Photo Credit: Courtesy of Greer Athletic Club, Greer, S.C.
Editor’s Note: This column, “LBWA” (Leadership By Wandering Around), is based on the premise that, in order to find out what’s going on in the field, a parks and rec leader has to leave his or her desk and “wander around” the area of operations, talk to people, ask questions, and kick around ideas with the individuals in the thick of delivering services to the public. So the author will bring up issues and ask the leaders among the readership to share their knowledge and experiences.
Many years ago, I nearly lost my legs in a commercial fitness center because a poorly maintained squat weight-rack literally fell apart.
Half of the rack—carrying nearly 800 pounds of weight—fell because the bolts hadn’t been tightened when the machine was assembled. The rack sliced off the end of a flat bench upon which I was reclining while doing cable tricep extensions. If my feet had been on the floor like they usually are during this exercise, the rack would have sliced through my knees instead of the padded, ¾-inch plywood bench.
It was at that moment I realized the importance of solid maintenance practices.