Aspire
Want something specific
Starting spot. A faster forty. A varsity roster. Athletes train differently when the goal has a name, so we ask for one on day one.
Home / About
Meet the coaches at Elite Speed in Granite City
Aspire. Achieve. Advance. A former McKendree offensive coordinator, an All-Conference football and track athlete out of Belleville West, and a CEO who still runs the receiver group himself.
5.0 from 11 Google reviewsFirst session $0From $30 a month
[ 01 ] Why we exist
What is Elite Speed?
Elite Speed is an athletic training program in Granite City, Illinois that coaches speed and agility, position-specific football and sport-specific speed for athletes across the metro-east. Six coaches run the floor, the membership works like a gym instead of a season, and every athlete’s first session is free.
Coach Eric Bergman came to Elite Speed from McKendree University, where he was the Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line coach, and Coach Pierre Tucker was All-Conference in both football and track and field at Belleville West, part of BTHS District 201.
The mission, word for word
Elite Speed aims to deliver the highest quality of speed and agility training, and to provide exposure through education, leadership, discipline and motivation, so every athlete who participates leaves not only a better athlete but a better person. The goal is to serve boys and girls in the St. Louis Metropolitan area.
What that looks like on a Tuesday night
Groups run 1 to 15 athletes. A coach watches one kid at a time and corrects one thing at a time, which is the difference between coaching and a drill video. Nobody gets run into the ground for the sake of looking tired at the end.
Training happens indoors on turf, year round, so February does not cancel anything. Boys and girls come in from Granite City, Edwardsville, Collinsville, Belleville, O’Fallon, Glen Carbon, Troy, Maryville and Alton, and they get the same session in the middle of winter that they get in July.
Speed and agility runs as three separate classes: Boys, Girls and Youth Coed. The girls’ class is not a footnote here. It has its own floor time, its own group and its own coaching.
What we coach
- Footwork, running form, and the first three steps out of a stance
- Position-specific football: wide receiver, running back, defensive back, linebacker, offensive line
- Sport-specific speed for baseball, softball, basketball, soccer and track
- Elite Speed 7v7, the competitive off-season football program
[ 02 ] Three words
Aspire. Achieve. Advance.
Three words carry the program, and they are also the order the work happens in.
Achieve
Fix one thing at a time
Progress is not a highlight reel. It is a knee drive that finally looks right, then an arm action, then a cut that does not lose a step.
Advance
Leave better than an athlete
Education, leadership, discipline and motivation are in the mission for a reason. The sport ends for everybody eventually. The habits do not.
[ 03 ] Six coaches
The six on the turf
Six coaches on the floor, plus a 7v7 staff that runs three age brackets. Your kid will know their names by the second session.
[ 04 ] Credentials
Where the coaching comes from
Craig James coaches 18U defense in the 7v7 program. Justin Johnson Sr., Sherond Boyd and James Walker coach alongside the three below.
Cameron “CJ” James
- Chief Executive OfficerElite Speed
- Head Coach and DirectorElite Speed 7v7
- Runs Wide Receiver training himselfMondays and Wednesdays, 7-8pm
- 18U offense7v7 program
Eric Bergman
- Former Offensive CoordinatorMcKendree University
- Former Offensive Line coachMcKendree University
- Division 1 playing experience
- O-line program serves St. Clair and Clinton County
Pierre Tucker
- East St. Louis native
- Belleville West High School2009 to 2013
- All-Conference in footballAnd in track & field
[ 05 ] Questions
About this place
Who runs Elite Speed?
Cameron James, known as Coach CJ, is the Chief Executive Officer of Elite Speed. He is also the Head Coach and Director of the Elite Speed 7v7 program, and he personally runs the Wide Receiver training every Monday and Wednesday from 7:00pm to 8:00pm.
What is Elite Speed’s mission?
Elite Speed aims to deliver the highest quality of speed and agility training, and to provide exposure through education, leadership, discipline and motivation, so every athlete who participates leaves not only a better athlete but a better person. The goal is to serve boys and girls in the St. Louis Metropolitan area.
Who coaches at Elite Speed?
Six coaches run the floor at Elite Speed: Cameron James, Justin Johnson Sr., Eric Bergman, Pierre Tucker, Sherond Boyd and James Walker. Eric Bergman is a former McKendree University offensive coordinator and offensive line coach with Division 1 playing experience. Pierre Tucker was All-Conference in both football and track at Belleville West.
Where is Elite Speed and when is it open?
Elite Speed trains at 3985 Horseshoe Lake Rd, Granite City, IL 62040. The building is open Monday through Thursday from 4:00pm to 9:00pm and Saturday from 9:00am to 12:00pm, and closed Friday and Sunday. Training is indoors on turf, so the session in February looks like the session in July.
[ 06 ] Start here
Come meet them in person
The first session is free and there is nothing to sign. Bring your athlete, watch the hour, and see how the coaches talk to the kids.
5.0 from 11 Google reviewsFirst session $0From $30 a month