Thursday, June 13, 2013

June 13, 2013

As the school year winds down to a close, so does another year in the LCI Fitness Center.  We have seen a ton of changes this year in the facility.  Improvements are evident everywhere and things are looking better than ever!!  I am already getting excited for what next year will bring.

Some of the changes and progress we saw this year were:
- Huge support from the LCI Alumni and Booster Association with the purchase of 5 - Concept 2 rowers (funding donated by Vivint.) and replacement of all benches in the facility.  A huge, huge boost to the ability to deliver safe and effective training.
- Addition of a strider (donated by Keith Fowler)
- Securing of funding for 500 lbs of bumper plate weight in low denominations to be able to allow both male and female lifters to be met with success and learn proper technique with weights they are able to manage.
- We received a much needed paint job on the walls that brightened the room up considerably making the space much more inviting
- Community support came from Patrick Bartoshyk who coached Wednesdays and brought CrossFit knowledge and his own flare to the facility. A second community support came from Andrew Fitzgerald who brought his strength training and powerlifting knowledge to the facility.  Both individuals spent countless hours programming and working with individuals in the facility to help foster life long active and healthy living.
- Details, details, details.  Many minor details that are often overlooked were taken care of this year.  A revamp to the Fitness Center website, numbers painted on boxes, improvement to the sound system, skipping ropes, stretching mats, and the list goes on

As for next year and why I am so excited well, it requires a second list of items:
- The treadmill wall will see improvements with the addition of matting along the treadmill wall to improve the safety of that specific area
- The floor has seen some repairs and next year will feature lines that allow for 2 Broad jump testing stations, 2 agility ladders and 2 rows of agility dots built right in
- The North wall will see the addition of smooth plywood for students to work on handstands, handstand push ups, mobility exercises (ie.squat therapy)
- The Buy A Bar program is just getting under way and will be in place over Summer.  The program kick off will be set for September of the 2013/2014 school year.  This program will be seeking donations of bars at 22/33/45 lbs in order to further facilitate the education of weightlifting and building skills of fitness that the LCI community can utilize for the rest of their lives.  This is an amazing opportunity and more information can be viewed by clicking the Buy A Bar Link on the home page.  Anyone interested in participating can contact me any time over the Summer at cory.gillespie@lethsd.ab.ca

Next year the LCI Fitness Center will be moving away from the Conquest Conditioning namesake that it has utilized over the past 5 years.  In order to foster more inclusion, make the space seem more welcoming and provide easier access to information about the fitness center, the name change just makes sense.  Currently the site is sporting the first of a few different banner designs, but the name will hold despite image changes to the site and banner.

Keep training and staying healthy over the Summer and with no surgeries on the horizon and a healthy body underneath me, there is nothing we cannot accomplish together.  See you all in the new school year.