Working Out
CHERRY TWP — A project three years in the making became reality Monday at Moniteau High School.
The school held a grand opening for its new fitness center. Located adjacent to the gymnasium, the facility includes four treadmills, four stationary bikes, four half racks and a new set of barbells among other exercise equipment.
“Three years ago, our superintendent (Sean Arney) approached myself and (Director of Food Service) Jennifer Zellefrow with the idea of getting this done,” Moniteau athletic director John Stoughton said. “We set up a fund-raiser, applied for grants ... It's been a gradual process.”
The total project cost $140,000.
The school received no grant money and funds raised through spirit wear sales “will be used for future additions to the center,” Stoughton said.
All of the funding came through the school district's budget.
“School districts today have to follow nutrition guidelines for school lunches,” Zellefrow said. “It's great to see our district support that through promoting wellness and fitness.
“This is the type of thing the YMCA does. I love the fact we are taking a similar approach.”
The fitness center will be used for physical education classes as well as by Moniteau athletic teams. Its hours are from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. All students and faculty members are welcome to use the facility.
“There has to be a coach or another adult in there supervising,” Stoughton said. “We have no stipend budgeted for someone to handle that. We have a coach who has volunteered to be there from 3 to 5.”
Some faculty members are using the facility early in the morning, before classes begin.
Stoughton added that the center's hours will expand “as we develop a plan and work things out.”
The school hopes to make the center available to the community in the coming months.
The fitness center has already impacted Moniteau's athletic program.
“Our players love it,” Warriors girls basketball coach Dee Arblaster said. “They are more enthused about working out. This is a tremendous addition to the school.”
Arblaster added that she and other faculty members went through the “Move It” training program last week, working out rigorously on one piece of equipment before moving on to another.
“That was on Monday,” Arblaster said. “I was pretty sore Tuesday and Wednesday.”
Football coach Bob Rottman said 20 of his players have already been in the fitness center using the equipment and “we haven't even started our off-season conditioning program yet.
“I had a kid show up here who has never played a sport in school. He is working out and says he wants to play football,” the coach added. “I don't know if I have ever seen 20 football players working out here at the same time before.
“I hope they get used to working out and conditioning before the new of this center wears off.”
