Making Gains

Today I am visiting the weight room inconspicuously to observe athletes in a key part of their training, their strength training. From walking in, immediately I can tell that there is great pride in the school mascot and the school itself amongst the athletes. There is a large sticker of the school mascot on the floor that the athletes are not allowed to walk on which is roped off so people can see it but so they know they cannot step on it. Each athlete is wearing a shirt with the school logo, this is a rule in this weight room. Only athletes can use these weights, hence the pride that is evident. The facilities are taken care of, the room is brand new with engraved weights that must all be put back in the right order.

From first glance, it is pretty obvious what athlete belongs to what sport. Most of them are wearing shirts that say their sport on them. I begin to observe the dynamics between each sport-specifically, the cross-country team. This team is bunched around the dumbbells and is carrying around sheets that say what lifts they need to perform. I pick one girl with blonde hair to observe. She starts by using 15 lbs to lift with, and she looks quite focused but generally light-hearted. I notice that in between sets she sets the weights down, or gives them to the other girls standing around her waiting to use them. If assistance is needed, she’ll ask one of the girls to spot her in case she needs it. Occasionally, she’ll joke around with the teammates around her, and I see that she enjoys talking with the girls on the track team as well as the cross country team. She does not seem to talk to anyone outside of these respective teams though. After about 15 minutes of doing various exercises, I see that she begins to speak to an older woman who I identify as one of her coaches. She and her coach speak in friendly tones and they are also joking around with each other. After she is done lifting, she moves over to the other side of the gym to do abdominal workouts with another girl that appears to be one of her close friends. They slightly separate themselves from the team.

From observing the other cross country runners, they are all doing the same weight lifting, some with heavier weights than others, and once they are all done with the dumbbells, they move to the other side of the gym to stretch and do abdominal exercises and I can hear them complaining about the difficulty of some of the exercises in a joking manner. The coaches are all close by observing their athletes, and speaking to them occasionally. As the athletes finish their workouts, they all cluster around a fridge to take the snacks that the weight room provides for them.

Back to observing the girl with blonde hair, I see her stick around with her friend after everyone clears out. She picks a protein bar after her workout and continues to socialize with her friend and the track team after she is