Get to know Miss Porter’s Shelby Howe | Strength & Conditioning Coach
As a strength and conditioning coach at an independent school, Coach Shelby plays a significant role in helping young athletes achieve their goals.
Here are 3 questions to get to know her and her coaching style better:
How do you develop individualized training programs for each athlete, considering their unique strengths, weaknesses, and goals?
First, I look at the demands of the sport, the level of play that our teams compete at, and the resources I have available to get the “behind the scenes” work done. The most effective workout is the workout the athlete wants. It is a give-and-take process to meet the athlete’s demands and reach their goals. I never tell an athlete that they can’t do an exercise; there is always a way to modify and or advance a specific exercise to allow the athlete to feel empowered and accomplished.
How do you balance the demands of sports practice and competition with strength and conditioning training to ensure that athletes are at peak performance when it matters most?
Being at your peak performance doesn’t always mean full throttle. I educate our athletes on the importance of sleep, what it means to have active recovery workouts, and the importance of light-volume work. I incorporate practical skills into their daily programs, such as dynamic warmups, mobility and flexibility-focused exercises, and specific foam rolling techniques to aid in recovery and injury prevention to keep our athletes at the top of their game.
What advice would you give to young athletes just starting out in strength and conditioning training and looking to build a solid foundation for future success?
Everyone starts at a different level, and everyone has their own weaknesses they need to work on. Building a solid foundation is most important to setting yourself up for success. Don’t be afraid to try something new; ask questions and push yourself. Strength and conditioning pushes you out of your comfort zone on purpose; you need to learn to embrace it and look forward to seeing the progress to come. It also allows you to work on yourself individually; you have complete control over your goals and the journey it takes to get there.
Did you know that Strength & Conditioning Coach Shelby Howe is an IRONMAN?
Congratulations to Coach Shelby on completing Ironman Maine 70.3 | that’s
1.2 miles of 🏊♀️,
56 miles of 🚴♀️ &
13.1 miles of 🏃♀️!
Coaching Motto:
If you’re not smiling, then you are not doing it right. DO what YOU love and go after it!!!
- Winter 2025-2026 Athletes of the Week
The Miss Porter’s School 2025-2026 winter trimester Athletes of the Week. - Grandparents and Grandfriends Day 2026Registration for Grandparents and Grandfriends day on April 22, 2026 is open!
- AIS Global Intensive: SpainFollow along with the students of the 2026 MPS AIS Global Intensive course “Confluence of Culture, Faith, and Innovation” as they reflect on their travel to Spain!
- Reunion Weekend 2026Classes ending in 1 or 6, save the date for Reunion Weekend 2026: October 16-18, 2026.
- It’s Time to Bring Back Epistemology; Feel Free to Call It Media LiteracyWe may not use the term “epistemology,” but that’s exactly what the students are studying: theories of truth and strategies for uncovering it amid both technological noise and intentional deception.
