Lakewood High School’s weight room hadn’t seen a major upgrade since 1977. For decades, athletes lifted uneven dumbbells and rusty barbells surrounded by outdated, broken equipment. This year, the school finally unveiled a modernized facility—and with it, a shift in athletic culture that’s hard to ignore.
For Athletic Director Rob Slone, the change was long overdue. “When I interviewed for this position, I reached out to all the coaches, and the one thing they all agreed on was that we needed a strength and conditioning coach and better facilities for our weight room,” said Slone.
Instead of rushing to replace the equipment, the school made a strategic choice to hire a strength and conditioning coach who could build a system from the ground up. Slone compared it to cooking a meal: “It’s like bringing in a chef and then letting the chef pick his ingredients. You don’t buy the ingredients first and then ask him to cook with things he can’t use.”
That chef is Coach Jimmy Gajewski, a 2010 Lakewood graduate who returned in 2023. To him, the new building is not just racks, plates, and turf—it’s a message. For many years, Lakewood has become known for its arts and music programs, which have come close to overshadowing the school’s sports. The new facility is a sign of a commitment to balance.
Walking into the weight room now feels completely different. It’s brighter, more spacious, and much more functional. Nearly half of the space is now dedicated to turf, giving teams room to sprint, jump and warm up without having to go around squat racks, benches or each other. Gajewski arranged it this way intentionally so there is a safe space where every athlete can do their own thing.
The transformation isn’t just physical—it’s cultural. For years, not all athletes were into lifting, specifically those who didn’t think it was important for their sport. But now, thanks to Coach Jimmy and the school’s new facility, that attitude is vanishing fast. There’s now a drive to be the best you can be among teams, and you can see the result in the way athletes carry themselves. Strength training isn’t just for people trying to bulk up—it’s the key to being a better, more well-rounded athlete.
Freshman baseball players Owen Miller and Luka Trempe have already felt the impact of the new training program. Miller said that the more he lifts, the stronger and more athletic he feels overall, crediting the program for that. Trempe explained that the renovations have made lifting something he looks forward to—he’s excited to train now instead of just showing up because he has to.
Much of that enthusiasm comes from Coach Jimmy. “He knows what he’s doing, and he can help anyone, no matter their skill level, get to a point where they feel confident in their abilities—both mentally and physically,” said Miller.
Both players emphasize consistency. They’ve learned that lifting isn’t just about short-term performance but about building habits they want to maintain. “Lifting at school has given me more of a drive to do it consistently. It makes me want to stick with it instead of just doing it here and there,” Trempe said. Miller added that he now feels more comfortable lifting outside of school because he understands what he’s doing.
This is exactly what Slone and Gajewski hoped to achieve. Winning games and creating great sports teams are obvious goals, but each has an even bigger vision in mind: developing athletes who are healthy, resilient, and able to sustain their well-being long after high school.
As Coach Jimmy put it, “Most students won’t go on to play college or professional sports, but the habits they learn in the weight room will last a lifetime. Teaching young athletes to train safely, push themselves consistently, and understand their bodies is an investment—not just in championships but in the future health of every student who walks through those doors.”
For the first time in nearly half a century, Lakewood athletes have a facility that matches their ambitions. Equipped with a modern weight room and guided by an experienced coach, they are not only becoming stronger but also building lifelong strength, discipline, and confidence—the true goals of this transformation.
