The Howard-Suamico area underwent major changes to the fitness industry over the summer with considerable improvements to the Bay Port High School weight room along with the unexpected closing of Xperience Fitness. 

The upgrade to the facility makes the Bay Port weight room arguably one of the best in the state, and was made possible due to various sponsor donations. 

The opening to the weight room got off to a rocky start. With Covid-19 the construction of the weight room had to be delayed and even when complete students could only have limited use due to different Covid-19 restrictions. 

However, things at Bay Port are getting closer to normal, the weight room is now open to all students and staff. Many are finding use with the weight room to help make themselves better everyday. 

However, this is not only a result of its recent improvements. The closing of the Xperience Fitness in Suamico has made a large contribution to the traffic at the Bay Port weight room. Xperience was just a short drive away that many found more useful because of the set hours the gym was open. It was easier for students to know when they would be able to work out and not have to worry about being locked out. 

One of those students is Bay Port senior Drake Sundin. Drake often used to go to Xperience after school. 

“I was very surprised,” Drake said. “I wasn’t entirely saddened, though, because the new weight room just opened and they offer everything I need when lifting.”

Before, Drake would occasionally use Bay Port’s weight room, but now Drake is a regular and can often be seen with his friend and music partner Evan Schmidt. 

“I think it’s great because it gives me an opportunity to lift with people that I hang out with at school,” Drake said. 

Bay Port senior Allie Waino shared a similar predicament following the closing of Xperience. After at-home workouts failed, Allie decided to use her membership at Xperience again. Then forced to move to working out at Bay Port after school. 

“I don’t always know when the doors are open,” Allie said. “It’s kind of all over the place.”

Not having set hours of operation makes it hard for Allie and other students to know if they will be able to get into Bay Port, whereas Xperience had set hours for every day of the week, which were also more flexible. 

Even with the upgrades the weight room received, both Drake and Allie wish there were more machines and less free weights in the weight room. 

“It’s easier to isolate different body parts with machines,” Allie said. 

A big difference between Xperience and Bay Port is the free weight to machine ratio. Bay Port offers a lot of dumbbells and racks but lacks machines, especially in the leg and chest sections according to Drake and Allie. 

However, they are both extremely grateful for the new weight room since the alternative would’ve been the Xperience Fitness in Green Bay, neither Drake or Allie were willing to drive to on a daily basis, or face another alternative which would’ve been to stop lifting on a consistent basis. 

Although Xperience closing its doors was hard on the community, the Bay Port weight room allowed students to continue to work out and stay healthy in what is ultimately a state of the art fitness center.