Area fitness professionals, coaches, trainers, students and others interested in learning more about improving athletic performance are invited to attend the fourth annual Lakeland Rehabilitation Strength and Conditioning Clinic. The event will be from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, at Niles High School, 1441 Eagle St., Niles. Continuing education units are available through the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) and/or the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

Patrick Ward, MS, CSCS, LMT, will lead the clinic. Ward is a strength and conditioning coach and a licensed massage therapist based in Portland, Ore. The founder of Optimum Sports Performance, Ward has worked over the last decade with athletes of all levels, including professional and Olympic athletes. He uses a holistic approach to performance improvement, combining the evidence-based application of physiology, movement science, and soft-tissue therapy with emerging technologies.

Preregistration for the clinic is $125 for professionals and $65 for students; day-of-event registration is $135 per person. A group rate of $600 is available for a group of six or more from the same organization. S

nacks and lunch are included with the registration, and participants may also enter to win door prizes.

Visit http://nilesschools.schoolwires.net/nileshs and find “Southwest Michigan Strength and Conditioning Clinic” for registration information or contact Bob Taylor, Lakeland Rehabilitation Services, Niles, at (269) 470-1166 or rtaylor@lakelandregional.org.

This clinic is supported by Lakeland Rehabilitation Services, offering full-service inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation at 11 locations throughout southwest Michigan.

Lakeland has contracted with area high schools and Lake Michigan College for athletic training services since 1983. This service has provided thousands of athletes quality care in prevention, evaluation, treatment, rehabilitation, conditioning and education of athletic injuries.

Lakeland’s staff of Athletic Trainers is dedicated to these student-athletes and their endeavors on and off the field. For more information about Lakeland’s Athletic Training program, call (269) 556-7150.