Jerod Spry and a classmate performing the Dot Drill on the new mats donated by the Grand Marais Lions Club.
One of the classes Cook County High School offers is Fitness and Wellness. Students are given the opportunity to perform and physically gain from activities over the course of the school year. Mrs. Hofeldt, the teacher of this class, says that one of the benefits is students are introduced to an active lifestyle. Not only can this benefit last a lifetime, but they get to use the YMCA for free during the class! She also says that this class gives kids the opportunity to use gym equipment, and to learn new activities and exercises outside of their comfort zone. A goal the students have is to achieve a better personal score when tested at the end of each quarter in each of the six categories: Dot Drill, 100-meter dash, the mile, sit and reach, long jump, and vertical jump. Seventy-seven percent of the students in Hofeldt’s classes improved in three or more of the activities.
Recently, the Grand Marais Lions Club generously donated three black and white Dot Drill Mats for the students to use whereas before, the students used tape marked on the gym floor. The Dot Drill Mats, made of special foam, benefit the students by lessening impact on knees and stress on joints. Some students said these mats make the activity easier to do because the dots are much bigger and spaced out.
Each school day, students are assigned to certain tasks. For example, Monday is agility day. Agility drills include ladders, sprint drills, Dot Drill Mats, jump rope, or plyometric boxes. These help students increase their speed, footwork, reaction time, balance, and vertical jump.
Tuesdays and Thursdays students do weight training. Students design their own workout and choose if they want to increase strength or work on toning. Also, at the end of the hour there is a 10-minute group abdominal exercise that works their cores.
Brent Sorensen, a student in the class, commented his abs are much more defined since the beginning of the year.
Wednesdays are group exercise days. Sometimes the Fitness and Wellness class has the opportunity to partner with YMCA fitness instructors as well as Mrs. Hofeldt. Group exercises can include: active games, cycling, yoga, swimming, and kickboxing.
Finally, Friday is a free day when students have the choice to do what they want. Some students take this time to play pickup basketball games, work on their shooting technique, or simply use the cardio machines.
Many of the students have seen muscle gain and weight loss in just one quarter. Because of the new exercises and workout plans they have learned, it is very possible to see these students after school in the Y working towards their personal goals.
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