HARRISON, Ohio – Harrison High School football coach Derek Rehage can’t say enough about the school’s new weight room.
“It’s just a great place,” said Rehage.
The Wildcats open the season Friday night against visiting Loveland – the first of three consecutive home games to start the new school year. The strength and conditioning needed to prepare for a season have certainly been key to the team’s preparation for the season.
“The new space has changed the way our entire school thinks about weight lifting,” Rehage said. “Not just for the football team, but for everyone, including all of the students. We have a strength training class where 200 students lift weights every day.”
Between morning strength training and after school, 300 students use the weight room.
“The feedback has been overwhelming,” said Kris Niehaus, Harrison’s assistant principal. “Their enthusiasm for weightlifting has reached a new level. Parents have also given great feedback and shared their excitement that their children have the opportunity and the tools to push themselves even further. Coaches are also excited that their athletes now have ‘the best’ to train with.”
The renovation project was launched in February and fundraising, design and installation were completed on August 7. The total cost of the project was nearly $300,000.
“Funding came from 50% county funds and 50% private donations,” Niehaus said. “Many community members, staff and local businesses supported the project either financially or through their services.”
The weight room is housed in the same freestanding building near the stadium, but what is inside is now a state-of-the-art facility. It doubles as a classroom with seven classes per day.
The new equipment not only makes time management easier for student athletes, but is also seen by students as a more attractive place to be during class.
“Sorinex is one of the leading weight room manufacturers in the country,” said Niehaus. “They have completed numerous professional and collegiate weight rooms. By working with them, we have been able to provide our students with the best equipment available.”
Rehage said the room had “the best equipment far and wide.”
“It’s amazing to know that our kids at Harrison are training with the same equipment as the pros,” Rehage said.
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