A Temecula teen who scored a college scholarship as he stacked up winning sports seasons says a newly-opened gym played a key role in his academic, athletic and community achievements.

In just a few months, Christian "Bubba" Luna and his family and others in a two-county region have cemented deep ties with a youth-oriented gym that places an equal importance on athletics and academics. It has also provided lessons on respect, maturity and community service.

"This program has been very important to me," said Luna, who snared an athletic scholarship offer from the University of Hawaii after his junior year as the starting quarterback for Great Oak High School. "I’ve matured a lot. I’ve learned respect for my family and teachers and how to be a role model."

Luna went on to lead his team to a 6-5 record as a senior, throwing for 524 yards running for 522 yards. He also boosted his grade point average from 2.67 to about 3.5 as the football season hit high gear.

"I always dreamed of getting a scholarship and it came through," he said in a recent interview. "All the hard work paid off."

Receiving a scholarship was a godsend, said the teen’s parents. His mother, Lourdes, works as a mortgage loan processor. Her husband, Ray, works as a sales representative for Behr paints. Bubba, who got his nickname as a child, is the second oldest of the couple’s five children. Ray is known in the family as "big Bubba."

"When that (scholarship) call came through, it felt like a big relief," Lourdes Luna recalled. "I’m in the lending business, and things aren’t too hot right now."

She and her husband credit Prodigy Athletes – which opened in a Temecula commercial center last fall – with much of their son’s success on and off the field.

The 7,500-square-foot gym – which moved from Orange County and has trained more than 15,000 athletes over the years in its classes, camps and clinics – is located in a Temecula commercial area that flanks Madison Avenue.

"It’s really changed my son, all my sons," Lourdes Luna said. "They all go here. They learn how to be responsible for themselves as a student first and then as an athlete."

Ray Luna said his son has also picked up helpful leadership and mentoring skills.

"It’s something that’s improved him in all aspects," he said.

Other parents have provided similar observations of the gym that has lined a wall with computer terminals for athletes to chip away at their homework and also join forces with other students and parents in tackling group projects.

Greg and Sheryl Gay are pleased with their son’s athletic gains and his jump from a 2.5 GPA to a 3.66. They said the benefits gained from hard work, discipline and focus have spilled over into the classroom.

Other observers also praise the gym’s community and family focus.

"This is one of the best training programs I have seen Advertisement

Shriners Hospital for Children on the whole West Coast," said Billy Jo Hobert, a former National Football League quarterback who played with the Raiders, Bills, Saints and Colts.

"The emphasis on citizenship, academics, leadership as well as physical skills development makes this program a real winner," he said.

The Luna family got a first-hand look at Prodigy’s commitment to community service following the earthquake and tsunami flooding that devastated much of Samoa shortly after the gym opened.

The 8.0-magnitude quake was one of the largest recorded worldwide last year, and it triggered four tsunami waves that traveled as far inland as one mile. Whole villages were destroyed, and more than 100 people were killed and hundreds more were reported missing after the disaster.

Bubba and brothers Cameron and Carson Luna lost a cousin, a mother of eight children, in the cataclysm. Prodigy Coach Marcus Leli also lost a cousin. As a result, the gym helped coordinate the shipment of Inland Empire donations to the stricken region.

Gym families collected cash, clothing, cooking utensils, diapers, toiletries and other items for the emergency effort.

"It hit close to home," said Lourdes Luna, who traces her cultural roots to the South Pacific archipelago.

For some visitors, the gym might fall short of their equipment expectations. Unlike many gyms that seem to be filled from one wall to another with workout machines, Prodigy relies less on weights and more on agility and speed drills.

"Within a year, every kid in town is going to be with this gym," predicted parent Tony Goodwin. "It’s going to pop."

His son, Anthony "Chief" Goodwin, has been Bubba Luna’s teammate and running partner since the pair played Mighty Mites football. The elder Goodwin said his son also hopes to snare a college football scholarship.

The gym partners with FullRidePlayer.com, a college scholarship and recruiting assistance service. Troy Lau, founder of Prodigy Athletes and its key coach, said colleges today are seeking more than mere speed and power.

"It’s not always the most talented kids who get the scholarships," Lau said in an interview. "The (college) recruiters say: ‘How are his skills? How are his hips? How are his grades? Tell me about his parents. They want good kids who are coachable and are going to do the job in the classroom."

He described Luna as "an innocent kid" who is determined to work harder than anyone else on the field or in the gym.

"I tell these kids that they (colleges) don’t hand these scholarships to everyone. If you want to be different, you have to act different," Lau said. "Solid academics is what it takes. Football is the easy part. Kids don’t realize that."

For his part, Luna said he is angling for a shot at pro football. Becoming a firefighter is his backup plan.

"I’m young. I know that," he said. "They’ve made me believe I can do what I need to do. It (pro sports) is the dream of every athlete."