By Morgan Andrews, Hope Smith, Janie Hodny & Matt Seger
UW-Green Bay introduces a new lifting club on campus at the Kress Events Center.
The new lifting club, which is fully run by students, was started at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year by founders Sydney Gang, Caelyn Kaiser, Elsie Ambord, and Travis Phommaleuth. The club is open to non-experienced and experienced lifters on campus and currently has over 100 members.
Elsie Ambord, an officer of the club, demonstrates a goblet squat at an officer meeting. (Photo courtesy of Elsie Ambord)
The objectives of the club include creating a safe environment for lifting, building confidence for all lifters to feel comfortable at the Kress Events Center, and showing students how to lift properly and in the correct form. The meetings will focus on barbell lifting to start, but as the club grows, officers will teach more advanced lifting forms. Along with lifting forms, the officers will provide nutritional advice and general health wellness tips. The officers are looking to help students with their overall health journey.
Gang, a junior majoring in Business Administration, says, “There is not an exact meeting time scheduled yet for the lifting club, but the club will begin general meetings in November 2022. Our officers are excited to work with the members on correct barbell forms and to see how the club takes off!” The lifting club’s meetings will be held in the Kress Events Center in the fitness center with one-on-one sessions with the officers to show correct lifting forms.
The lifting club’s first appearance was at Org Smorg on the UWGB campus. The club had a popular following, and many students wanted to join. “With a new club, it can be hard to recruit members and create awareness,” says Gang. “Our team of officers did not expect to get such a big following at our first appearance as a new club. At Org Smorg, we had at least 100 members show up, and it was very uplifting and inspiring. Our officers are eager to make a difference and provide the help to students that they need,” Gang adds.
The future of the club will offer merchandise for students, such as sweatshirts and t-shirts with the lifting club logo. An experienced lifter and member of the club, Owen Williams, an experienced lifter and member of the club, says, “I first found out about the new club at the UWGB Org Smorg fair, and I was intrigued. In the future, I hope the lifting club will allow members to participate in lifting competitions and be a part of new lifting equipment selections.”
Owen Williams demonstrates a squat at the Kress Events Center during an officer meeting. (Photo from @uwgb_liftingclub Instagram
Eddie Her, a first-year student at UWGB and a non-member of the lifting club, is looking to join the club because “I would like to learn more proper forms when lifting, like power cleaning. I lift to feel more confident, and the club is appealing to me because of the group workout aspect. I would love to join!”
To become a member of the new lifting club on campus, email Sydney Gang at gangsn04@uwgb.edu to get added to the general member’s list to receive emails on club information & upcoming events! To also learn more information about the club, visit the Instagram at @uwgb_liftingclub.
Gang says, “We are looking for all the members that we can get. Our goal for the club is to create a fun, safe, and comfortable environment for all students on campus at the Kress Events Center. We are open to experienced and non-experienced members and will be helping students with anything that they need. Come join us!”