With recent COVID-19 restrictions, many difficulties and obstacles, such as a scheduling frenzy, have surfaced this year surrounding the weight room. Kiki Lange, a 6th former and varsity track athlete, said students are signing up for time slots at 6:30 a.m., but they take their names off at 2 a.m. the night before, which prevents those who have already gone to sleep from being able to sign up for that first slot, creating tensions among those who could not find a time to go at all.

Due to the pandemic, a new set of rules was implemented throughout all of the athletic facilities this year. In the weight room, certain restrictions limit the amount of time people can work out and what sanitation steps each of them must follow to maintain a healthy and safe environment.

See below for a closer look at the weight room:

Strength and conditioning coach Steve Notebaert said, “It is different in the sense that we have to be a lot more aware of the max capacity, social distancing, and the masks. It’s definitely a lot more challenging.”

In previous years, there would be about 30 students moving freely about the weight room, coming in and out, and sharing equipment. Now, there is a max capacity of about 12 to 16 students who must train alone and keep their distance from others.

Some students have suggested that the weight room should consist of free weights, machines and lifting racks only. That would mean moving the treadmills, ellipticals, and other cardio equipment into the field house, which neighbors the weight room. Doing so would mean that the equipment could be spaced out, which would allow more people to train at once who are solely there to work with weights.

Wearing a mask in the weight room is mandatory for all students and faculty who wish to train in there and use the equipment provided. There is also a 45-minute time limit that each student must sign up for and reserve if they desire to work out that day.

Regarding the 45-minute time slots, 6th former and varsity football and lacrosse player Cooper Sugden said, “For me as an athlete, and I know for a lot of other aspiring college athletes, it’s not fair.” 

He believes it is rushed and thinks it is hard to get a good workout in such a short amount of time. Sugden also said that the faculty should not expect to produce better student-athletes by limiting their gym usage. 

Lange said, “I would prefer to go back to one-hour slots.” The extra 15 minutes would allow those who are working out to get in a good warmup and have time to complete a full lift.

Faculty and student leaders have put together an Excel sign-up sheet to try to enforce the new rules. Brian Artim, the athletics equipment room manager, said signing up for early times has been hard because everyone is fighting to find an open time slot before school.

“People are deleting other people’s names” off the list and taking their time slot, Artim said, adding that this is a major problem that needs to be addressed.

Possible solutions to these issues, as suggested by Lange, could be creating a system in which students can only sign up for a morning slot a certain amount of times a week and sending the list out to everyone at the same time each day. This way the same people are not reserving the same time slots every day, and those who wish to sign up can be prepared for when they receive the list.

Another change in the weight room this year surrounds talk of a possible dress code. This new regulation would dictate what students and faculty are allowed to wear while working out.

 A dress code is something Hill students are used to during the academic day while participating in classes, but they are not used to that during their free time or athletic activity.

Notebaert said, “It’s something we are looking into right now, and we are very aware that there’s a dress code at Hill, and when we are in the weight room that we are addressing attire for males and females equally.”

See below for more perspective from Notebaert on the dress code:

Although this has not been implemented yet, many students have expressed their opinions on this new idea. The dress code affects them in different ways, as some students feel more comfortable wearing certain pieces of clothing than others.

“I’d be a little disappointed if they were to limit the dress code to say the least,” 5th former and varsity tennis and basketball player Will Biggs said. “I think rather than take away that opportunity from boys, we should give more opportunity for girls to wear what they want to the gym.”

As of right now, many female students find themselves being called out by faculty members for wearing cropped shirts and sports bras in the gym. Meanwhile, male students have continuously been able to wear cut-offs and tank tops without repercussions.

Lange said, “I wish people could wear whatever they want in the gym without feeling judged and can just focus on working out.”

The weight room at Hill is a space where students and faculty can be fully immersed in their own priorities and can focus on training. Under COVID-19 restrictions, the normalities that usually entails are challenged, and this creates a space in which working out becomes more difficult.

“I just hope everything can go back to normal, and we can stop wearing masks and do things freely like we have always done,” Artim said.