SITE OF THE MONTH (Dec. 2009)
Robinson High School
Fairfax, VA
SITUATION:
Robinson Secondary School opened in 1971 and was named in honor of Sergeant James W. Robinson, Jr., the first Virginia resident to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and heroism in the Vietnam conflict. Robinson is one of four Fairfax County secondary schools to contain both a middle school and high school under one roof. Heartline installed Robinson’s Middle School fitness and wellness center in 2005, and in 2009, it was time for big brother to be renovated. Having won two AAA Division 6 Virginia state football championships in 1997 and 2001, and was runner-up in 2004, the Robinson Rams have always prided themselves on a rich athletic and strength training tradition. In addition, Robinson HS, along with the help of a dynamic community Booster Club, have always worked hard at maintaining Robinson’s academic and athletic excellence over the years. From funding new basketball scoreboards to new athletic fields, the school administration and booster’s have always figured out a way to get the job done. In 2008, the athletic and physical education departments determined the next major project should be a new training facility for Robinson’s athletes and general student population. Enter Heartline Fitness Systems.
SOLUTION:
In early 2009, Robinson’s athletic director, Marty Riddle, contacted Heartline to help athletics and Robinson’s physical education department to develop a plan to upgrade and optimize their training space. Working alongside Coach Bendorf and Coach Francese, Heartline was able to develop a CAD layout based on Robinson’s requirements. After some months of discussion with the school’s administration and booster club, the green light was given to Heartline to begin the project. Robinson has always had a terrific weight room space with 3,600 square feet divided into two adjoining rooms of 2,300 and 1,300 square feet respectively. It was determined that the 53’x44’ room would work perfectly as a core-lifting area, comprised of eight (8) Heartline Dual CoreRack ™ training systems. This arrangement would give Robinson sixteen (16) core-lifting stations to train up to 64 student/athletes, on a rotational basis, in all lifts—benching, deadlifting, squatting, and power cleaning. By compartmentalizing core-lifting in this manner, Heartline was able to lay out the adjoining weight room with auxiliary training systems—lat/rows (2), seated leg extension/curl combos (3), Pec/Fly, preacher curls (3), seated calf, 4-way neck, Paramount functional trainer, and a wide variety of utility benches and 2,100 pounds of York rubber hex dumbbells. The result, an impressive training facility that now allows Robinson’s physical education and athletic departments to train up to 86 student/athletes, compared to 56 in 2008. At 8-1, Robinson’s football team is primed to win their third Virginia state football championship….Good luck Rams and Thanks!
