Rise and Rock: Empowering Girls in the Weight Room in Two Harbors

When a member of the junior high track team sug­gested an activity for the next weight lifting session, Dan Thewis, coach of the junior high track and field team, gently reminded her there wouldn’t be a next time — the season had come to an end.

“She had a sad face,” Thewis said. “She was an eighth grader, so I’m not going to be her coach any­more.”

He offered another re­minder: the Two Harbors High School weight room is open throughout the sum­mer on Mondays, Wednes­days, and Fridays.

“I asked what was keep­ing people from going,” he said. “Everyone said they would go if it was just girls. I said, ‘Okay, I’ll see what I can do.’”

Although Thewis couldn’t commit to coaching the group himself, he already had someone in mind to lead it. That someone, he emphasized, needed to be a role model the girls could relate to.

“I wanted it to be a gal,” he said. “I wanted it to be a girl so they could have someone to look up to.”

He had talked with April Ekholm at the rink before (her husband coaches hock­ey) and he knew she had experience in health and fit­ness.

“I knew she did health and fitness coaching. She’s done classes at Bodies in Balance before,” said Thewis. “I knew she would be a good overall role model for the girls, knowing that she does CrossFit, she does triath­lons. She’s not a bodybuild­er, she does everything, which is kind of what we’re training the girls for—ev­erything.”

Ekholm, an engineer who recently began working at UMD, jumped on the op­portunity. With her back­ground in sports, fitness, and coaching, she’s a strong fit to lead the program.

“I actually do nutrition and health coaching on the side, but I have always had a pas­sion for sports. Growing up, I was in cross country run­ning, cross country skiing, softball—and I stuck with it. I’ve done a lot of lifting throughout the years,” she said. “In the last two and a half years, I’ve been doing CrossFit in Duluth. So, I do have a lifting background and I’m certified in lifting and nutrition.”

With Ekholm on board, Thewis created a flyer, and by the end of the first day, 17 girls had signed up, and not just from track and field.

“There’s basketball, vol­leyball, soccer, cross-coun­try girls,” Thewis said. “There are two swimmers who have signed up. We run the gamut of ages and ac­tivities, too. It’s for every­body, all athletes and even if you’re not an athlete.”

Ekholm is eager to pass along her wealth of knowl­edge to the next generation.

“I absolutely love it,” she said. “I work with a lot of people with health and nu­trition, and that’s one thing I always hear: they don’t know what to do if they go to the gym, or they’re intim­idated. Teaching them how to do it properly and safely, so they can gain confidence in themselves, is definitely neat to watch.”

Even in their very first class together, the girls were already building a strong sense of support and ca­maraderie, showing up for each other in big ways.

“They were cheering for each other today,” Thewis said. “It was really cool. I think as the summer goes on, it’ll be even more tight-knit.”

Coach Thewis believes that fostering these connec­tions is just as important as the physical training itself. Building stronger bonds alongside stronger bodies helps create a supportive environment where the girls can thrive both on and off the field.

“Number one is injury pre­vention,” Thewis said. “A lot of these girls are in three sports. And if all of your joints are weak, you get a higher injury rate. All sports are contact sports, really. They’ve got to hold their own or get pushed around on the court. If they’re stronger, they’re going to be safer. But then there’s that connection piece, too. The community and building a broader network of support for their own personal men­tal health and well-being.”

For many of the girls, the chance to train together in an all-female environment is part of the appeal.

Aliah Ackerman, a junior who will be playing basket­ball next fall for Two Har­bors, said she signed up for the opportunity to work out with an all-girls crew.

“I like meeting new peo­ple,” Ackerman said, adding that many of her friends are also participating. She feels that being part of a program like this is good for mental health, as well, throughout the summer.

Elouise Lawler-Bailey, who’s going into eighth grade and participates in volleyball and track and field, also appreciates the all-girls format.

“It just makes me feel a little bit more comfortable,” Lawler-Bailey said. “Gen­erally, it’s easier for me to laugh along with girls be­cause I just feel more com­fortable because we all have strengths in the same areas.”

She added, “I wanted to get stronger for the sports that I do love, like volley­ball. I thought, well, what better way to get stronger than to meet with people I know, and I can meet other people, too.”

Ackerman described Ek­holm as a “good coach” and said she’s been learn­ing how to work out and stretch more efficiently. Lawler-Bailey agreed, call­ing Ekholm “kind and very supportive.”

Giving up their early Tues­day and Thursday mornings throughout the summer, the girls come eager to learn. They’ve dubbed the class “Rise and Rock.”

“They want to learn how,” Ekholm said. “We’re try­ing to teach them to push outside their comfort zone. With lifting, in order to succeed, you have to push yourself to failure so you can grow your muscles and continue to get stron­ger. That message connects back to everything they’re doing with their sports, as well.”

Ekholm can already see the confidence building among the girls.

“You can see sometimes they’re holding themselves back,” she said. “Then as they learn how to do it they’re starting to push themselves.”

She shared a moment from earlier that day when the girls went out to the track to run laps during the session.

“At the end, they were all pooped out but there was one girl who said ‘hey, I want to run the bleachers.’”

With just a few minutes left, the rest of the class de­cided to join her and run the bleachers, too.

Back in the weight room, the girls work with a range of equipment, focusing primarily on barbells and dumbbells to start as they build strength and confi­dence. Each session is de­signed to help them learn proper techniques and safely increase their lifting abilities, regardless of their starting point.

April Ekholm encourag­es any girls interested in joining the class to reach out to her at 218-348-1255. Whether you’re just begin­ning your fitness journey or already an experienced athlete, all are welcome to come and be part of this supportive, empowering community.