After the Seattle Seahawks upgraded their state-of-the-art weight room at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton, they had to shed a few pounds.
So the extra weight – unwanted plates of several sizes – extra machines and coveted power racks went to some deserving high schools this summer.
Kent-Meridian just happened to be one of the recipients, Rainier Beach and Chief Sealth the others.
“They reached out to us,” said Justin Callander, K-M’s football and track and field coach. “I’m not sure how they were picked … but we won the lottery because we got lucky. They picked us by chance.”
Callandar said the donated free weight was, well, free. And it comes in handy.
The school recently bought some new racks for the free weights, but the weight room was without some bumper plates – necessary for Olympic-type lifts and pulls – and needed to replace other cable-guided and life fitness machines.
The new additions are for everyone, boy or girl, and athletes for all seasons, to hoist. Some of the machines are well suited for students with special needs.
“The kids love it. It’s been a huge boost overall,” Callander said. “We have had record numbers of kids working out this summer, and part of it is because of the new equipment. … There’s been a buzz. … It definitely benefits our guys and everybody. That’s the biggest thing.
“It wasn’t just for football but for the entire student body.”
Freshman Etu Tuifua carries a barbell in front of a donated power rack in the Kent-Meridian High School weight room on Monday. MARK KLAAS, Kent Reporter
