WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — The saying goes, "It's great to be a Northside Eagle." That's especially true as the Eagles begin using their renovated weight room to prepare for the 2020 fall seasons.
Players couldn't believe their eyes after walking into Northside High School's new renovated weight room this week.
"Judging on what we had before and coming in there, it's brand new and everything was super-nice. It was real cool to go in there with the guys and work out this week," said senior Doug Sapp.
"I really didn't have any words for it. It's almost like a college weight room. I was shocked," said Justin Ferguson, another senior. "New equipment, new walls, new weights. It was unbelievable."
After two months of work, Coach Chad Alligood said giving his team something they could be proud of set a great tone to begin summer workouts.
"I just think it builds pride. You feel good about when you're in stuff that looks good and if Northside is supposed to be the best program in the state of Georgia, I think we need to look like it," Alligood said.
The renovated room features brand new equipment including squat and bench press racks, bands and boxes. The walls have a fresh coat of paint with an impressive bald eagle mural and new signs displaying weight lifting records.
As players began the first week of workouts, there was an overwhelming feeling of gratitude to get to work.
"The Northside sponsors were generous enough to provide it for us, so if they're going to be there to provide it for us, you have no choice but to go in there and put everything you have into working out and getting better so that we can make Northside better," Sapp said.
With COVID-19 still a concern, Alligood said there are some pros and cons to a new weight room with limited numbers. Position coaches can spend more time with their players, but workouts become an all day affair. They begin at 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
If you're wondering about the price tag, well, Alligood just said it's all taken care of.
"I can say there's been some guys who really love kids that have taken care of this for us and that's been exciting to me and we're just going to leave it at that," Alligood said.
The weight room was not the only thing on the agenda. Northside's field house also received new murals and the team plans to renovate their team room as well.
STAY ALERT | Download our FREE app now to receive breaking news and weather alerts. You can find the app on the Apple Store and Google Play.
STAY UPDATED | Click here to subscribe to our Midday Minute newsletter and receive the latest headlines and information in your inbox every day.
Have a news tip? Email news@13wmaz.com, or visit our Facebook page.