Almost all the sports teams on campus have used the weight room at one time or another. However, the weight room had not been upgraded in almost 10 years until Athletic Director and varsity football assistant coach David Langdon stepped in this year and led the redesigning of the weight room. With the help of an anonymous donor, the all-new weight room was redesigned and given a fresh coat of paint.
According to Langdon, the redesign of the new weight room was old and well overdue. The equipment was getting old, and an upgrade was needed for safety purposes. The redesign will give athletes a more efficient experience in the weight room.
“It will be better for our student-athletes and our P.E. classes,” Langdon said. “You’re going to have new equipment that has more functionality to it.”
Not only was new equipment added, but the room itself was redone. It was completely stripped down and repainted. Then a new floor, lights, and ceiling tiles were all put in. They also put in diamond plates onto the bottom part of the walls.
Previously, the weight room had three full power racks, which are used for squatting and benching, and three half racks, which are used for just benching. The new weight room will include six full power racks and six half racks. This was made possible because the platforms that held the racks were taken out during the redesign, which cleared out space. Because of the new space, the occupancy increased from 24 to 48 athletes, and the number of racks has doubled.
“I’m excited for the weight room to be completely done because the new equipment is going to be a lot nicer than the old equipment and there will be more space for the athletes,” sophomore weightlifter Jordan Acker said.
One of the sports that use the weight room the most is weight lifting. The new weight room design will not affect how the weight lifting meets are held during the season. The regular season meets will be held as usual in the weight room. Postseason meets will be set up in the DAC as they have been in the past.
“It’ll be a more efficient use of our practice time, so there will be more time actually lifting weights and less time waiting for an open spot,” varsity boys weightlifting head coach Isiah Cabal said. “I think anytime you can get more reps and get a barbell in your hands or weight on your shoulder to squat, you’re going to get stronger.”
With the new sports season coming up, the new redesign will give athletes and coaches more opportunities than they have ever had before.
“I think the new weight room will be a big help this year, and we’ll be able to get a lot stronger than we were last year,” Acker said.
