OHS’s Strength and Conditioning coaches

By Katelyn Fisher

Coach Johnson and Coach Madi are two talented and passionate staff members who took on the role of strength and conditioning coaches here at Owasso. They work to keep their athletes healthy and prepared for any scenario, on or off the field, with things like weightlifting, proper stretching and muscle mobility. 

Coach Madi explained, “In general, strength and conditioning is the full development of an athlete; physical [and] mental development.” 

Coach Johnson added, “It's all-encompassing: conditioning, speed, agility, plyometrics.”

Coach Madi didn't always wish to be a strength and conditioning coach. In her undergraduate years, Coach Madi first aspired to become a college softball coach. While coaching softball, she  also took on the role of strength and conditioning coach, which led to other sports hearing about and asking her to be their coach as well. The more she coached strength and conditioning, the more Coach Madi realized how much she loved it. 

“The longer I was able to train those teams, I was like ‘crap. This is what I wanna do,’” Coach Madi expressed. 

Photos of Coach Madi spotting Lizzy Passwaters, taken by Katelyn Fisher

Similar to Coach Madi, Coach Johnson did not originally go to college for strength and conditioning. All he knew for certain was that he wanted to remain involved in sports. 

“Part of my college coursework was doing an internship,” Coach Johnson explained. “I got on as an intern at Texas Tech, and that was when I figured out this is what I wanna do.”

Coach Johnson had discovered what he wanted to do as a career, but he was still looking for the right place to settle. Eventually, he was led to Owasso High School, where he has been coaching his athletes in strength and conditioning for the past 20 years. 

Coach Johnson states, “Part of the big draw for high school is more involvement with the athletes. You get to know their families, you get to know [the athletes] better.”

Both Coach Madi and Coach Johnson enjoy the personal experience of working with high schoolers. While coaching, they get the opportunity to get to know each of the athletes on a personal level. Through these interactions, the athletes become more comfortable and more trusting of their strength and conditioning coach. With this trust, the athletes and coaches understand and can communicate with one another better, leading to faster and stronger results. 

Coach Johnson and Coach Madi are big advocates for creating leaders within the weight room. It is important to them that their athletes leave high school feeling prepared and confident for whatever lies ahead of them. Day after day, the coaches influence and encourage athletes to take charge and be responsible not only for themselves but also for their teammates. Together, Coach Madi and Coach Johnson demonstrate valuable qualities like organization, integrity, accountability and confidence that can be directly translated into their athletes' everyday lives outside of sports.  

Coach Madi says the biggest change she sees in her athletes “is the growth and confidence of the kid. You're physically and mentally more prepared after you've done the work, and a lot of that comes from the stuff that we do in the weight room and the conditioning side.” 

Whether it be determination or leadership skills, Coach Johnson and Coach Madi’s hard work in the weight room pays off and can be seen during sporting events. 

Coach Madi loves when her athletes are “able to put those principles into play and then they are lookin at you like ‘Holy cow. We did it’”.