Tom Gormely: Setting the Standard for Athletic Performance and Sports Science

Introduction

Caleb Williams, the first overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft, is a player you have undoubtedly heard of. Anthony Richardson, the quarterback for the Colts and the third overall pick in the previous draft, may be familiar to you. How about quarterback Brock Purdy, who this past season guided his team to the Super Bowl?

One thing unites all three players: they work with Tom Gormely, a rising star in Ponte Vedra Beach's sports science, rehabilitation, performance, and training communities.

"They performed, they got better, and a lot of them did really well on Sunday," Gormely stated. "It kind of adds fuel to the fire by demonstrating that, yes, the system we developed can actually help an athlete develop over time."

From local athlete to national athlete

From its inception in 2017 with one local high school baseball player, the system has expanded to become one of the nation's most well-known and reliable infrastructures for athletic performance.

Athletes from all over come to exercise, learn, and recover with Gormely at Cortx's about 5,000-square-foot facility in St. Johns County. He is the creator and owner of Cortx, a company that combines athletic performance and physical treatment. Professional athletes Purdy, Richardson, and Williams are among the more well-known names on the roster. Still, local high school players—both rising stars and up-and-comers—are also included.

Gormely's system can be as sophisticated or as simple as needed, and it is customized for every athlete. During a Tuesday workout at Cortx, an athlete performed a set of weightlifting repetitions while having an iPad display real-time information about each lift next to him. Gormely's method can provide an NFL quarterback with comprehensive 3D biomechanic breakdowns to aid in injury rehabilitation or to improve throwing motion. Gormely provides a ramp-up schedule for baseball pitchers based on their individual athlete's workup at the beginning of the season.

Future of Cortx

"You have to provide something special and distinct to an athlete, particularly a professional athlete who can train and recover anywhere in the world," Gormely stated. "You should strive to be the best at your work in the same manner that they are."

Cortex trains about 35 professional athletes a year, most of them baseball or football players. Although Gormely works with each athlete individually, he stated that significantly more specialization is needed for the entire operation than he can offer.

Working with quarterbacks, Denny Thompson and Will Hewlett are among the best in their long-standing fields. Andrew Duong and Gormely are the physical therapists. Cortex contracts out other parts of the company, such as their collaboration with Jenna Braddock for nutrition, Dr. Scott Dixon at Integrative Physical Therapy for dry needling, and Chad Wheeler at Muscle Wrx for massage therapy.

Gormely declared, "You need on-field skill acquisition coaches. "Training is necessary on the side. It takes tissue, dry needling, bodywork, rehabilitation, and other components to create an ecosystem that these elite athletes can access.