by Jazmin Pacheco
For anyone that has a passion for fitness and lifting weights, I have exciting news for you. There is a semi-new weightlifting club that will return to campus. It’s a club that was around a few years ago when the football program was around. Shortly after the last football game in 2018, the club was discontinued because many members either moved away or graduated.
“We’re trying to restart that but different,” club vice president/treasurer Ian Blank said, referring to the previous club. “There’s still posters around the school, especially the gym, that say Lumberjack Iron.”
A few students who shared a love for fitness recently came together and were inspired to start the club back again. Josh Ting, who is currently the president of the club, along with Blank, took on the responsibility to initiate the club and informed their friends and other gym fanatics about the club.
“I wanted to do something that would create that community and help people like me, who were beginners, and wanted to feel more confident in themselves going to the gym,” Blank said.
To preserve some of the club’s history they have decided to keep the original club name: Lumberjack Iron.
Although the new board members have decided to keep the original club name, they are open and flexible to new ideas from current and any new members for the club itself. They are accepting of any new changes that will make a positive impact to the fitness community.
Brianna Reynolds, secretary of the new Lumberjack Iron club, mentioned she’s happy to be part of the club because she likes the idea of having a community, where people with any level of expertise can hangout and workout together.
“As a beginner at the gym it’s really scary,” Reynolds said. “I think it’s important to have a community where you feel safe and when you are trying something new like that.”
Reynolds recently started weightlifting. She mentioned some of the reasons she turned to fitness was she wanted to feel stronger, healthier, and more confident.
“My experience with lifting, it was also a scary experience,” Blank said. “I remember when I first started going to the gym, I would have mini anxiety attacks as I was driving to the gym.”
Similar to Reynolds, Blank also said he wanted to feel more confident, going to the gym and the experience he developed through weightlifting has helped him. That’s another reason he wanted to create that supportive community on campus.
There currently isn’t a limit to how many members can join Lumberjack Iron. The club welcomes anyone who is interested and passionate about weight lifting. Even to those who have never worked out but would love to start. All fitness levels are welcome to join.
The club plans to meet about two times a month, so those with busy schedules won’t have to worry about an intense commitment level as a member.
“We’ll definitely do other things like making sure we’re talking to people in the club and asking if they have any questions,” Alexa Hellman, secretary of the Lumberjack Iron, said. “For example, is there anything you want input on? Do you want a spotter? Do you want us to check your form?”
Hellman said communication amongst all members in the club is important because it allows each individual to get the support they need.
“It’s a good way to connect and share each other’s fitness journey,” Hellman said. “I think a lot of people workout when they are experiencing depression because I’ve also experienced that. I’ve realized that exercising has helped me a lot to fight depressive symptoms.”
Other reasons she feels that the weightlifting club can be beneficial for others is to help them feel more productive, gain more energy throughout the day, and give them a reason to get out of bed on those days that they don’t feel like it.
“I think it’s helped us all, in terms of our mental health,” Hellman said.
Gaining confidence, increasing knowledge of lifting, and making people feel more comfortable at the gym are also things Hellman hopes others can get from being a part of the club.
Overall the vision for the club is to empower, support, uplift others, and help others feel more confident.
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