New EPHS wellness center benefits both students and athletes

Refurbished spaces offer enhanced learning, training for all

By Mike Rego
Posted 2/7/17

EAST PROVIDENCE — If a recent mid-winter afternoon’s attendance was any indication, then athletes, students and administrators have enthusiastically embraced the refurbished wellness center …

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New EPHS wellness center benefits both students and athletes

Refurbished spaces offer enhanced learning, training for all

Posted

EAST PROVIDENCE — If a recent mid-winter afternoon’s attendance was any indication, then athletes, students and administrators have enthusiastically embraced the refurbished wellness center inside East Providence High School.

The area, which takes up two rooms in the rear of building off the gym and auditorium, now includes an impressive assortment of free weights, lifting apparatus and cardio equipment. A piece of artificial turf, roughly 25 yards long, will soon be installed to allow for even more varied exercise. Two distinct areas have been created, the weights on the lower end with the stationary bikes and treadmills in the upper level.

“It needed to be updated. We had donated equipment for years. We tried to keep up with it, but it got outdated. We wanted a space here that would serve our athletes and our student population at the same time,” said East Providence athletic director Gregg Amore.

The upgrades will have cost approximately $45,000 upon completion, about $15,000 apiece either being donated or earmarked from the Friends of Townie Athletics Organization, the athletic department budget and the EPHS general budget.

“It’s still a work in progress. We hope to have murals on the walls. On the weight room side we’re going to repair the ceiling and paint a little bit. We’re going to put the turf down to use for an indoor football sled and it also will allow us to do plyometrics. It will allow the kids to do their stretching in an area that is comfortable. The bikes and treadmills are either new or refurbished. We had a new electrical system installed to handle all of this. The whole facility just looks nice, a lot nicer than it did before,” Amore said.

About two dozen members of the EPHS football team were using the weight room portion of the facility under the supervision of assistant coach and former Townie standout Robbie Delgado one recent Friday afternoon, while a couple of other athletes were rehabilitating injuries under the watchful eye of physio Amanda Moran.

“Everything is either new or has been refurbished. The weights are new. The (weight lifting) platforms are refurbished. We have new and refurbished weight racks. The weight bars are new. We still have some of the old weights as well, but it’s mostly all new stuff,” said Amore.

“I think we now have a weight room that rivals a small college,” he continued. “It’s as good as any other high school in the state. And because it’s nice and new, I think it will increase its usage. We have the football team in here today, but we’ve had lacrosse athletes in here, soccer athletes, other players in here already. That was not the case last year when things were kind of old and worn down and not consistent.”

The athletic director on this day pointed out the amount of kids lifting was especially noteworthy because the schedule of off-season workouts for fall sports athletes doesn’t begin until the middle of February.

“These kids are here on the their own, so it’s encouraging, the fact that they have equipment that is up-to-date. This place was really outdated,” Amore added.

The athletic director credited EPHS principal Shani Wallace for keeping an impetus on improving the once-tired facility. The principal explained attempts to update the area began almost a decade ago when a company called Front Line Fitness contacted the district to gauge interest in either receiving donations or purchasing at a reduced rate used, but still good quality, equipment from area health clubs that were closing down or buying new instruments.

“My No. 1 priority was safety. We had a lot of broken down equipment. And I want the kids to get the experience of a fitness center before leaving us and joining a fitness center: What’s routine? How do you use the equipment? How do you take care of the equipment? So, it’s another life skill we’re trying to teach them,” Wallace said.

Of the Front Line Fitness connection, she added, “Initially, probably seven years ago, more like nine years ago, I would say, we did work with Front Line Fitness. Since then, they’ve stayed in contact with us and we’ve tried to maintain a relationship, which led to this. But our No. 1 priority was to get the old stuff out, things that may have been unsafe out and get good equipment here so the kids could be learning appropriately. And this just doesn’t benefit the athletes. We have 1,500 kids here that have access and could be using these facilities. This is not just for athletes. It’s for everyone.”

The renovated facilities are also used by students during physical education classes and by the school’s general population whenever the space is available.

“Principal Wallace had the connection with Front Line Fitness on this end of it. On the other end, we had the fundraising portion,” said Amore.

The athletic director also noted the efforts of EPHS head football coach Jay Monteiro, who purchased one of the weight racks, some of the new bars and the piece of artificial turf through donations made to his program.

“It’s really been a joint effort between the fundraising and the school budget,” Amore added.

Looking ahead, if a new high school is built, a possibility that grows ever more realistic with each passing month and year, the equipment is new enough or in good enough condition to be useful well into the future.

“The good part about this stuff is, if we do move to a new facility, which we hope we do eventually, all of this is portable. This is stuff we can take with us and serve our kids wherever we are,” Amore said.

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