by Savannah Brouwer | Feb 4, 2022 | News, News Slider, Sports, Student Spotlight
The first Women’s Only Lift Night took place Wednesday night in the Student Activities Center. This ladies-only weightlifting night was advertised around campus for the past couple of weeks, promising female Lipscomb students a place to work out in peace. Despite it being a cold and rainy night, dozens of women showed up ready to lift and learn. What ended up being a night filled with laughter, growth, and community, began with one simple question: where can I help? This question was asked by transfer student Haley Gaines, a junior majoring in dietetics and minoring in exercise science. Gaines has been a trainer for six years, and before that was in the marine core for eight. It was in her years at the marines that Gaines realized her passion for women in fitness. She found it frustrating that she was the “only female surrounded by men that didn’t know anything about [her] body.” After years of training, she found that women would approach her in the gym and ask her questions. “I could tell that a lot of women were intimidated,” Gaines said, “and that is why Ladies Lift Night became a thing.” Gaines took her frustration around women’s discomfort in the gym and the judgment they often receive for their abilities and created the heart behind Ladies Lift Night. “I just want women to have a place where they feel confident not only on the outside but on the inside. [They should] have a place to believe in themselves.” The results are in, and the Women’s Only Lift Night did just that. The safe space Gaines tried to...
