This week the Bolt Fitness Supply installation team travels to North Zulch High School outside College Station to help the good people of North Zulch ISD convert their unused basketball court into a weight room for their students and athletes.
Our journey north began around 6 am from Bolt Headquarters (6415 Allegheny St, Houston, TX 77021). I like these early morning mission meet-ups with the Bolt crew. I always feel like you get a more intimate sense of a person when you see them at an atypical hour. It reminds me of camping in that sense and I value getting a more dynamic glimpse of the team at this still somewhat unseen hour. Our journey today won't be too long, we will be driving a little over 100 miles to make our install. This is light work compared to our team of seasoned veterans who are accustomed to driving coast to coast to execute massive gym installs. Many nights have been spent in hotel rooms all over the country but tonight won't be one of them. Psychologically speaking the vibe is light as we embark knowing we will be back in our own beds tonight. Our crew today consists of Jackson, our videographer, Delfino, our installation manager, and his dynamic duo of assistants Mike and Alvaro, or Alvaro and Mike if you prefer. I have traveled with this crew before and they are typically a fun group with a solid dynamic. What's more, they are a legit top-notch group of installers who know exactly how to get the job done and live to tell the tale. Which is of course a tale we are about to tell.
Delfino started off the first shift of driving. I like the way Delfino drives, he is never in a rush and always seems to be patient even in traffic which is a quality I find very admirable (because I do not happen to possess this quality). Me, Jackson, Alvaro, and Mike are all squeezed into the cab, and needless to say this is fertile soil for tons of jokes. I enjoy this crew because no matter how tired or physically exhausted the team is there is always energy to crack jokes. After driving for about an hour it was only a matter of time until we stopped at Buc-ee's to stretch our legs and fill up the tank (and our stomach tanks too). I am a health-conscious person and I know I'll be Brazilian bikini waxed for this but I never know what to get at a gas station because it's impossible to find a healthy alternative to all the tempting junk food that's available at this place. I find a bag of peanuts that isn't overly saturated in seed oils and get back in the cab. Next stop North Zulch.
I had been hearing how nice the athletic director at North Zulch ISD was because my friend Abraham (blackbelt salesperson at Bolt Fitness Supply) had been the one to facilitate this sale. Bolt had a booth this year at the Texas High School Coaches Association convention and it paid off because that's where Abraham met Mr. Kevin Bartley. Abraham had spoken very highly of him so I was looking forward to meeting him myself knowing we would be greeted with an abundance of hospitality. I was correct because when we pulled up to North Zulch High School (home of the Bulldogs) in the small Texas town of North Zulch (population 2,000) we were immediately welcomed with a booming “Gooooood Morning” by the Athletic Director Mr. Kevin Bartley. By now it's approximately 9:30 am and if I’m being honest I’m still waking up, but nonetheless, it's time to get to work because we’re here to get a job done.
After making proper acquaintances Delfino is told where to back the truck in and we all get to work unloading the truck. The boys back at Bolt HQ had done a tremendous job loading the truck the night before (Shoutout Ivan). We were fully set up for success to unload this thing with ease. It's also worth noting how amazing it was that they were able to fit all this equipment into one truck. Coach Bartley had ordered 3 Raider (plate loaded leg extension prone leg curl combo) 6 Praetorians Double Half Racks, 6 of our top selling Triton benches and lastly what appeared (and felt!) to be 20,000 lbs of our Lightening weight plates. Coach Bartley had done an amazing job getting North Zulch High Shcool exactly what they needed to have a no-frills-all-gains style weight room. I couldn't weight to see our Bolt equipment in this space (pun intended).
Well, what happened next was that about an hour of rigorous unloading occurred until we began to see a swarm of red wasps congregating on the ground right where our truck’s ramp had been landing. Everyone ran from the site like little chickens. This was a hilarious sight to see and fortunately, our videographer Jackson captured this moment on camera so that our team back home would believe this story! Our install team is tough, these are dudes you don't want to mess with but to see them reduced to children on account of a small swarm of insects was very, very entertaining. That being said, and in the spirit of full disclosure, I was also reduced to a small little chicken at the sight of this swarm and I too ran away with the rest of the team. Truth be told no one on site was fully equipped to deal with this spontaneous infestation and we called an exterminator, because Hey we’re fitness equipment professionals and not “bug guys”.
While we waited for the exterminator Coach Bartley passed Mike a basketball and we began to shoot some hoops. This was another side of the team I hadn't yet seen, the “baller” side. I think people were a little rusty, or perhaps the hoop height wasn't at proper regulation because I don't know if any of us made a single shot while we waited for the exterminator. By the time the exterminator resolved the issue, I think people were ready to get back to work. You can only shoot air balls for so long before you're sufficiently disheartened and ready to do anything other than that. So that's what happened: after our impromptu break spent not making baskets, we got back to work and finished unloading the truck.
This is my favorite part of the entire install process, this is where these boys shine brighter than bright when it's time to construct the equipment. They move fast, and efficiently, they are like a well-oiled machine (an Apex, or a Warlord, if you will), and no one can do what the Bolt Fitness Supply install team can do. They started with the big things, the Preatrion double half racks, we positioned them according to where Coach Bartley wanted them and got to work constructing. Mike with the power impact, Delfino on the ladder, Alvaro supporting the uprights, Alvaro on the ladder, Mike stabilizing a stabilizer, Delfino supporting Mike, so on and so on, like a beautifully choreographed heavy metal 12 gauge steel dance, for hours until the job was completed. These boys mean business, plus they want to get home and we’re still over 100 miles from the H.
The job is complete, this place looks totally awesome! Coach Bartley is smiling from ear to ear because the hard work he and the Bolt crew put in makes the Coach legendary to his team. This no-frills style weight room from a converted basketball gym looks like the perfect setting to forge a champion. After years of these installs, I never get tired of seeing our fresh equipment in a new environment. The aesthetic quality of Bolt Fitness Supply machines seems to fit right into place in any setting and today North Zulch is no exception.
It's time to hit the road, but first some food. We stop by “The Office Bar and Grill” (I love that name) on the way out of the city and chow down. Okay, okay, after working as hard as we just did I think a big plate of “junk food” is in order. We all get burgers or variations on the burger (a chicken sandwich is a burger) and then we hit the road, for real this time. It's about 5 pm and we’re heading back to Houston and in no time I can see the city skyline on the approaching horizon. Why is it that the way back always feels faster than the way there? Another question for another day. I am thoroughly exhausted and I did a fraction of the work this team just did so I can't even imagine how they feel. And of course, despite how tired people are there is always more in the tank for jokes. That’s why I love rolling with the Bolt crew, we keep it light even when moving heavy things.
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