WVBBTS Human Performance Director Tom Barbeau to consult with Carolina Panthers

Tom Barbeau Sr., human performance director and lead strength and conditioning coach at Waterville Valley Academy and Waterville Valley BBTS, has, in addition to his work at Waterville, recently accepted a role as strength consultant to the Carolina Panthers NFL team.

Tom has been at WVA/BBTS, serving in nearly every role, for over thirty years. The Tom Barbeau Training Center, a world-class indoor training facility for alpine, freestyle, freeski and snowboard athletes, was dedicated in 2014 in appreciation for the thousands of hours that he has spent training and preparing athletes up, down, and across the breadth of programs at WVA/BBTS.

“In addition to his work with our academy and weekend athletes, Tom is well-known for offering his services to parents, siblings, and friends of our program,” said Tory Amorello, Executive Director and Head of School. “Tom’s influence is therefore so much greater than virtually any other coach I know, simply because he makes himself available and truly loves what he does.” 

Tom is a master practitioner of the Burdenko Method, which he’s been practicing for over 20 years, and which utilizes both land and water for workouts. WVA student-athletes are in the pool on average twice a week, and Tom emphasizes that water training complements the high-impact nature of skiing, particularly for growing and developing bodies, but which clearly also has an application for top-level football players. Videos of WVA water workout videos are among the material Tom has shared with the Panthers to demonstrate exercises and training strategies.

Tom’s role with the Panthers has him designing recovery and regeneration programs for top-level NFL players including Christian McCaffrey (QB), Jeremy Chinn (LB), and Sam Darnold (QB), among others. In his first visit to the Panthers complex, Tom consulted with the QB coaches and spent time working with coaches and physios to design warm-ups and mobility trainings.

“It is an honor to be helping the Carolina Panthers and a pleasure to be working with my son,” said Barbeau. “I have skied for 63 years and had played football for 17 years, so it is fun to be thinking about two sports again. I am helping the Panthers because of my knowledge in the Burdenko Method with Freedom of Movement and Pool Exercises. At the same time, I get to learn about weightlifting, speed training and sports analytics from some of the most knowledgeable coaches in the world. This will be a benefit for all of our WVBBTS athletes.”

Founded in 1934, WVBBTS is committed to supporting the Motto of “Pioneering Snowsports and Cultivating Tomorrow’s Leaders.” Located in beautiful Waterville Valley New Hampshire, WVBBTS offers both a weekend program and a full time competitive snowsports academy, Waterville Valley Academy. WVBBTS is recognized for its excellence in training alpine, freeski, freestyle, and snowboard athletes. WVBBTS is a 501c3 non-profit organization. For more information on Waterville Valley Academy or WVBBTS, visit www.wvbbts.org.

Release courtesy of WVBBTS.