A vision become reality

COEUR d'ALENE - At first, Coeur d'Alene High football coach and advanced weights instructor Shawn Amos wasn't sure the vision he had was going to come true for renovations to the school's weight room.

Now, after donations from a long list of local businesses and citizens, the finished product was unveiled on Friday night.

"We had visions of grandeur when we first started," Amos said. "With reality and the economy, we adjusted our goals."

With more than $100,000 spent in new flooring, mirrors, paint and motivational signs, the newly dedicated Lee Shellman Strength Center is seeing more activity than in years past.

"The athletes have better chances now," Amos said. "We're getting more out of each class. The kids have committed to training and are getting more out of it."

Gone is a former coaches office, which has been turned into an area for dumbbell workouts.

In the past, the students outnumbered the equipment, allowing for students to have lapses in workouts.

"Everything is going more efficiently," Amos said. "Students are having less time waiting their turn. We've really taken another step that we think will pay off down the road. It has really became a source of pride for the kids."

While the Coeur d'Alene Vikings won the state 5A football championship last fall, those rewards weren't necessarily attributed to the new digs.

"We didn't have a lot of these things in place until mid-summer," Amos said. "It was actually more difficult with the renovations. We had to be a little more creative with the way we did things."

Currently, the room is set up to train anywhere from 48 to 56 students effectively.

"We usually average up to 40 kids per class," Amos said. "During the summer, we can get up to 100 kids in here at a time, which makes things kind of difficult. We're really excited to have everything in place."

Amos added that donations continue to come in, with no money coming from the school district for the project.

"The family of Ryan Reinhardt (a former Viking who died in a car crash last fall) just donated some money to enhance some of the other equipment," Amos said. "We've got a few things to finish, but with the size of the area, we've maximized what we can do with the space in there."

Expanding on the current location behind Viking Court requires additional funds and cutting into other surroundings on the campus.

"It's not realistic at the moment," Amos said. "We're always looking to get improvement and provide better training for the students."

Amos has noticed a change in the athletes at Cd'A since the renovation.

"You can really see the difference right now," Amos said. "The number of kids buying in is at a higher percentage. There's nowhere to hide in here now. There's no excuses for our athletes not to get something out of it."

When Amos came to Coeur d'Alene High as football coach in 1997, Shellman was a member of the Viking booster club. Shellman, a longtime physical therapist and supporter of Coeur d'Alene High athletics, died in December 2009.

"He'd be very proud," Amos said. "He was a diehard Viking fan and understood the importance of training. He'd have a big smile on his face right now."

Amos added that without the countless donors, none of it was possible.

"It's incredible the amount and people that have made it go," Amos said. "When we were asking for donations, the economy was at its lowest. Those people stepped up when it was at its worst. Those donors are the ones that sacrificed when it wasn't an easy thing to do."

The impact of those donations will be felt for a long time at Coeur d'Alene High.

"It will definitely help those players down the road," Amos said. "This has really became a source of pride for the kids."

Anyone still wishing to contribute to the fund can contact Amos at either 667-4507 or samos@cdaschools.org.

"If anyone still wants to be a part of this, we can use it," Amos said. "Any money brought in would go to equipment we can use outside to help enhance speed. There are endless things we can do to keep us more streamlined."