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Turning Hard Work Into All-Conference Honors
At 5’10”, Kai VanderKodde knows what people see when they look at him.
A guard. A shooter.
A shorter kid in a big man’s game.
What they don’t see is what he’s been quietly building since February of his Freshman year at NorthPointe Christian High School — in the weight room, on the court before anyone else arrives, and inside a discipline that most athletes his age don’t yet understand.
At 110 pounds as a Freshman, Kai walked into PowerStrength with a clear-eyed assessment of himself and a plan to do something about it.
Two years later, he walks into every gym as a 3-year Varsity starter, a Junior team captain, a 1st Team All-Conference honoree — and one of the most complete players in his conference.
He didn’t grow taller.
He just made sure nothing else held him back.
WHY HE CAME IN
Kai doesn’t sugarcoat it.
“I’m small height-wise,” he said. “So I need to do everything I can to be the best I can. Catch up with other people who have more of an advantage than me.”
When Kai showed up at PowerStrength, his goal wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t about looking bigger or lifting more than his teammates.
It was about defense.
“Be able to defend, honestly,” Kai said when asked about his goal when starting at PowerStrength. “Because I’m smaller. When I didn’t weigh much, I couldn’t stay in front of my guy, defend, rebound, or box out. So that’s a big thing.”
He knew that at his size, being a scorer wasn’t enough. If he couldn’t guard, he couldn’t play.
And if he couldn’t play, he couldn’t reach his goal of playing college basketball.
So he got to work.
THE FOUNDATION WAS ALREADY THERE
To understand Kai VanderKodde, you have to understand what happened during COVID.
While most kids were on the couch, Kai — then in 5th grade — went outside every single day with a basketball and a spreadsheet.
“Every day, he started a spreadsheet,” Kai’s mom, Tricia, said. “He would do his stats. He’d take 20 shots from each spot and write down his makes.”
That’s when something clicked.
“He was like, ‘This is what I want to do, and I want to do everything to get better at it,’” Tricia added. “So throughout time, it’s been adding weight training, personal training, nutrition, and sleeping habits. He really looks at the big picture.”
By the time Kai walked into PowerStrength as a Freshman, he wasn’t looking for motivation.
He was looking for the right environment to channel what was already inside him.
He found it.
35 POUNDS OF MUSCLE — AND EVERYTHING THAT CAME WITH IT
Since February of his Freshman year, Kai has added 35 pounds of muscle to his frame — going from 110 pounds to 145.
But the number on the scale tells only part of the story.
“Everything I feel has gone up a lot,” Kai said.
Speed. Strength. Explosiveness. The ability to fight through contact, finish at the rim, and hold his ground defensively against players who have four or five inches on him.
“He is stronger. He’s quicker,” Tricia said. Physically, you can see a difference in him on the court for sure.”
His coach at NorthPointe Christian noticed it too. So did opposing coaches.
So did the All-Conference voters who named Kai to the OK Silver 1st Team this season.
THE CONFIDENCE NOBODY GAVE HIM
Ask Kai what the biggest change has been, and he doesn’t hesitate.
It’s the confidence.
“Knowing all the work that I’ve put in — the mental side too, from all the work and lifting — it gets me going,” Kai said.
That confidence was built rep by rep, session by session, over two years of showing up and doing the work.
Tricia has watched it happen in real time.
“With the reps and the way the coaches push you here, Kai responds really well to that,” she said. “It continues to give Kai confidence.”
This season, Kai was named team captain — a Junior leading a Varsity program. His coach has never named a Junior captain before in his entire coaching career.
WHAT MAKES POWERSTRENGTH DIFFERENT
Kai has never questioned whether the investment in PowerStrength was worth it.
He trains during the season. Two sessions per week, even when games are stacking up.
In the off-season, he trains four sessions per week.
“I don’t like taking off even two weeks from working out,” he said. “When I come back, I get sore. I just like staying in my rhythm.”
That rhythm is fueled by the coaches who know him, push him, and hold him to a standard.
“I love the coaches. They push me, get me to work as hard as I can.”
IS IT WORTH IT?
When the VanderKodde family first looked into PowerStrength, they asked the same question many families ask.
Can it really be that much better than other options that may cost less?
Tricia now has a clear answer.
“We are slowly adding in members of our family, and it is worth it. It does work,” she said.
Today, four members of the VanderKodde family train at PowerStrength — Kai, Tricia, her husband Kyle, and youngest son Zay.
Kai was the one who started it all.
According to Tricia, “He was like, ‘I want to go here. I want to work out at PowerStrength.’ He said, ‘That’s where everybody goes to get better.’”
THE ROAD AHEAD
Kai VanderKodde wants to play college basketball.
He’s already in conversations with programs. He’s targeting D3 and NAIA opportunities — and with his trajectory, the list of interested schools figures to grow.
“College players are just getting older and bigger,” he said. “I started my Freshman year. If I can just keep getting stronger and bigger, it’ll help me.”
Tricia is confident he’s ahead of the curve.
“He’s ahead of the game with a lot of players with how much he comes and trains in the weight room. The discipline he’s learned here — that he thrives on — is going to easily move over into a college program for him.”
For anyone considering PowerStrength — regardless of sport, size, or current ability level — Kai keeps it simple.
“Be ready to work. It’s going to be hard, but you’ll have fun, and the results are going to show.”
GET STARTED AT POWERSTRENGTH
4th–12th grade athletes of all sports and abilities can sign up at PowerStrength at any time while spots remain. Choose the PowerStrength location most convenient for you – Alpine, Kentwood, Jenison, Plainfield, Holland, or Byron Center.
Visit powerstrengthpro.com/athlete/contact to learn more or click below to schedule your assessment and get started.