TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) - For success on the football field, it all starts in the weight room.
"I completely believe that athletic success starts in the weight room," said Godby athletic director Jackie Burkette. "Strength in any program, in Division I, golfing, swimming, tennis, they're all in the weight room. It's not just the football team, it's a facility for all of our sports teams."
"For us, right here at Godby, from what we had to what we have now, it's great," added head football coach Corey Fuller. "It's not 100%, it's 1000% better."
The old weight room? Out of date and unsafe. This new weight room? It boasts all the bells and whistles, from astro turf, to TV's, to brand new platforms, and the kids are in Cougar heaven.
"This weight room is amazing, like you want to come everyday," smiled Kyler Laing, a rising senior at Godby. "You want to work out. You want to do better, you want to get better everyday."
"I try to model all of our facilities after Division I," added Burkette. "So when you walk into a Division I weight room, it's nice and bright. There are platforms, there are stations, TV's, turf. That's really what the vision was and we were really able to come together and get it done."
Godby was able to get it done thanks to an increased athletic budget, while the Leon County maintenance department showed their Cougar pride - putting the finishes touches to the smallest details.
"It feels like we can go up against anybody in the state honestly," said Laing. "We have like a division I program in a high school level - I like it a lot."
"It's about having pride in your facilities and they've done an amazing job at keeping it perfect," added Burkette. "I can walk back here at anytime of the day and it is the way I want it to be and they know we've put a lot of work into it and they really respect it. I think they're really happy with it."
If their work translates from weight room to field, they'll be really happy about that too.
