BELLAIRE, Ohio — A special collaboration took place Wednesday night between the Wheeling Miners and RL Strength and Conditioning in Bellaire.
It started when heeling Miners Owner Chris Duffy reached out to RL Strength and Conditioning Owner Rick Leigh, who offers a free workout program for kids in the Ohio Valley.
Leigh said he quickly learned that Duffy is all about building a strong community, which is why he wanted the players to come out and work with the youth.
"A lot of our kids don't have the money to go out and pay for a personal trainer or to do private trainings,” Leigh said. “So, to see these pro athletes come here and work with them, sparked them as soon as they walked in. These kids lit up, started throwing footballs with them, basketball, wanting them in the boxing ring to hit the mitts.”
Having members of the miners around also serves as motivation for the kids.
"I think the most important part is to instill fun into these kids, show they can enjoy this kind of stuff,” Miners player Robi Stuart said.
"Any chance you can get to give back to the community, to the kids is valuable,” Miners player CJ Cain said. “You don’t know whose life you can impact just by being here for 20 or 30 minutes."
"It's honestly cool to be an idol these kids can look up to,” Miners player Jeremiah Flores said. “I remember being a little kid and seeing a professional athlete and being like, man, hopefully one day I can do that, and it’s cool for them to know that we're around.”
After holding this collaborative workout session, the Miners are now set to host a “Lions Only” Night in May as a nod to RL Strength and Conditioning's motto.
Each kid and a parent will be invited to a Miners game that month for free. They'll be able to have a private viewing section, meet the players on the field and meet the mascot.
Leigh said this collaboration is something great for the youth as it opens more opportunities for them and, in turn, he hopes that will help set them up for a successful future.
"To have community unity around here, the sky is the limit for the youth,” Leigh said. “Hooking up with the Wheeling Miners was a big thing. We are hoping to have many more “Lions Nights” over there, maybe a night like that will change one of these kids’ lives.”
