The 2024 school year of Aliso Niguel brings with it the Weight Lifting Club, which meets every Friday in the weight room. The club is run by Garrison Grajek, Ryan Ducoing, Shayan Cassim, and Jacob Gilmore.
The club focuses primarily on helping students learn good habits and become healthier versions of themselves, both physically and mentally. Its primary goal is to encourage students to become more confident in themselves and acknowledge the strengths of their fellow club members.
With the club advisor, Danny Werner, who coaches multiple sports, the club is able to provide a positive experience for all the students. In the meetings, students are encouraged to pay attention and treat the club activities with the utmost respect in order to not interrupt the efforts of any other students.
A big thing the club prides itself on is its uniqueness, because unlike the other clubs at Aliso, it focuses primarily on the successes of the individual students in order to make it work. Additionally, it’s the only club at the school to offer a substitute to students who aren’t able to fit the “Strength and Exercise” class into their schedule.
When asked how setting up the club was, Grajek said, “It was absolutely tiresome because we had to face so many trials. We faced so much push back from the other clubs and other students who didn’t think [the club leaders] could get the club approved. Then we were massively underprepared to set up at Club Rush. But we were able to pull through with getting over 100 signatures which motivated us to work harder for the club. Finally we had to face our challenge of getting the club activities approved by the coaches. I’m just glad we were able to finally solve it all in the end.”
The club aims to help students reach a new pr by the end of the semester and hope their weekly meetings will be able to help them with that. Many students are excited to continue the club throughout the year.
The club already has gained many dedicated members who find the club as a nice outlet to relieve stress during school hours.
Student at Aliso Niguel and member of the club, Nick Wager (12), stated, “It’s a cool club that, I think, is having a positive impact on other students. I think a major problem at school is how students feel unconfident to be themselves and I think the club will be able to really help them with that.”
