BHS begins Viking Gym

By FAITH MOLDAN / Bigfork Eagle

Bigfork High School athletes now have another option to help them prepare for a strenuous and demanding sports season.

Viking Gym, which is led by BHS football coach Bruce Corbett, is geared to help every student-athlete or anyone interested in weight-training train in athletic lifts that Corbett hopes will transfer to the field and court. The program began this week with about 15 students solely as an after-school program.

"It brings it all together," Corbett said, referencing Viking Gym as the missing part of training at BHS. "To be competitive you need to train. It will build a culture of weight training at the high school."

The program, which Corbett said is the second part of his position at BHS, is built on building individual strength with programs for each athlete with three core lifts and an auxiliary lift. The lifts will be specialized toward the particular athletic endeavors. Each athlete's strength development will be tracked throughout their duration in the program.

Viking Gym will also monitor the participant's lifting techniques with a camera that can show the athlete frame by frame their lift and help them fix any errors in technique.

With the new concession building nearly finished, Viking Gym will have a new home in the upcoming weeks. The program will move from the stage area in the high school gymnasium and relocate to the lower level of the concession building.

Viking Gym is one option offered to students interested in working on their strength during throughout the year. BHS's speed and strength class and weight lifting class are offered only during the school year. Corbett said Viking Gym will run year round for students in grades 7-12 that, according to Corbett, "have a sincere desire to learn." Parent permission is required for all Viking Gym participants. BHS Activities Director Shannon Smith said a rubber floor was needed for Viking Gym before the weight lifting equipment could be moved to the concession building.

Smith teaches a weight lifting course, assisted by Corbett who is waiting to be certified by the state. The class, much like Viking Gym, centers on lifting and not on speed or agility. Students in the class, which number more than 20, lift everyday except for Wednesdays which Smith said is a rest day during which they are taught more about lifting and do other activities.

The students enrolled in the weight lifting class includes girls' and boys' soccer players, cheerleaders, football players and non-athletes. Many of the athletes are multi-sport athletes. The students have learned about 15 lifts total and also work on abs and stretching.

"They're trained as athletes," Smith said.