Before the start of football season, the Los Angeles Chargers Impact Fund and Oakley renovated the weight room at Jordan High School. Along with refurbishing the weight room, they received new equipment; the football team also received new helmets.
When the weight room was unveiled, Chargers safety Derwin James visited the Jordan Bulldogs football team to give them Oakley sunglasses.
“This weight room is a blessing that’s been prayed for for years. When I first came here, it was an eye sore, equipment that we couldn’t use, broken,” said Jordan football coach Derek Benton. “God smiled on the Jordan Bulldogs and our high school.”
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James is a player ambassador for both the Chargers and Oakley told the players and coach that they were deserving of a renovated weight room. He noted how seeing their reaction to the new weight room was “priceless.”
“The weight room we just did for them was amazing, new equipment, new racks to lift to squat, do everything,” James said. “Just seeing the screams and the smiles, I probably would have been jumping up and down for joy the same way because these kids are gonna remember this forever.”
Along with meeting James, the students gained advice from Chargers senior director of player engagement Arthur Hightower.
“Our head coach Brandon Staley has two things that we’re about: relationships and competition,” Hightower said. “This allows you to be competitive, but when you do it together, that brings the relationship.”
Senior running back and wide receiver Gregory Edwards mentioned how the new weight room has the team “looking more championship bound.”
“Last year, we didn’t have a lot. We barely had anything, we had broken stuff,” he said. “They changed everything up, they got us looking better.”
The Bulldogs are currently 2-0 so far this season. They not only defeated Contreras and West Adams but did not allow them to score.
After taking a tour of the school, the Chargers Impact Fund decided to work on upgrading the amenities of their weight room.
“This is gonna have a great impact not only on the student athletes, but also on the students who do PE classes here,” said Chargers Impact Fund manager Taylor Chavez. “It gives them a safer learning environment and it ties in with our pillar: safer places to play.”
Jordan Athletic Director Jamie Krueckberg noted how the football team is appreciative of the renovation and how the newly refurbished weight room will impact the student body.
“All of our athletes are gonna use it all of our gym classes are gonna use it,” she said. “Our special [education] students are gonna use it, so everybody will benefit from this.”
