New Mexico high school weight room projects don’t get much better than what Samson Equipment built for Cloudcroft High School in the mountains of southern New Mexico. “Oh my gosh, the equipment is phenomenal. Like, this is heaven. A little piece of heaven right here.” That’s how a Cloudcroft staff member described walking into the Bears’ brand-new training facility for the first time — and honestly? It’s hard to argue with that.
Nestled at over 8,600 feet elevation, Cloudcroft High School is home to the Bears, a community where athletics aren’t just a program — they’re a point of pride. When the school set out to build a high school weight room worthy of that pride, they turned to Samson Equipment. What followed was a complete facility transformation that proves you don’t need a Division I budget to train like you’re in one.
A Small Town. A Big Vision.
Cloudcroft, New Mexico sits at over 8,600 feet elevation, where the mountains are steep, the community is tight-knit, and expectations for student-athletes run high. As one staff member put it: “We’re in Cloudcroft. The bears here — everybody’s a bear. We want our kids to be successful, to be productive members of society, and to represent our town well.”
That community-first mentality drove every decision in this project. Building a world-class New Mexico high school weight room starts with the right partner — for Cloudcroft, that meant coming back to Samson.
The Before: Twenty Years of Hard Work — and It Showed
When Cloudcroft first outfitted their facility nearly two decades ago, they were already a Samson customer. The equipment had done its job for years, but time had taken its toll: concrete floors, no ADA compliance, and aging gear throughout. Rather than starting from scratch, the school and Samson worked together on a comprehensive solution — a full facility renovation paired with a strategic equipment revamp.
The Build: 12 Lifting Stations Designed for Maximum Efficiency
The centerpiece of the new facility is a 12-station lifting floor built around Samson’s Flex Rack Double as the primary configuration. Each double unit delivers multiple stations in a compact footprint — a front-facing station with a Functional Training Rack attachment, and an additional station off the back of the same rack. On the other side of the room, single power stations keep sightlines open and flow clean.
Against the wall, Samson’s Functional Training Rack (FTR) features space-saving storage with weight plates facing outward — accessible, organized, and ready for action. The result is a high school weight room floor that can accommodate an entire team at once, with zero wasted space.
The Revamp: Getting More from What You Already Own
Four pieces of Cloudcroft’s original equipment from nearly 20 years ago came back to Samson for a full revamp — repainted, reupholstered, new cables, new attachments. The result? Equipment that looks brand new sitting right alongside the new gear, and the school kept thousands of dollars in their budget.
“We took them back to Samson and gave them a facelift,” said the Samson rep on site. “Massive savings — they didn’t have to buy new pieces of equipment, and they could spend their money elsewhere.” This is one of the core advantages of being a Samson customer — equipment built to last, backed by the Samson Lifetime Warranty on framework.
The Mezzanine Cardio Deck: A Room Within a Room
Up above the lifting floor sits a dedicated cardio deck outfitted for PE classes, coaches, and athletes who want to supplement their training — 2 Concept2 Rowers, 2 SkiErgs, 2 Assault Bikes, a Stair Stepper, and a Resistance Bike. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out over the New Mexico mountains, flooding the space with natural light while athletes grind. Below? A full sightline down to the entire weight room floor so coaches can oversee both areas simultaneously.
3D Design That Matched the Final Product — Exactly
Samson provided full 3D layouts and renderings during the planning phase — a standard part of every Samson weight room design project. Those visuals became the school’s primary tool for getting community and board approval. “This looks identical to what they showed us it was going to look like,” a staff member noted. “That helped us sell it to our community and to our board members.”
ADA Compliant. Professional Grade. Built to Last.
The new facility addressed every deficiency in the old one. Concrete floors replaced with commercial-grade athletic flooring. Fully ADA compliant. Stainless steel hardware, Kelly green custom color accents, and branded weight racks that tie the entire room together. “When you walk in, it’s very eye-catching. Organized, great stainless steel, beautiful Kelly green colors. Whenever you walk in here, it’s exciting.”
The NSCA’s research on training environments consistently shows that facility quality directly impacts athlete buy-in and effort. The kids at Cloudcroft noticed immediately.
See More New Mexico High School Weight Rooms
Cloudcroft isn’t alone. Samson has built New Mexico high school weight rooms across the state:
Ready to Build Your High School’s Next Chapter?
Whether you’re working with a blank gym floor or a room full of 20-year-old equipment that still has life in it, Samson can build the right solution for your school, your budget, and your athletes. Free 3D layouts, custom color matching, lifetime framework warranties, and equipment revamp programs that help you do more with what you already own.
