MONROE - It may not be football season, but that doesn't stop members of the Cheesemakers from finding time to make good use of the high school's weight room.
"I know my competition is always lifting and getting better, so I need to keep up with them," sophomore Tyler Barta said, who plays both football and basketball.
Monroe High School's weight room is smaller than most schools with populations over 700 - and some with even fewer kids. The coaching staff and school have upgraded machines and equipment throughout the course of time, but due to spacing issues, only about 15 spots are available for equipment and four are cardio-only.
"I've had 23 kids come in the morning," said Rob Schilt, assistant football coach and strength and conditioning coordinator. "After school it's not a whole lot because a lot of kids have practice."
According to Schilt, over 20 players come in two to three mornings a week to work out, arriving as early as 5:45 a.m. After school, other athletes not in a seasonal sport work out until 5 p.m.
"It's very hot and sweaty," Jason Hiatt said of the weight room, which has an air conditioner that sparingly works and little ventilation.
With the little space available, athletes from nearly every sport have tried their best to find time to work out.
"We have to split getting people in the morning and at night. It would be a lot nicer to have a bigger facility," Hiatt said.
The football team is trying to get Monroe's program back to where it was from 1985-2003, when it spent all but one year in the playoffs and won five state titles.
"Just thinking about the past seasons and how bad we've done motivates us to do better," junior Michael Kohn said. "We know that at the same time we're lifting the competition is lifting and that just pushes us much harder to do better this season. It's great to see everybody get in there and lift and trying to get better at everything we do. You love the sport and you want to get better at it in the offseason, so you do what you can to get in and lift."
Schilt has set up a workout system for each football player that is kept in a file in the weight room. Progress is charted on a board on the wall.
"The coaches have even added an incentive to get a shirt if we are there (lifting) 90 percent of the time. It guarantees a lot more guys are there and working harder," Barta said.
Former Monroe head coach and current assistant coach Tom Witt said that the kids have been working hard with what they have available to them.
With summer around the corner, the days of getting up at before the sun rises will end for most, but with strength and conditioning classes through summer school, Monroe's student athletes will continue building their bodies and endurance for the upcoming school year.
"We're going to push ourselves harder than we've ever pushed ourselves before. We're going to be working out as a team and trying to get ready for the season," Kohn said.
Kohn, Barta and Hiatt all said that along with summer lifting and agility classes, players get together to run bleachers, sprints and the sand hill behind Abraham Lincoln School.
"I know my competition is always lifting and getting better, so I need to keep up with them," sophomore Tyler Barta said, who plays both football and basketball.
Monroe High School's weight room is smaller than most schools with populations over 700 - and some with even fewer kids. The coaching staff and school have upgraded machines and equipment throughout the course of time, but due to spacing issues, only about 15 spots are available for equipment and four are cardio-only.
"I've had 23 kids come in the morning," said Rob Schilt, assistant football coach and strength and conditioning coordinator. "After school it's not a whole lot because a lot of kids have practice."
According to Schilt, over 20 players come in two to three mornings a week to work out, arriving as early as 5:45 a.m. After school, other athletes not in a seasonal sport work out until 5 p.m.
"It's very hot and sweaty," Jason Hiatt said of the weight room, which has an air conditioner that sparingly works and little ventilation.
With the little space available, athletes from nearly every sport have tried their best to find time to work out.
"We have to split getting people in the morning and at night. It would be a lot nicer to have a bigger facility," Hiatt said.
The football team is trying to get Monroe's program back to where it was from 1985-2003, when it spent all but one year in the playoffs and won five state titles.
"Just thinking about the past seasons and how bad we've done motivates us to do better," junior Michael Kohn said. "We know that at the same time we're lifting the competition is lifting and that just pushes us much harder to do better this season. It's great to see everybody get in there and lift and trying to get better at everything we do. You love the sport and you want to get better at it in the offseason, so you do what you can to get in and lift."
Schilt has set up a workout system for each football player that is kept in a file in the weight room. Progress is charted on a board on the wall.
"The coaches have even added an incentive to get a shirt if we are there (lifting) 90 percent of the time. It guarantees a lot more guys are there and working harder," Barta said.
Former Monroe head coach and current assistant coach Tom Witt said that the kids have been working hard with what they have available to them.
With summer around the corner, the days of getting up at before the sun rises will end for most, but with strength and conditioning classes through summer school, Monroe's student athletes will continue building their bodies and endurance for the upcoming school year.
"We're going to push ourselves harder than we've ever pushed ourselves before. We're going to be working out as a team and trying to get ready for the season," Kohn said.
Kohn, Barta and Hiatt all said that along with summer lifting and agility classes, players get together to run bleachers, sprints and the sand hill behind Abraham Lincoln School.
