Competitive high school athletes are typically known for how hard they work on the field, on the court and in the gym. The average high school student practices three hours a day, six days a week.

Senior Courtney Ellis said she practices 10 to 12 hours a week for volleyball, and two to six hours a week for cheer.

“We usually schedule extra practices to prepare routines,” Ellis said. “Any extra practice we can get is needed, especially if we’re stunting.”

Due to liability issues with the equipment, students are not allowed to practice in the weights room after school without adult supervision.

Junior MKilar Otte said using the weights room after school would improve his athletic performance.

“It would save me the extra 30 bucks I spend for a gym membership,” Otte said. “I work out about once a day and practice for cheer once a day during the busy season.”

Students who attempt to use the weights room after school hours can face serious repercussions.

Seniors Devyn Wiesner and Isaiah Blackmon said they would greatly benefit from using the weights room after school.

“Sometimes weights class is not enough,” Wiesner said. “With my experience, lifting after school would be taken much more seriously and less rushed.”

Blackmon said he thinks the rule should be revised.

“It does nothing but harm the athletes by not allowing them to get better,” Blackmon said. “Or it makes the athlete use their own money to pay to use another facility.”

Wiesner said he has faced repercussions for using the weight room without adult supervision.

Blackmon and Wiesner both said they believe the school should, at the very least, assign supervisors to the students who want to lift after school.

“There is always plenty of people to go in and kick you out,” Blackmon said. “Those people should go in and supervise. There is an office in there where the supervisor can do all their work while supervising.”

Blackmon said if lifting after school was allowed, safety rules would have to be enforced.

“Use of safety bars, mandatory partner for spotting, no dropping weights and no horseplay,” Blackmon said. “With these rules there shouldn’t be much risk, if any at all. There is also a camera in there to clarify anything that goes down as well as to make sure nothing bad happens. But if something does, you know who to blame.”

Wiesner said the rule is in place to make sure no one gets hurt.

“I think they should talk to the people who are interested in lifting after school to see if they are qualified to be lifting without an adult watching them.”

Blackmon said there is a zero hour in the mornings, but there are hardly any people that want to be there for that.

“There is no time in the mornings for free lifts or agility and footwork that one might have scheduled.” Blackmon said.

Ellis said using the weights room after school would benefit many athlete’s performances.

“If someone is 18 and has been in sports throughout high school then it shouldn’t be a problem,” Ellis said. “I understand that the school doesn’t want to get in trouble, but these athletes are missing out on a chance to make themselves great.”

Assistant principal and athletic director Chris Michaelis said the policy is just like any other room in the district.

“There must be adult supervision in the weight room,” Michaelis said. “This is for liability issues that could arrive. We have to do this so that we don’t put the district at jeopardy.”

Michaelis said there are many steps that go into the consequences for being in the weight room without permission.

“Hopefully the person would heed the first verbal warning,” Michaelis said. “If it continues, then we would take the necessary steps of visiting with the person who was in the weight room without permission, giving them an ISS [in school suspension], an OSS [out of school suspension], and finally our last resort is filing a police report for trespassing.”

Michaelis said he has had to take these steps in the past.

Students who want to use the weight room suggested that teachers supervise, but Michaelis said this wasn’t realistic.

“Legally we would still be liable if the teacher was in the office and not out in that room with the student,” Michaelis said. “There was a football player that was being spotted, the weight dropped and crushed his spine and cervical. This was a college student who had been lifting for years and years and was supervised. So accidents do happen.”

Michaelis said the weight room is open for zero hour at 7 a.m. to 7:40 a.m.

“Any student can come in during this time,” Michaelis said. “It may be hard for them to get out of bed, but if it’s that important for them they can make it.”

Michaelis added that the weight room is also open after school from 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

“By no means have we closed the weight room down,” Michaelis said. “We do have a supervisor who is there after school. If students want to make arrangements and it fits within his schedule he will be willing to accommodate them.”

Michaelis said he feels it’s very important for athletes to be in the weight room to develop their muscle endurance and muscle strength.

For more information about guidelines and rules for the schools athletes, visit the student handbook.

17aweber@usd489.com