With so many youth sports now offering year-round competition and training, the specialization of young athletes occurs at earlier ages than in years past. Three-sport athletes are vanishing even before the high school level.

As a result, performance training has blossomed, especially for athletes on the competitive and travel-team levels trying to improve their bodies through lifestyle management as well as strength, speed and agility training. Those kinds of attributes often separate athletes who aspire for college scholarships.

The new Game Time Performance center (609-228-3120) that is holding its grand opening in Hamilton on Monday is trying to respond to the growing needs of performance training. The 17,000-square-foot facility is located in the shopping center that also houses Staples and Big Lots. It has taken over in the building that once housed another training center for baseball and softball.

Game Time Performance trains athletes in all sports, including the use of weights and workout machines, and has batting cages for baseball and softball. GTP, which is led by five partners who serve as trainers, has partnered with former major leaguer Dave Gallagher, the 1978 Steinert High School graduate, and his baseball academy that he runs out of the Frogbridge center in Millstone, with each company crossing over for training at the other’s facility. In addition, GTP has a softball academy to be run at both sites.

“We can train for every single sport,” says Jay Magrelli, one of the partners and an assistant manager. “We have everything from crew, lacrosse, MMA, which is real big in the area ... football, soccer, hockey, field hockey, everything.”

Workouts are geared for power, quickness and flexibility in addition to improving skills. Athletes from 7 years old up to senior citizens are welcomed, Magrelli says. GTP training sessions are available for individuals, groups of three to six participants, teams and leagues. The trainers provide a complementary evaluation for athletes, and then provide a customized workout. The center also books for birthday or office parties and turf rentals.

“Sometimes you’ll come in and you’ll see anywhere from 20 kids in a group training together as a whole team,” Magrelli says. “Like we trained the entire West Windsor-(Plainsboro) South football team (at the school) in the summer, (when) we had 60-something kids all put together.

“As opposed to before, (when there was) a lot of people waiting until high school to get started, now a lot of times people don’t wait until high school, they want to already be in the travel teams, they want to be already showcased with the all-star teams. By the time they get to high school, they already are set in their ways, they have set positions and everything like that. A lot of times people come in and they want to get their kids started.”

In addition to Magrelli, the partners and certified trainers are Joe DeMarco, who is the GTP general manager, Kevin Wagner, Na’ati Akauola and Peter Beharrysingh. Sessions range from 30 to 60 minutes long, and pricing varies, with the cost decreasing with longer commitments:

Advanced Performance Training
Private Sessions: $480 (six sessions), $840 (12) and $1,440 (24)
Semi-Private Sessions: $540 per person (12) and $960 (24)
Group Sessions (3 to 6 participants): $840 per person (24) and $1,440 (48)
Fundamental and Beginner Training (age 11 and under)
Private Sessions (30 minutes): $480 (12) and $700 (20)
Semi-Private Sessions: $420 per person (12) and $600 (20)