An unknown man once said “There is no glory in practice, but without practice there is no glory.” For the last fifty years, Joliet West athletes have trained inside the D building weight room, not only building physical strength but also mental strength. The weight room has a special meaning for many Joliet West athletes because of what it represents. After every season ends, tiger athletes find themselves walking into the weight room with one goal on their mind, improve. The weight room represents a place where an athlete can forget about last season and focus on the upcoming season. People say that athletes are remembered for their work on the field, but athletes themselves remember their work in the weight room. This year, the Joliet West weight room received new additions, courtesy of Coach Rustman who will be training individuals in the weight room to help athletes get even more use out of the room.

The most noticeable difference is the turf that now runs down the heart of the weight room. Previously, a hard wooden floor was in place, which made it difficult for athletes to use certain equipment such as prowlers and free weights. The new turf adds maximum traction for athletes performing agility drills, and the turf also helps protect athletes from nasty falls that can occur during intense training. Additionally, the weight room received a plethora of new weights and two new racks that will help all students improve. The improvements to the weight room will help utilize the room’s only true fault, a lack of space. As our school keeps expanding more and more students are looking for the opportunity to use the weight room. Coach Rucka explained stated, “The additional rack will assist in training 3 more individuals within a period, the largest improvement which some may have not noticed is in the design of the 6 additional platforms that are placed in front of the benches. This will allow an additional 18 students to work on cleans, deadlifts just to name a few lifts. The additional equipment including the bars will allow for more students to be actively engaged simultaneously.”

When asked about the new additions to the weight room, many Joliet West students were ecstatic about the new changes. Senior softball player Simone Caroll said, “I like having the new turf to work on because it is less slippery than the old floor, and makes the room feel more like a floor.” She also stated, “It’s really nice adding the new weights, because in whole the class is only about 45 minutes, and waiting around for weight makes it difficult to finish sometimes. Finishing all the reps in the work out is essential to getting stronger and I think the additions will help anyone in the weight room get more done more efficiently.”

Senior football players Rick Dove and Ethan Bohanick, along with junior football player Noah Dillon, have been training with Coach Rustman for 5 years. They explained, “By increasing the number of resources in the weight room athletes like us will be able to work out more efficiently and make better gains.” They went on to stay, “Even by increasing the number of racks by two helps with spreading out the overwhelming numbers that the weight room encounters on a day-to-day basis. The biggest improvement is the turf training service that will give many athletes a more game-like service.” Junior Noah Dillon added, “I am excited to work out in the expanded weigh room this summer in preparation for my upcoming season.” Ultimately that is the goal of all improvements to the school: to help benefit students and help them achieve success in all aspects of life. Most importantly, the Joliet West weight room is a place where effort given truly translates into the amount of success achieved. Results can’t lie.