ERIC GOBBLE AND THE NEW COMMUNITY SCHOOL IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA BRING APEMAN MENTALITY AND HOPE TO STUDENTS CHALLENGED BY LEARNING DIFFERENCES

At The New Community School (TNCS) in Richmond, Virginia, Eric Gobble specializes in helping bright students in grades 5-12 who are challenged by dyslexia and related learning differences. 

By the time students make it to TNCS, they are often beaten down and feeling “less than” by their years in other schools that didn't understand how their brains worked, often leading to poor self-image and low self-esteem. Students with dyslexia have a higher likelihood of ADHD, anxiety, and depression, which can make their school experience even harder. 

“A few years ago, we turned a storage room into the school's first weight room and spent a summer teaching students to lift and to love lifting,” Eric said. “When the school year started, it was clear that students wanted more from PE than just kickball and badminton. They wanted to stay in the weight room.”

So Eric created Advanced PE as a weightlifting class. In fact, it's listed on the course schedule as APE. 

“The students who take the course refer to themselves as APEs,” Eric said. “The APEs have realized that the bar doesn't care if they're dyslexic. The plates weigh the same no matter how your brain is wired. The weight room has become the epicenter of their school experience. It's changed the way they look at themselves as learners.”

One day, while preparing for APE class, Eric was watching an Alan Thrall video on teaching the deadlift. He saw an APEMAN STRONG banner hanging on his wall at Untamed Strength. He researched APEMAN and realized their class had an immediate “brand.”

“It was so exciting to share your story with our students,” he said proudly. “Our students show up to school every day ready to attack their lessons and build their skills to tackle the challenges of their learning differences. Whether their preferred path is college or career, we want to be sure we launch them with the skills and resilience they will need to succeed.”

Eric said they are doubling down on their efforts to teach students the importance of wellness through learning to lift and to love lifting. Right now, TNCS is fundraising to create a new wellness center on their campus. The building’s crowning jewel will be a large weight room on the top floor. When it’s built, the weight room will be a massive victory for their community, students, and their APE classes. 

They started in a closet and are working their way into a penthouse.  

“Everyone needs a physical outlet,” said Eric. “It’s fantastic that our APEs are learning how to lift and learning how to love lifting.  They realize that the weight is the same for everyone and being dyslexic has no bearing on whether you make a lift or not.”

After the class cools down and cleans up, they often end the class with Eric reading one of the APEMAN cards. In fact, different ones appeal to different students. But universal themes for them are Overcome and Scars.  

“Overcome resonates because all of our students are pushing forward, only forward, in an education system and a world that often isn’t built to accommodate them,” said Eric. “Scars is important, too.  All of the students who come to New Community come because they need this school.  All of the students realize that about each other. It makes them feel less alone and less different.  They are inspired by each other’s struggles — in the classroom and, now, in the weight room.”

As far as Eric’s advice to others who are going through a struggle, whatever it may be? 

“Take our APE class… Learn to lift… Learn to love to lift.”