Week One 5/13-5/19
This first week has gone by very quick. It began with learning the policies and procedures of the weight room, as well as the daily routine. Once all of the necessary information was given Roz and I began working on creating a mud run that would kick off the school year and raise money for the weight room. We began thinking of places that we could have the event as well as a few obstacles that we could create to be placed along the run. The weight room currently is receiving an addition that will be geared towards the general student population. Since the addition is supposed to be finished soon we started working on a floor plan that will necessitate the needs of the students who will be using it. The space is not very large, but it will have a good variety of equipment that the students can use to stay in shape. After talking over a floor plan we began researching prices for treadmills, ellipticals, and bikes. These three items will be a focal point for the room, because in the current weight room there are always people waiting to get on them.
Week 2 5/20-5/26
The second week has brought a lot of new information, as we began to go over and create workouts for some of the sports teams on campus. It was a good experience for me because with my background in athletic training I understand some of the basic concepts of strength and conditioning, but have never truly had to put them together to make a non-injury based program. In the past I have always had to start with injured athletes, where now what I am learning is all geared towards the uninjured athlete and preparing them for the season ahead. The week concluded with working on the mud run. We found a location that we want to use out at the athletic fields. On Thursday we took we took a ride out to the fields and walked the trails to see where we could incorporate obstacles. It looks like it could be promising; we just have to find a good way to utilize it. The other problem that we may have is getting the ok to use the area.
Week 3 5/27-6/2
Well we put in a good bit of work on the mud run for nothing. After we looked at the schedule a bit more we realized that the event would not be possible because of preseason camps and reporting dates for the other athletes. We began working on a new project, a supplement and drug information brochure that will be posted in the weight room to inform student athletes about what substances are banned by the NCAA. Once this information is posted, student athletes can see what exactly is banned by the NCAA so when they look to buy supplements they will know what is legal and what is illegal. The end of the week was somewhat slow as we monitored the weight room and performed maintenance to the equipment, by tightening the bolts on machines and weights. Friday however, was exciting because some of the equipment from the current weight room was able to be moved into the new addition. This allowed us to really see where some stuff would fit and if we were going to be able to keep our floor plan or if we needed to modify it.
Week 4 6/3-6/9
Week 4 went by very quick. We moved more equipment over to the new addition and realized we needed to tweak the floor plan just a little bit for a better flow in the room. We did some more research regarding the equipment and began writing a proposal for the equipment. We were trying to add three treadmills, two ellipticals, and two bikes to our new addition. This would bring our collection to six treadmills, four ellipticals, and four bikes. The week ended with Roz and me finishing the brochure on supplements, and monitoring the weight room. This week was very productive, and allowed me to work on budgeting which will help me a great deal in the future.
Week 5 6/10-6/16
Week 5 has brought a lot of excitement as well. We have been told to refurbish the old padding on our benches and machines, so they are all the same color and not damaged. With the plans to redesign the current weight room so it is more user friendly after the equipment is moved to the new addition, the face lift on the machines and padding will make the room pop when you look at it. We began removing the pads and dropped them off to the upholstery person. We also continued to work on the proposal, which is nearly finished. I ended my week by monitoring the weight room.
Week 6 6/17-6/23
This week has been a great learning experience. I have been able to get my hands dirty and work on the equipment and schedule. Helping with the schedule showed me the difficulties that a strength and conditioning specialist has with dealing with teams. We had to work around in season and out of season sports to make everything run smoothly. Then there were the issues of prioritizing teams while being fair to everyone. The teams are all scheduled for the fall so they will have multiple days to workout. The pads for the equipment that we took apart and dropped off also were picked up and reassembled. More pads were taken off of equipment and dropped off at the upholstery shop as well. Now that this week has come to a close I will be on a two week hiatus as I am going on a trip for work to Las Vegas and then the weight room will be closed for the week of the 4th of July.
Week 7 7/8-7/14
Upon my return the first order of business was to pick up the pads that we dropped off before and dropped off more. The next day we reassembled the pads that we took from the upholstery shop. The weight room is really starting to come along. It has been a great experience so far. The rest of the week was slow. For the most part I performed general maintenance on the equipment and monitored the weight room.
Week 8 7/15-7/21
More and more equipment is being freed up so we can move it into the new addition, and that is just what we have been doing. We moved some of the nautilus machines that have no use in the athletics weight room anymore over to the new addition. Hopefully we can get all of the new equipment that we have been looking at. We started and finished our equipment proposal and began ordering our equipment. I am excited to see how our new addition will look, as well as how the new purchases will look in the current weight room.
Week 9 7/22-7/28
This week began slow and ended with presents so to speak. Monday and Wednesday I monitored the weight room. Thursday the last group of pads that were dropped off were finished. We drove over and picked up the pads and reassembled them. The new color and padding looks great and will help the university in its recruiting process. It should also be a big shock to the returning athletes. Hopefully the weight room can be completely finished by the time school
starts.
starts.
Week 10 7/29-8/4
With the only team on campus finishing up with their summer workouts not much was to be done around the weight room except wait for new equipment to come in. The athletes that are still on campus for the summer seem to really like the new set up and the addition that has been added. This week I watched the weight room and helped get the new decals for our lifting platforms. They are getting a facelift and will definitely be more visually pleasing to the athletes. I will be going on vacation next week and will be back the following to finish my remaining hours.
Weel 11 8/12-8/18
This was my final week and I have to say I am going to miss working in the weight room. It has been a fun experience, and I am glad that I got to work with such a grea mentor. Roz has helped out a lot and allowed me to further my knowledge of strength and conditioning. It has been difficult balancing my job with my mentorship, but I am glad that it has worked out well and I got had a great experience as well.