Old ties lead to new weights
New weight equipment at the Mullan Pavilion is now ready for use. Mullan AD Stetson Spooner purchased the equipment from his old high school in Montana after they got new equipment donated to them.
Courtesy photo
MULLAN — Some new equipment at the Mullan Pavilion should give Tiger athletes an opportunity to get really pumped up.
Mullan School District Athletic Director Stetson Spooner recently announced that he recently procured the new-er equipment with a little help from his alma mater.
Spooner, a Flathead High School graduate in Kalispell, Mont., was told that fellow FHS alum and former NFL quarterback Brock Osweiler had purchased new equipment for their old school and that they were looking to sell their current weight room equipment.
“Some buddies of mine that I played with, coach and teach at Flathead and they reached out and said they had a lot of really nice equipment for sale at a really slashed price if I could get funds,” Spooner said. “It was pretty easy getting the district to spend roughly one fifth of what the price was to purchase it later or from somewhere else.”
Spooner couldn’t resist gushing that the district had gotten, “a hell of a deal,” and after hearing that they received more than $6,000 worth of equipment for less than $2,000- it’s hard not to agree with him.
Spooner was getting all of the equipment set up when COVID-19 prematurely shut the school down, so now that the Pavilion is back open, he was finally able to get it all ready to be used.
Having a solid weight room can go hand-in-hand with the success of a sports program or class and Spooner is happy that his teams will have the opportunity to have the new equipment at their disposal as they head toward the various 2020/21 seasons.
“The team building atmosphere that offseason work can create within a team — as well as the fact that it provides kids with an opportunity to better themselves is huge,” Spooner said. “Giving them the choice and tools to train and prevent injury, improve strength, speed and flexibility are key to any program’s success.”
Mullan saw significant growth in many of their programs including the Tiger football team hosting a state playoff game last season after experiencing a drought in postseason appearances.
Spooner hopes that the kids will remember those successes and see the benefits of hitting the gym during the offseason.
“I am and always have been a huge believer in putting in work during the offseason,” Spooner said. “And having the option to in an excuse-free, intense and challenging environment really eliminates any excuse not to.”