by Noah Sigwarth

Of the Gleaner

In the grueling race to reach peak athletic performance, players and their parents are willing to do whatever it takes to gain an edge on the competition.

Weight training is necessary for those who strive to be the best in their respective sport, but choosing what training program is best for you proves to be more complicated.  

Most athletes at Wahlert say they would choose BBA (Building Better Athletes) or MERGE.

While these places provide personalized attention and a great atmosphere, the high cost deters many. Some parents are willing to fork over these large sums of money to get the best training around, but is it really worth the money? No.

Athletic growth is hinged on one thing: hard work. The school’s weight room and training program are in place to do exactly what some are paying upwards of $100 a month for, for free.

The argument that, “You get what you pay for” at these places is invalid when the same results can be achieved with simple hard work. Not only will you be training for free in the school weight room, your teammates will also be lifting with you, encouraging you and building team camaraderie at the same time.

Hard work yields results, no matter how you slice it. The training program doesn’t make you great; the desire to be great makes you great.