Onix Salva's Speed Island off to a running start

You come back, and you help at home. That’s what Onix Salva learned from his coaches when he was an athlete at Malverne High School and that’s exactly what he’s doing today.

His training company, Speed Island, is making major waves for athletes in Malverne, Lakeview and beyond.

“(I’m most proud of) the growth of Speed Island within the first year,” Salva said. “Because it encompasses so much. As a young coach, I went through a lot and I sacrificed a lot. And seeing the growth and success of the athletes, that’s probably what I’m most successful about right now.”

He started the training company almost exactly one year ago. He coached track and field at Malverne High School, his alma mater, before going on to coach in Huntington. Under his guidance, the teams won division and state championships, and produced multiple All-Americans, but Salva wanted to do more.

He put out an invitation for athletes to train with him over the summer. He envisioned a small group — and then 40 students showed up. From there, Speed Island snowballed.

Colbert Britt was Salva’s coach during his time as a Malverne Mule. Britt taught Salva the coaching priorities that he carries with him to this day.

“Seeing the success of Speed Island means that I made Coach Britt proud,” he said. “And I’m making a positive impact on student athletes’ lives, and their parents.

“I was on the other side of it. So I know how an educator and a coach can impact someone’s life, because he completely changed the direction of my life.”

One of Salva’s most important pillars of coaching? Being successful on the field means being successful in the classroom, too.

Before athletes can start with Speed Island, they need to submit their academic transcript and show proof that they have a 70 or above average in every class. Salva checks grades every quarter.

“I’m focused on training the whole person, not just the athlete,” Salva said. “I want people to say, if they see an athlete that goes to Speed Island, automatically I want them to know, ‘OK, so they got good grades, they’re good academically, and they’re serious about their craft. It’s more than sports for me.”

His mentees are already becoming successful in a big way. One track star, Analise Batista, has a shot at the Olympics this year. But two athletes in particular really exemplify what Salva is all about.

Lyrick Samuel, a high school junior, one of the top ranked football players in the state, is fielding offers from Syracuse University and Michigan State. Josiah Brown, who graduated early from Malverne High School, secured a full athletic scholarship to play football at Penn State University, where he is currently a freshman. Both students are from Lakeview.“The thing about Coach is when we get together and we train, we don’t just focus on training,” Brown said. “We talk about real life problems, and things of that nature. He’s helped me. He gave me good lesons about general life.”

One of the biggest pillars of Salva’s coaching philosophy is help your home.

“I come from humble beginnings,” Salva said. “And I always remind myself that that’s why I am where I am. So this is special. That’s what that was about. You always had to come back and help out home, and not forget where you come from.”