A brand new weight room is helping athletes train at Woodland Hills, and they have one of the biggest football stars to come out of the school to thank.
Former NFL tight end and four-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski played his senior season with the Wolverines. He and U.S. Steel teamed up to donate $400,000 to renovate the school’s weight room.
“It’s an amazing group of kids,” said Woodland Hills Athletic Director Ty Brown. “For him to be able to come in here and do this for us, partner with U.S. Steel and Senator (Jay) Costa. It’s a dream come true for not only me but for our community and our district.”
The weight room is open to all Woodland Hills students. Brown also said they plan to open the space for limited community use on the weekends.
Gronkowski returned to campus Tuesday to attend a high-energy ribbon cutting for the state-of-the-art facility.
He knows first-hand that the facility was in desperate need of a facelift.
“I had rust on my hands when I was working out here,” he said. “If you have a piece of equipment, it still gets the job done, but it needed an upgrade, and when it’s upgraded, it inspires these kids to come up here as well and work out, as well.”
The Woodland Hills students who joined for the ribbon cutting wasted no time getting their hands on the new equipment. Just seconds after the ceremony, a couple of athletes got to work on the bench press.
“It definitely was a big upgrade,” said Woodland Hills sophomore Malik McCloud. “I feel like it was definitely needed, and we’re very grateful for it.”
Known for his energetic nature, Gronkowski also spent well over an hour taking photos, sharing stories and even shooting TikTok videos with some of the students.
“You see him on the walls and stuff, but just seeing him in person was definitely a great experience,” said Woodland Hills senior Amere Brown.
Gronkowski is spearheading other projects in youth sports through the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation. Many of his projects are based in the towns that helped shape him.
He said it’s all about remembering those who were a part of his journey to the top of his sport.
“It just means a lot to give back to the roots that helped me get back to the next level, that helped develop me, and here at Woodland Hills was one of the roots,” he said. “These kids want to use this weight room, and these kids are excited about it. That’s what’s really special.”
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