Posted Oct. 23, 2007 in Ft. Dodge "The Messenger"
Article written by Jo Vetter

Click here to see virtual photo tour of new facility.
MANSON — The Manson Northwest Webster School District opened the doors to a cutting-edge weight room and multipurpose facility.

Volleyball players Kristen Twait and Kelsey Hood were so excited they asked head football coach and guidance counselor Jeff Anliker if they could bring their sleeping bags to camp out overnight. ‘‘We wanted to be the very first ones to use the equipment,’’ Twait said.

Located a short walk from the high school, the $350,000 facility is the result of two years of study and planning. It solves space and safety issues caused by expanding athletic programs. ‘‘The old weight room was a coaching nightmare,’’ Anliker said. He described an 850-square-foot, divided space in which 40 to 50 student athletes were all trying to work at the same time. ‘‘All of our other extracurricular facilities are top-notch, but we were lagging behind in this area,’’ said Anliker.

The new weight room is 3,200 square feet. It is equipped with nine racks, which allow more athletes to do the same lift at the same time. According to Anliker, coaches can easily see all of the students at once and can focus on teaching and supervising one lift at a time. Impressive as the new equipment is, the wooden lifting platforms stand out in the new facility. ‘‘You can spend $1,500 on platforms,’’ Anliker said. ‘‘The cheapest I’ve seen them is $300. But our shop class made these for less than $100 each.’’ Varnished by volunteers and sporting deep blue cougar mascot decals, the platforms demonstrate Manson Northwest Webster’s commitment to cross-curricular education.

Student athletes using the equipment for the first time today were enthusiastic. Juniors Matt Rowan, Drew McCubbin and Brandon Schoon said they were looking forward to getting to use the new equipment and the new weight training system that comes with it for a whole football season next year.

The east half of the new building is a multipurpose facility. Although it was originally conceived as a possible Manson community fitness center, plans changed when the needs of the wrestling program had to be addressed. Wrestling Coach Stacy Rice’s team had grown from 19 to 39 wrestlers. The multipurpose room can hold two full-sized wrestling mats and will be used for practice during wrestling season.

The facility will also enable physical education teacher Ryan Harmon to teach new units. It has been equipped to support the heavy bags necessary for students in a Tae Bo-type class. ‘‘The multipurpose facility has already housed two offensive line practices because our practice field was flooded by the rain,” Anliker said. ‘‘And our speech teacher, Kim Keller, will possibly use it for large group speech practice.’’

According to Manson Northwest Webster Superintendent Mark Egli, the Manson community fitness center could still be a possibility, as well. The new building can be extended, he said, and new resources may be available. Pointing to Senate File 447, which mandates a statewide school district sharing and efficiency study in 2007, Egli said, ‘‘Incentives that weren’t there previously may become available for school and community to work together.’’

Contact Jo Vetter at (515) 573-2141 or editor@messengernews.net