Maps

   In October 2005 new Men's Athletic Director Mark Gabbard held a meeting and invited the parents of every athlete on campus. On that night about 50 parents showed up to see what Gabbard had to say. The meeting was to convey his vision for athletics, but more specifically he wanted to start with the Weight Room.

Western Christian's Weight Room used to be run out of a large storage container in the early 1990s. They would pull the equipment in and out everyday. At one point it was upgraded to a classroom boasting of minimal equipment and weights. In 1997 the boosters got together and not only donated, but built the half soda can building that stands on the west side of campus today. While the building was a much needed addition it still only provided walls and a roof.

In October Gabbard described his vision for the Weight Room was for our athletes to be able to compete at a higher level. He stated, “Our current equipment is not adequate nor is the building where it needs to be cosmetically.” Gabbard feels our weight room needs to become a source of pride. “Our athletes need a facility that is safe, clean, and properly equipped if we want to see our programs soar.” Each parent was given a packet outlining the needs at the meeting. The packet was filled with everything from equipment, to construction, to technological needs. All in all the upgrade was estimated to be at about $25,000 when it is all done.

A year and $13,000 later the weight room is almost unrecognizable. The first thing that was established was a relationship with Ben's Foothill Fitness a local equipment vendor off of Grand Avenue . Owner Ben Delgadillo agreed to buy back old equipment to be used for store credit while providing major mark downs on Power Tec equipment. Through Ben's Foothill Fitness Western Christian has made the following upgrades:

•  4 new squat racks

•  4 power lifting platforms with our logos on them

•  4 new weight trees

•  5 new Flat/Incline/Decline Olympic Benches

•  3 new Flat/Incline/Decline Free Weight Benches

•  Full set of rubber Hex Dumbells; 5s to 100s by 5s

•  3 new dumbbell racks

•  New Lat Pull/Seated Row machine

•  New Roman Chair

•  New Calf/Squat Machine

•  11 new Olympic Bars

•  Olympic Bar Rack

“Our equipment needs are about 80% complete for the space we have to work with.” explains Gabbard.

The parents came through with donations totaling about $9,000. The rest was done through trade-ins and the money raised from the First Annual Strongest Lancer Competition held in June. This is going to be an every year event in which all proceeds will go to the weight room. Gabbard exclaims, “Elijah Lujan did a great job of organizing the event and the Beaton family was a blessing. They donated shirts and trophies for the event as well as organizing concessions. Ben's Foothill Fitness donated a piece of equipment for auction as well. It was a fun day for the men to show off their strength and raise some money.”

Though improvements have been made the vision is not complete. Gabbard is confident that the equipment needs will be met, but it is the cosmetic needs that are slow going. It is the vision of the Athletic Department to see the Weight Room insulated and walled. Once this takes place the school has committed to put an AC wall unit in the room. Also, the art department is willing to come in and paint our logos on the wall. “Right now it is a tin shed that gets dirty quickly; it is always too hot or too cold. Condensation ruins the equipment and cob webs are a nuisance,” according to Gabbard. Once the room is insulated and walled The Covington family has expressed their interest in donating mirrors and the Richmond family would like to buy the new flooring.

If you have any interest in donating to the Weight Room project you can contact Coach Gabbard at mgabbard@westernchristian.org or by phone at 626-375-8816.