The Arrowhead weight room has been a special place for a large variety of students for years. A practical location for students and staff to stay in shape, improve their strength and performance, or make up a gym class. Students often stay after school to use the facilities whether it’s conditioning, sport specific workouts, rehabilitation, or recreation. It is used for many different objectives by all different kinds of people.

Well that tradition is about to change. First year English teacher and football coach, Greg Malling has implemented ‘conditioning club’, a training program designed to increase athletes conditioning and performance. Although this program seems like an opportunity for athletes to get involved and better themselves together, starting Monday, March 19^th, on at least Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays; students have been kicked out of the weight room who will not be participating in ‘conditioning club’ and stripped of their right to use the facilities after school.

This significant change has enraged many frequent weight room users seeking answers from athletic directors and administration. To me and many others, this just seems unjust. How can the school weight room be selfishly isolated to just one program? Sure, run the training program, but you cannot kick out other deserving students.

“It’s really a shame that the seniors are getting thrown aside and forgotten about. We all have busted our tails in the weight room day in and day out for a varsity sport, and now our right to lift after school is being taken away?” Said senior Eric Rabas, a former football player.

The initial program was started up early winter after the football season in the fall. It consisted of merely returning football players taught by merely football coaches. When the group would come into the weight room, much of the equipment and space would be taken over and students in the club seemed to arrogantly and inconsiderately have little respect for other athletes trying to use the weight room. Coach Malling wants to make it clear that ‘conditioning club’ is open to everyone and anyone who wants to join. But being a consistent weight room user I have seen firsthand it consists of majority if not all football players. Maybe that will change and other athletes will join the program…maybe not.

At this point the weight room was shared as you would expect. However, the facilities will now be open to just students in the conditioning club until 4pm. How can somebody be okay with taking away students’ ability to use the weight room after school?

Many students feel betrayed and have decided to take their workouts elsewhere and join a private gym. This of course comes with a cost that some aren’t willing to pay or feel they shouldn’t have to. Seniors Brain Thomas and Brandon Belman say they plan on joining Anytime Fitness. Belman just won a power lifting team state championship, in which he trained for in the school weight room.

You may ask…how come you just don’t workout at 4? I will tell you exactly why that will not consistently work for most students and especially upper-classmen that are being affected by this change. First off, going home in between is not only unpractical and a waste of time, but extremely expensive with already outrageous gas prices on the rise. Secondly, this limits the ability to hold a part time job while keeping a consistent workout routine. Many people including myself start our shifts at 4pm, 430pm, etc. Perhaps those dedicated to the ‘conditioning club’ and may not hold jobs should have the weight room at 4pm.

You may ask…how come you don’t participate with this training program? Don’t get me wrong here; this program appears elite for conditioning and performance and has been greatly researched, but it is not for everyone. Arrowhead along with any school consists of too diverse of a population of students and athletes, boys and girls, to fit into one routine. There are people doing specialized workouts for their own objectives. People doing rehab who definitely need their own routine. And people who just want to stay in shape or get ready for swimsuit season. The fact of the matter is; you can say everybody should join the club, but it just won’t happen and frankly can’t happen. After all, isn’t Arrowhead’s motto “Abundant opportunities for everyone”?