GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — The Wildcats from Eastern Guilford High School got a big surprise and it came courtesy of one of the most famous families in baseball, and Thursday we went to check it all out.
The Cal Ripen Sr. Foundation travels the country revamping athletic facilities for high school athletes across the nation.
This week, they made a stop at Eastern Guilford High School to upgrade the Wildcats' athletic facilities.
Thanks to Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation and United Healthcare, the athletes from Eastern Guilford got upgrades to their weight room, which includes brand-new equipment, a fresh paint job, and a new sound system.
Back in 2017, the Ripken Foundation did similar revamps at Smith High School and High Point Andrews. So they reached back out to Guilford County Schools this year, to see which school should be next on their list.
"I really wasn't expecting such a huge transformation to the weight room, and I'm just saying, not that we couldn't compete before, but now this is a huge step in us becoming a great competitor. When we first got a glimpse of the equipment that was in there. It was mind-blowing, then I heard there was something going on in the locker room too. I have been in there yet, but I can't wait to see", is how Eastern Guilford Senior Lineman Chris Riley described the day's events.
"It's awesome I can't thank everyone that played a part in this enough. It's just awesome, and I know all our coaches, players, and athletic staff is very grateful for it", is what Eastern Guilford 2-sport athlete Jackson Jones had to say.
It's been at least two decades since there had been much of any upgrades to these facilities at Eastern Guilford, no one knows that better than the current Athletic Director, former Eastern Guilford Wildcat, and big-time Cal Ripken fan Jay White.
"I was waiting on his helicopter to come down in the parking lot, but I don't think we're going to get that lucky but Mr. Ripken, thank you so much! It was overwhelming to get this opportunity from the get-go. Having to sit down and plan things of this magnitude that normally take years to raise the money for it's just an awesome opportunity for our athletes", White went on to say.
Not only did the Wildcats get a revamped weight room, but there were upgrades to the locker rooms, and training room, and they even got a virtual reality room that all students, not just athletes can utilize.