MONROE - While some of her classmates are sleeping in this summer, Monroe High School sophomore Alysha Witt remains on a mission to get stronger.
There are more than 900 children enrolled in summer school, and Witt is one of 100 students in five classes taking a strength and conditioning class. The six-week strength and conditioning course is team-taught by Monroe High School physical education teacher and football coach Curt Miller and Tom Witt, the technology and engineering teacher who is an assistant football coach.
"I just want to get stronger and be ready for volleyball season and future sports," Alysha Witt said.
Weight training and conditioning is nothing new for athletes in the offseason, but Miller said the number of girls participating has increased since they have offered a class just for girls four years ago.
The 100 athletes share a common goal - to get stronger and faster.
"It's always been a popular class for a wide range of reasons," Miller said. "Many of them are using it to prepare for school athletics. Most of the kids are in this class for that reason. It's not just for kids in one particular sport."
Miller served as the paid teacher for the strength and conditioning class for summer school's first session, which concluded Thursday, and Tom Witt was a volunteer. Tom Witt will take over as the teacher in the second session and Miller will be a volunteer.
"It's nice there are two of us," Miller said. "One of us can take the experienced kids and work on some lifts, and the other can take some inexperienced lifters and work on some technique."
The strength and conditioning course is a favorite of many students who see the benefits paying off in the fall.
Alysha Witt is coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee, but it didn't stop her from playing softball as a starter for Monroe at third base in the spring. She had enough range of motion in her knee and elected not to have ACL surgery and she played the entire softball season. The strength and conditioning class is a way for her and other athletes with injuries to strengthen certain muscles.
"I'm working on my legs because of my knee," Witt said. "You can definitely tell a difference when you start in the fall."
The three main lifts the class focuses on are the bench press, squat and hang clean. The hang clean lift requires students to stand with their feet about hip-width apart in a hang or hinge position with the barbell hanging just below the knees with an overhand grip. The student then uses a powerful upward movement to catch the weight under their chest.
Monroe sophomore Sydney Mathiason, like Witt, is a three-sport athlete playing volleyball, basketball and soccer. Like Witt, this is Mathiason's third year taking the class.
"I have to get stronger for sports," Mathiason said.
Mathiason said she enjoys each lift, and it definitely has helped her in high school sports.
While the bench press focuses on the upper body and the squats strengthen the thighs and hips, the hang clean works several muscles, including the quadriceps, the back, shoulders and arms, and can enhance coordination. In off days from lifting, Miller has the students run bleachers.
"We train athletes in plyometrics, speed, agility, mobility and flexibility," Miller said. "Because we can tailor it to the individual needs of athletes, some kids end the summer with excellent conditioning, and some have certain goals and maxes they are trying to get."
There are more than 900 children enrolled in summer school, and Witt is one of 100 students in five classes taking a strength and conditioning class. The six-week strength and conditioning course is team-taught by Monroe High School physical education teacher and football coach Curt Miller and Tom Witt, the technology and engineering teacher who is an assistant football coach.
"I just want to get stronger and be ready for volleyball season and future sports," Alysha Witt said.
Weight training and conditioning is nothing new for athletes in the offseason, but Miller said the number of girls participating has increased since they have offered a class just for girls four years ago.
The 100 athletes share a common goal - to get stronger and faster.
"It's always been a popular class for a wide range of reasons," Miller said. "Many of them are using it to prepare for school athletics. Most of the kids are in this class for that reason. It's not just for kids in one particular sport."
Miller served as the paid teacher for the strength and conditioning class for summer school's first session, which concluded Thursday, and Tom Witt was a volunteer. Tom Witt will take over as the teacher in the second session and Miller will be a volunteer.
"It's nice there are two of us," Miller said. "One of us can take the experienced kids and work on some lifts, and the other can take some inexperienced lifters and work on some technique."
The strength and conditioning course is a favorite of many students who see the benefits paying off in the fall.
Alysha Witt is coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee, but it didn't stop her from playing softball as a starter for Monroe at third base in the spring. She had enough range of motion in her knee and elected not to have ACL surgery and she played the entire softball season. The strength and conditioning class is a way for her and other athletes with injuries to strengthen certain muscles.
"I'm working on my legs because of my knee," Witt said. "You can definitely tell a difference when you start in the fall."
The three main lifts the class focuses on are the bench press, squat and hang clean. The hang clean lift requires students to stand with their feet about hip-width apart in a hang or hinge position with the barbell hanging just below the knees with an overhand grip. The student then uses a powerful upward movement to catch the weight under their chest.
Monroe sophomore Sydney Mathiason, like Witt, is a three-sport athlete playing volleyball, basketball and soccer. Like Witt, this is Mathiason's third year taking the class.
"I have to get stronger for sports," Mathiason said.
Mathiason said she enjoys each lift, and it definitely has helped her in high school sports.
While the bench press focuses on the upper body and the squats strengthen the thighs and hips, the hang clean works several muscles, including the quadriceps, the back, shoulders and arms, and can enhance coordination. In off days from lifting, Miller has the students run bleachers.
"We train athletes in plyometrics, speed, agility, mobility and flexibility," Miller said. "Because we can tailor it to the individual needs of athletes, some kids end the summer with excellent conditioning, and some have certain goals and maxes they are trying to get."