Muhlenberg Job Corps’ welding instructors Marty Wabnitz and Eddie Albin displayed their fabricating skills by building an indoor driving sled for Hopkins County Central’s football team.  When Hopkins County High School football team started looking for an indoor driving sled to assist the football team in preparing for the upcoming season, assistant coach Marty Wabnitz realized his Job Corps students could build this. Marty asked Head Coach, Steven Wood, if he would consider allowing the Muhlenberg Job Corps’ welding department to build the sled, all in efforts of gaining extra training for his students.  This would cut costs for the Hopkins County football team.  Coach Wood happily agreed.

Marty said the project took around three full weeks total but it spanned over three months. Marty said that with classroom projects and shop assignments, they would work on the sled when time allowed. He could not believe the passion from the students to work on this project and that he had to remind them curriculum first. Marty felt the students really grew from this project because of the precision needed in the angles, incline degrees, measurements, and the welding skill that was needed for the project. The students learned how to take a picture, then make a blueprint, and finally turn it into a functioning piece of equipment.

The indoor driving sled is used to help with hip explosion along with hip driving. The sled works to help develop quickness, hand placement and strength. Players can strike the Man Pad at the Arm Pits and Drive 2-3 yards. This sled, if bought for a program, would cost anywhere from three to five thousand dollars from an equipment company. Muhlenberg Job Corps was able to use extra metal and scraps to build the sled. Hopkins Co. football team had to purchase some small things like roller wheels, paint, and decals. Once the sled was finished, painted, decaled, and delivered by Muhlenberg Job Corps CDL program, it had a total of $170.00 dollars spent to complete.

Coach Wood said that he very much appreciated the efforts of MJCC in building the sled to help the players get ready season after season and improve year around. Marty stated he was truly proud of the work the students completed and he felt they put a great product out for a small school that would certainly make good use of it.

List of students who helped: Ivan Clark, Michael Coble, Wyatt Jordan, Jan Montalvo, Austin Wright, Lakyra Gibson, Marceya Johnson, Jake Carson, Ben Brooking, and Dylan Horchak. Instructors that helped: Marty Wabnitz, Eddie Albin, Scottie Brooks and Heavy Equipment Cluster Manager Nick Toomey.