The weight room has been different this year compared to any other year. Because of COVID-19, restrictions have been implemented around what can and cannot be done, and it is currently closed to students. This year, students have to sign up for a time to use it, and cannot just show up. There is a capacity restriction of only 20 students at a time in the weight room.

“Currently, the weight room is not open to students.  If we are allowed to open back up, the weight room is open before school at 6:00 a.m. and after school from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday,” said Tyler Hanson, the strength and conditioning teacher.

Everyone is trying to keep the students and staff safe. There have been extra precautions put in place so students can keep themselves and others safe.

“For any workouts inside, including the weight room, basketball, boys volleyball, anything like that, you have to wear a mask inside as of right now. That’s one of the mitigations from the governor. Kids need to make sure we clean all the equipment between use, so in the weight room we have spray cleaner that has been deemed safe for COVID. Our maintenance department makes sure that we have that. All of the weights, bars, everything needs to be sprayed down between usage,” said Tina Woolard, the athletic director.

Not only are they making sure equipment is clean, they are also taking temperatures and limiting the number of people in the weight room.

“The number one rule is to be safe. This not only applies to lifting safety but also social distancing, wearing masks, and sanitizing your areas and equipment after use,” Hanson said.

“We are taking students’ and staff’s temperatures, asking COVID contact questions, sanitizing all equipment before and after use, limiting bodies in the room, and social distancing,” Hanson said.

Junior Emily Larrivee regularly attends the weight room at school. She believes that the weight room and working out is important and can help make her feel better.

“Through weightlifting, I am able to start working on who I want to be. Caring deeply about a sport is like being given endless opportunities to find out who you are at your lowest and highest points and adapt it. Am I becoming argumentative or sulky when things don’t go my way? How can I shift my focus from the negative to the positive? How can I better myself? What do I need to change to be a better version of myself? I sincerely believe how you approach something you care about (it doesn’t always have to be sports) carries over to the rest of your life,” Larrivee said.

Larrivee would love to see more students come into the weight room. The weight room – and especially working out – helped her gain confidence and meet new people.

“I would love to see more students coming to the weight room. For me, lifting weights and working out has opened a bunch of different opportunities and increased my confidence. I would love to see more people taking advantage of the space and starting to build their confidence as well,”  Larrivee said.

Even though the weight room is closed there are still many ways to workout at home and keep oneself ready for when it opens back up. Typically, the weight room is open to all, and welcomes everyone to come in.