Gymtimidation: Attitudes Toward the Dawg Cage

The weight room is one of the few elements of Nobles that invites the participation of the entire community, from middle schoolers to faculty. All are free to use the space to prepare for a future athletic season, improve their health, or simply blow off steam. With the implementation of a new weight room policy, certain students will be able to use the facility during the academic day. This new privilege can be attributed to the positive culture forged in the Strength and Conditioning Center.

Entering the weight room for the first time can feel unnerving. “The first couple of times were a little bit intimidating, especially when I was an underclassman,” Brooke Johnstone (Class I) said. This initial fear is especially apparent among middle school students looking to start working out. “In 7th grade, when I walked in there for the first time, I honestly[…]left immediately [because] I was just scared of the high schoolers,” an anonymous Class III student said. This trepidation, however, is often subdued after spending enough time around other community members in the facility. “People are super supportive, especially surrounding PRs. If anyone said anything about trying to hit a PR, you’ve got the whole gym around them cheering, which has been great,” Johnstone said.

This ardent support stems from a shared goal of self-improvement. “Everyone’s in there for the same goal: to get stronger. No one’s really judging where you are strength-wise,” Alec Albers (Class III) said. Since he started at Nobles in 2013, Director of Strength and Conditioning Kevin O’Neill has committed to forging a culture based on structured planning and hard work. “While it’s a good place for kids to come and hang out, it’s not social hour,” said O’Neill. He establishes those principles in the Strength and Conditioning afternoon program. “We can find a wide range of kids in there. We just have to make sure we put the best experience together for them that we can,” O’Neill said. This means making sure that help is specialized for any individual, regardless of experience, who chooses to use the facility. “We’re able to meet the kid who comes in, who’s maybe new to the weight room, and build a relationship there, as well as meet the varsity athlete for whatever they need,” said Strength and Conditioning Coach Pep Allston. This personalized support from the Strength and Conditioning faculty creates a ripple effect throughout the community. “I feel like the kids kind of dictate the culture now, and we’ve got a lot of good kids in there that are working out and setting good examples for the younger kids,” O’Neill said.

“People are super supportive, especially surrounding PRs. If anyone said anything about trying to hit a PR, you’ve got the whole gym around them cheering, which has been great.”

The reason for the new weight room use policy? “It’s mainly been from kids asking for it,” O’Neill said. Many Nobles students have to juggle a rigorous academic workload with a time-consuming afternoon program and extracurriculars, often leaving free periods as the only feasible time for them to get a workout in. “I really don’t have much time during the musical to go, but with this new rule that they put in, hopefully, it’ll mean that I can,” Johnstone said. “The idea is trying to help kids take a load off their plate and a load off their schedule, to give them a little more free time,” O’Neill said.

Over the last 11 years under O’Neill’s leadership–bolstered by the addition of Assistant Director of S&C Pep Allston 2 years ago–the Strength and Conditioning Center has undergone several changes, both physically and culturally. “There [are] more younger kids in there now than when I started. When I first started, you wouldn’t find middle school kids in the weight room too often. Now it’s much more prevalent, and it’s a great group of kids who are doing a wonderful job,” said O’Neill. No matter how dramatically the facility has evolved, the weight room culture has remained one of camaraderie and respect. As the school enters this new chapter in the Nobles Strength and Conditioning program, it will undoubtedly uphold the principles that have made it so welcoming to all.