Portland High School seeking upgrades to weight room

School is out for the summer, but that doesn’t mean students aren’t using the facilities. In particular, the Portland High School weight room.

It’s being used and being used a lot. So much in fact that it’s time for some new equipment.

The Portland Athletic Association is fundraising in order to purchase new equipment for the weight room.

Much of the current equipment is in bad shape after continuous years of use.

Currently, more than 100 athletes use the facility.

A newsletter was sent out recently, asking for donations from the community to help replace the outdated and worn out equipment.

“My goal for the weight room is to assist athletes in reaching their athletic potential,” said Bill Nowak, who is running the room this summer. “Nowadays, a big part of that is weight t raining. That is where the need for an upgraded weight room begins.”

Nowak boasts that confidence, strength, speed, team bonding, perseverance, focus/concentration and just some old fashioned tenacity can all be achieved in the weight room.

They have a long list they are hoping to acquire, with the next purchase hopefully being dumbbells, raining in weight from 5-60-pounds.

Also on the list are some big items, including multi-purpose squat racks, adjustable benches, olympic weightlifting bars and glute-ham machines.

Glute-ham machines help athletes build hamstrings, flutes and lower in speed development.

A few of the smaller items include stability balls, reflex balls, agility ladders, medicine balls, belts and bar wraps.

According to the newsletter put out a few weeks back, there is going to be a ‘Weight Club’ starting up. It requires a donation, starting at $100. That will put you in the 100-pound club. A $250 donation will put you in the 250-pound club, and so on and so forth to 500, 750 and 1000-pound clubs, with the appropriate donations.

The members names will be listed by club and posted on a plaque in the Strength and Conditioning Facility.

Anyone who makes a donation, checks can be made out to the ‘Portland Athletic Association’ which is a 503c, non-profit organization.

“The fundraiser is a big part of helping our athletes reach their full potential as athletes,” said Nowak.

For more information, contact Bill at wnowak@portlandk12.org.

Follow Sports Editor Chris Zadorozny on Twitter @ZadsISS.