Putting youth on the fast track

By CNBC

Loren Seagrave might be the hardest working corporate officer in America.

Seagrave is an Olympic speed and conditioning coach who co-founded Velocity Sports Performance, a national chain based in Alpharetta, Ga., that's in the forefront of an estimated $500 million annual market for programs designed to maximize human sports performance.

With training programs that aim to boost the strength, agility and speed of athletes of all ages, Velocity Sports has 77 franchised centers in North America and plans to open another 23 by year's end. The company's Web site says Velocity Sports will be "a worldwide brand within the next three to five years."

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CNBC video: Getting youth in the game

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But Velocity's programs aren't just for dedicated athletes. The chain is also targeting the nation's overweight youth, filling a market that has exploded as physical education classes have disappeared from the nation's schools. It's also capitalizing on other trends shaping the lives of young Americans.

"'Back when you and I were in school, we'd be outside all day until Mom and Dad said, 'Come inside,' " says Kelly Neuhauser, who works as a training supervisor for Velocity Sports. "Those days are gone."

Parents today are increasingly engaged in their kids' development, seeking to give children the training they need to compete on and off the playing field.

While the drive to excel isn't new, the intensity of the training has gone to a new level.

Velocity's training programs are primarily geared to children aged 7 to 17, with prices ranging from $15 to $45 for a 90-minute session. Sessions are typically scheduled three or four times a week. Velocity's group sessions include mobility drills, strength training, injury prevention and core development. Programs also are personalized for sport-specific athletes as well as recreational golfers, skiers and snowboarders.

The program attracts youths like high school senior Baily Woods, who wants to play college football. "I'm hoping to get up to Auburn, and I'm hoping to weigh in at about 240, so that's my main goal," says the 17-year-old Woods. "But at the same time, I'm going to try and keep my speed (in the 40-yard dash) at about a 4.6."

Seagrave has worked with Olympians as well as NFL and NBA draftees. He also trains professional athletes hoping for a final payday. "(They're) looking at the twilight of their career (and) thinking, 'Golly, if I can get a half-step back, another year or two at my salary could be a pretty good retirement plan for me,' " Seagrave says of his professional clients.

But for the youths who come to his Velocity Sports centers, it's not all about a professional career. The No. 1 goal is to create confidence, Seagrave says. "We believe confidence is always preceded by competence."

Improving self-esteem is a big reason that many parents give for sending their kids to a Velocity Sports center. The parents hope the discipline imposed by the athletic trainers will establish good habits. And life gets faster every day.