typical of Ivy League schools, it's a far cry from Gallucci's alma mater.

"At Penn State we had two full time coaches and three graduate assistants just for football. Here, there are only two of us for 400 athletes," Gallucci said.

Not only that, but Gallucci will soon take on tennis, track and field and swimming as well. At the request of the swim team, the athletic department will also take on another full-time assistant.

In the end, though, there will still be three individuals responsible for the training of over 600 athletes.

Gallucci does not seem anxious about the new commitment — far from it, actually. The only problem is that he might have to get a bigger whiteboard.