Most students at Shadow Ridge High School are aware that the school possesses a weight room. What most students aren’t aware of is that this weight room is available for all students to use if they join the Fitness Club.
The Fitness Club began as an initiative by Coach Mac, who wanted to provide students with equal access to fitness resources.
“Not every student can make it to the gym or afford a gym membership,” states Shadow Ridge Fitness Club advisor Heather McEnaney. “Due to these reasons, I thought, why can’t we open up the weight room for our students after school? Plus, it is a great way to help build a healthy school community.”
“The weight room is open for students/staff to freely use all gym equipment in room 501,” states McEnaney. “Fitness Club is Monday and Tuesday after school until May 13.”
Since there aren’t any membership fees, students also get the chance to save money while staying active. With the club being based in the weight room, which is on campus, it removes the need to commute to a gym allowing students to save time and money.
Shadow Ridge High School junior, Jesse Ampong, states, “The Fitness Club is an excellent way to keep in shape, create camaraderie between others, and is an effective use of time outside of school. As a competitor for JROTC’s Physical Fitness Club, it has helped me to improve my scores for the military standard. On top of all of this, Coach McEnaney has given excellent tips on maximizing strength and using proper technique.”
The Fitness Club also provides a fitness focused community which is always growing.
“We started in October and are slowly increasing our numbers,” states Coach Mac. “We have a different amount of people attending for each of the days as many of our members are involved in other clubs/extracurricular activities.”
In order to join, students must fill out the proper paperwork which includes both a medical form, and a club code of conduct. Once this is all filled out, students gain access to a wide array of equipment including, barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, wall balls, slam balls, resistance bands, jump ropes, plyo boxes, assault bikes, and row machines.
Moving away from physical fitness, the Fitness Club offers numerous other benefits. Members can meet new people, improve their mental health, improve their brain health, and establish healthy habits.
The club places an emphasis on flexibility. Students are not required to attend every meeting. This allows students to attend meetings as their schedules permit. This approach widens the scale of students able to utilize the Fitness Club, even if extracurricular activities happen on the same days.
For students and staff looking to focus on their health and save money while doing so, the Fitness Club offers a welcoming community open to all.
