Madison County Red Raiders

by Ben Munro

$40,000 project will give MCHS teams two workout rooms  

Rather than Extreme Home Makeover, it will be extreme weight room makeover this summer at Madison County High School.

The school is undergoing an approximate $40,000 project to revamp the current weight room and build a new facility in what was the high school’s band room (The band is moving to the freshmen academy building).

“It gives us a weight room at both gyms,” Madison County High School athletic director and football coach Randell Owens said Monday as weightlifting equipment arrived on-site.

The current weight room is connected to the Freshmen Academy gym, or what was formerly the middle school gym, while the new weight room will be located close to the high school gym.

Owens expects weight room upgrades to be completed, at the latest, by mid-August. The project, which helps meet Title IX gender equity guidelines, was funded through a combination of money raised through the touchdown club, community donations and funds from the board of education.

The Madison County football team will still occupy the current weight room, but have a much more improved space in which to workout. The football Raiders, as well as other sports programs, will benefit from 14 multi-purpose stations, which will allow for more efficient workouts and use of floor space.

Players will be able work exclusively at one station, rather than frequently switching locations for bench press, squats and incline repetitions.

“We can do all our lifting in one spot without having to change stations,” Owens said.
In the past, boys’ and girls’ athletic teams have had to schedule lifting sessions around each other. But having two facilities will alleviate that.

Raider softball coach Doug Kesler said that Owens has always been very accommodating in making the weight room accessible to his teams, but said the extra space will make scheduling easier.

“As far as when you look at all the teams, it’s going to look a lot better logistically for everybody involved having access to two weight rooms,” Kesler said.

Madison County girls’ head basketball coach Dan Lampe said weightlifting has become very much a part of the girls’ game today and is happy to see the expansion of the facilities. He said the availability of the new facility will allow his players getting into a more regular routine in the offseason.

“It will be nice for next summer,” said Lampe, whose team is coming off a run to the Final Four. “We’ll be able to seamlessly work our way through.”

Lampe said the upgrades should be beneficial to the athletic program, across the board, noting another plus of an additional facility.

“The girls’ biggest thing is that they (want) to have it so they can keep it clean. Guys don’t usually worry too much about that,” Lampe joked.

Owens notes that expanded weightlifting space will also benefit the physical education program, providing an entire extra class space.