While the Chargers’ 2022 season may have ended in disappointment, running back Austin Ekeler teamed up with the franchise to help renovate the weight room at Long Beach Poly, a local high school.
The renovation was also made possible by Poly alumni Jurrell Casey and Juju Smith-Schuster, whose donations helped fund the upgrade.
“The new weight room, expected to open by Summer, was made possible thanks to a large donation by Chargers running back Austin Ekeler and the Ekeler Foundation, as well as support from Poly NFL alums Jurrell Casey and JuJu Smith-Schuster, as well as the Chargers.” https://t.co/rCO7d1MyLy
— Nick Cothrel (@NickCothrel) February 14, 2023
According to The 562’s Mike Guardabascio, the weight room at Long Beach Poly hasn’t been renovated in more than 70 years, so this much-needed update should be particularly helpful for the school’s athletic programs.
The room is getting a new concrete floor poured to allow modern equipment, as well as new paint, 11 double-squat racks, medicine balls, and a ton of other state-of-the-art equipment. Over 70 teams and close to 2,000 athletes have been using the old facility, which was severely limited in terms of how many athletes could use it at the same time. The football team, for example, needed to cycle four or five groups through when factoring in the lower levels and varsity players. Now the entire varsity team will be able to lift in one session, instead of being split in half.
The Chargers and their players have always prided themselves on the work that they’ve done in their communities over the years, and this latest project is sure to be the first of many to take place over the course of the 2023 offseason.
As the league turns its attention to the NFL Draft and free agency, Ekeler and his foundation will continue finding good deeds to do around Southern California that will make a lasting impact on the area.
