Keegan Brown
Op/Ed Editor

Not only are students lifting weights and building muscle, but they are building their minds for the future. With the new Coach Nathaniel Littauer, helping lead the weightlifting program, the environment is thriving with students excited for class. Part of the reason the class is so well-loved is due to Littauer’s love for weightlifting and how important he knows it is.

“Everything we do physically impacts how they live, their long-term health, and their long-term ability to take care of themselves,” Littauer said.

Students taking the class are getting to learn not only how to weightlift but how to really strive for more.

“The most impactful thing I get from weightlifting is my core values,” sophomore Alex Kuhner said “It teaches me to push myself and strive for greater goals.”

These lessons they are learning are able to be applied all throughout their life, even after the class.

“It’s one of the classes where the skills and the life lessons learned in it goes beyond just the class itself,” Littauer said  “Whether that’s hard work, whether that’s organization, effort, resilience, all those things transfer beyond just weight training and they go beyond just everything we do in the classroom.”

When students get a teacher that loves what they teach, they can really feel that in the atmosphere of the class. Littauer has always loved physical movement from a young age as he chose to take seven PE credits in highschool. He continues this passion in his classes.

“Favorite thing about teaching weightlifting is that, for me, I Iove lifting myself, so I get to do what I love all day long,” Littauer said.

This love allows for weighlifting students to really be impacted by the class. For many, this is their first time truly getting taught how to workout with the right technique. This allows for growth in students’ physical abilities while doing it safely.

“It’s nice to have someone teach me how to workout and how to get stronger,” sophomore Lila Oates said.

Weightlifting class helps to show students how to weighlift without injuring themselves. This is a huge thing as many don’t get this supervision when working out. Coach Littauer didn’t always have that growing up, which is one of the reasons he wanted to be a weightlifting coach today. 

“With [weightlifting] helping me with my sports and stuff, it also gives me a break from school,” Oates said

It also allows students to get to know students from other grades more while still getting stronger.

“[I am] getting better in the long run and making new friends that I usually don’t see around school,”Kuhner said.

Weightlifting class brings many different lessons to the table for students to learn. Coach Littauer really wants to make an impact on his students, not just for their highschool career but for the rest of their future.

“Biggest thing I hope my students get from the class is [that] they realize how beneficial being strong is for the rest of their life,” Littauer said.