Kiski Area High School Fitness Facility Project
Advantage Sport & Fitness had the honor of assisting Kiski Area High School with revamping its existing 3,400-square-foot fitness facility. The entire project was spearheaded by Larry Enciso, the High School Health and Physical Education Teacher at Kiski Area High School in Leechburg, PA. He kicked off the project by working with Robbie Waller, Sales Representative for Advantage Sport & Fitness, to apply for and win the Highmark Grant. At ASF, our team is highly skilled in helping schools apply for grants like this.
Intended for schools in Pennsylvania and West Virginia looking to improve their health and wellness programming, the Highmark Grant was awarded to Kiski Area High School.
Designing a Gym that Students Are Excited to Use
The existing Kiski Area High School fitness facility needed a revamp. Old equipment, bent handrails, and lackluster cardio options meant that students weren’t excited about working out.
Kiski Area High School students are what motivated Larry to spearhead this project. After winning the Highmark Grant, he got to planning with Robbie, who specializes in designing and outfitting fitness centers and weight rooms in the Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia School and University Market.
Robbie immediately got to work measuring the space and coming up with a plan. He provided a thorough, detailed estimate to Larry and the Kiski Area High School staff on how to transform their fitness facility into something students would be excited to go to.
“Robbie Waller from Advantage [Sport &] Fitness was incredible to work with. His knowledge, positive attitude, and ability to design made this possible. He was there for questions and answers at any time.”
larry enciso
High school health & physical education teacher
kiski area high school
After connecting with Kiski Area High School Principal, Chad Roland, and receiving his full support, Larry asked Robbie to help him give a presentation to the Kiski Area Education Foundation, which serves the greater education community of the Kiski Area. Their focus is to acquire and distribute resources to further the educational, cultural, and recreational experiences of Kiski Area students and members of the Kiski Area community.
After Robbie’s presentation, the Foundation voted to fund the project with a donation of $172,000. After Athletic Director John Peterman proposed a $30,000 donation to alleviate cost from the foundation, the board obliged, and the project gained momentum.
The Kiski Area community became the driving force for completing this project. Foundation members, teachers, school administration, and even students came together to lend a hand, and Advantage Sport & Fitness was there every step of the way to make sure it was done right.
Gym Design Catered to Students and Student Athletes
Robbie’s plan for the Kiski Area High School fitness facility included an upgraded weight training room, a cardio room, and a turf room for functional fitness training. His designs included flipping the facility: rearranging how things were laid out to fully accommodate all the fitness equipment, tools, and storage the space needed.
The project also included customizing equipment and decor, so that students feel a sense of community and school spirit whenever they use the gym.
Robbie carefully selected and planned for the types of equipment needed to make this facility attractive to students. He chose Precor Cardio Equipment, Power Lift weight lifting equipment, Escape Fitness racks and functional fitness accessories, and Ecore textured flooring.
“Robbie was knowledgeable on every piece of equipment from the floor up. He and I worked extremely hard to design a facility that would accommodate physical education students as well as student-athletes. I wanted to change the culture here at Kiski Area when it comes to students working out. The branding that we put on the equipment knocked the project out of the park.”
larry enciso
High school health & physical education teacher
kiski area high school
A Community Effort Guided By Advantage Sport & Fitness
At ASF, we are so humbled to have been a part of such a meaningful project. One of the best things to witness was the community around Kiski Area High School coming together to make it happen. Larry worked firsthand, alongside the school principal, administrators, teachers, and students, to remove old equipment and tear out the old flooring.
The result was well worth the effort. Students are so excited to use this space to work out. They are waiting in lines to use the cardio equipment and the turf room is full of students flipping tires, pushing sleds, doing suspension training, and stretching. From the students to teachers, administrators and parents, the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.
This project would not have been possible without the unique, tight-knit community of this high school. Thanks to their efforts, and thoughtful planning from Robbie, ASF delivered and installed this project two weeks ahead of schedule.
We want to give a special shout-out to the individuals and organizations that helped complete this project:
Larry Enciso - High School Health and Physical Education Teacher
Dr. Misty Slavic - Superintendent
Dr. Chad Roland - High School Principal
John Peterman - Athletic Director
Kiski Area Education Foundation