Corona charter school looking to rigorous athletic program to get students to college

CORONA, Calif. (KABC) -- One charter school in Corona is taking an unusual approach to get kids excited about college - by grooming their students to become collegiate athletes.

Testing day at Winner's Circle Athletics in Corona features the 40-yard dash, push up and plank challenges.

One sixth-grader held his plank for an impressive 10 minutes, beating his last time by four minutes.

The 5-year-old charter school was started by former USC football player Jordan Campbell. He hopes his program becomes a gateway to college athletics.

"We are the largest prep school here on the West Coast grades four through eighth grade. We hold the division one offer from USC the last five years since we started," said Campbell.

The school is K-12, but the focus is fourth through eighth grade when kids can grow and develop exponentially if given the right tools.

"Bigger, stronger, faster, we train, we recover, we refuel. Kids have a tailored workout from laser combine testing, baseline valuations, baseline evaluations on the nutrition side. They have speed days, they have performance days, they have weight training day, they have sport days, they have Pilates, they have recovery days," Campbell said.

Similar to college, the school's block schedule has kids exercising for three hours a day - but studying is just as crucial.

"Each classroom has two live teachers on staff with them in the classroom of 25, and they have a teacher that comes online with them on the computer as well," said head coach Elisio Cabildo.

The school calls the "In Body" machine its lie detector test. Every two weeks, the machine helps keep students accountable on weight and body fat.

"We can actually see whether they're gaining muscle and losing fat. If they're not seeing results, then we can adjust their diet," said Adam Tello the school's nutritionist.

The charter school academic program is free, but the athletic program runs $10,000 a year, which includes meals, supplements and sports.

Currently 167 kids attend with an expansion plan and a waitlist as well.