Health

Weight Room Upgrades Boost Safety and Strength at Montezuma-Cortez High School

With aging weight room equipment making lifting unsafe for students and staff, one coach took matters into his own hands.

Cortez — July 2024

Photo by Matthew Tangeman

Montezuma-Cortez High School’s aging weight room equipment was unsafe for students and staff, preventing them from training to their full potential. The district received federal funding to purchase new equipment in 2021, but when the equipment finally arrived a year later it was not the proper size for adults and could not be used by high school students and staff. The equipment was sent to the middle school where it was more appropriate, but that still left the high school without any upgrades. One of the school’s coaches found a solution in an equipment manufacturer interested in working specifically with rural schools. With the manufacturer selling at cost, LOR’s funding helped Montezuma-Cortez High School purchase new equipment that will allow students and staff to train safely—and to their full potential. In this short video, coach Jarrett Watkins shares the impact of the new equipment.

Filmed and edited by Matthew Tangeman

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