# @macjournalism on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DD24YgXynw2
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/25607654-macjournalism-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/legacy-do/8981a5b49d1001d430358ae465c87903415b6ae1f6eb68de15bce2f5a497126c.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-12-21T22:40:33.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** McCallum Journalism (@macjournalism) — https://gondola.cc/macjournalism

## Caption

The athletic program is celebrating the opening of a brand-new weight room, featuring equipment that once belonged to the University of Alabama’s athletic program. The facility upgrade was made possible through a community-driven fundraising effort that raised $31,000 this year, bringing the total to $39,000.

“I think it’s also pretty cool that 73 different donors contributed toward the $31,000 we just raised this fall,” said McCallum Booster Club representative Amanda Hopper. “For more than three years, Coach Gammerdinger has been working to raise funds for the athletic program weight room upgrade. With about $8,000 raised entering this school year, a group of McCallum football booster club parents spearheaded an ambitious program with donation sponsorship levels and a clear deadline. This effort, made possible by countless volunteer hours and many generous donors (including anonymous matching donations!) from the entire Mac athletic community and friends, raised another $31,000—enough to finally purchase the equipment!”

Coach Gammerdinger worked with an Illinois-based fitness equipment company to secure refurbished double weight racks and benches, which were previously used by University of Alabama athletes. 

“These are the actual racks and benches used by one of the most successful college football programs in the nation,” Hopper explained. “The equipment arrived on Wednesday—and it looks brand new to us!”

The upgrade is already making an impact on student-athletes. 

“I think that it’s gonna motivate our football players to work a lot harder,” said Hugo Smith, a sophomore and varsity defensive lineman. “The weight room is open after school every day, so I think it’s gonna motivate us to go after school and get two lifts in during the day. We’re gonna be one of the strongest teams in our district. I also think, since we increased the number of people that can be in the weight room, it’s gonna be a lot easier to incorporate the freshmen with the older kids.”

Caption continues in comments.

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 423
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## Credits

These are the roles credited on Gondola. Credits may be incomplete.
A brand, account owner, or featured person is not necessarily the creator.

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| McCallum Journalism | @macjournalism | https://gondola.cc/macjournalism | Newspaper |
| Julia Copas | @julia_copas | https://gondola.cc/julia_copas | Photographer |

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