GALION — Students weren’t in school for about three months while they enjoyed their summer break. But that doesn’t mean there was nothing happening with Galion City Schools.
For the second year in a row,the football statium at Heise Park received a summer upgrade. Last year it was the new press box. This summer the new weight room was equipped and unveiled.
The weight room in the stadium has been vastly improved, thanks to the help of Galion coaches, students, parents’ clubs and many others in the Galion community.
New equipment arrived just in time for the start of preseason conditioning and workouts for Galion’s fall sports teams. That equipment — which cost a little more than$15,000 — has given coaches the ability to run smoother, safer workout sessions for more athletes.
“The equipment we had been using ranges from 15 years to more than 30 years old,” said head wrestling coach Brent Tyrrell. “We service anywhere from 20 to 60 kids at one time in the weight room. We only had four stations to use for squat and four for bench until the purchase of 11 new stations.”
The new equipment is a combination of many different weightlifting movements, which allow for more efficient use of the small space available beneath the home bleachers at Unckrich Stadium.
“The new weight equipment is really nice,” said sophomore football player Wyatt Hollis. “It helps us get done with our workouts a lot quicker.”
“Our Gridiron Club was the leading donor, giving $4,500 toward the purchase,” said Galion Athletic Director Kyle Baughn. “The athletic department contributed $1,500, and the remaining balance was paid for by parent organizations of the football, volleyball, track and cross country, wrestling, baseball, softball and boys basketball programs. It was truly a team effort.
“The community helped get this project completed, but we didn’t want to completely rely on them to get the job done,” Baughn added. “We wanted it to be a complete athletic department team effort, and most of the teams supported the cause.”
USA Strength and Performance manufactured the new weight room equipment. While the company is relatively new, the quality of the equipment is superior to that of other manufacturers researched by the athletic department.
“The weight room is now able to handle larger groups safely,” said Tyrrell. “The quality of the new equipment will service our district for many years — well beyond my 20-plus more years as a teacher and a coach.”
Two small fundraisers were conducted to help raise funds for the new equipment.
The first was the Gridiron Club spaghetti dinner and raffle. The second was the Booster Club Drive.
“It’s great equipment and helps everyone involved in athletics,” said sophomore football player Matthew Oehrli. “It was great that all the booster clubs, parent organizations and Galion community pitched in to purchase the new equipment. It’s very helpful.”
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