You can't judge a book by its cover, or a cookie by its cutter.

Or, soon, a weight room by its exterior.

Take the Siuslaw High School weight-training facility, which has all the allure of a decrepit detached garage.

"That's basically what it is, a garage without the garage doors," Vikings football coach Jamin Pool said.

"Some people who walk past it to the baseball field think it's the bathroom."

Soon it will house some of the newest state-of-the-art equipment on the Oregon coast.

Five half-rack stations, valued at nearly $3,000 each, are expected to arrive by the end of the month. A sixth unit soon will follow.

"The plan is to have everything ready to go by the beginning of August — for all athletes and all sports, boys and girls," Pool said.

Each half-rack station is a modern marvel, with 260 bumper plates, a storage center, a storage rack, a bar and a multi-purpose bench.

"We're getting pretty much everything in this bundle," Pool said. "We'll be way more efficient. We'll be able to do all our main lifts — squat, lift, bench, cleans, dead lifts — all at one station."

The new equipment will replace relics said to date to the early days of legendary football coach Len Lutero.

Countless Vikings have gotten bigger, stronger and faster with what's being replaced. But for current and future Vikings, the new half-rack stations will be a blessing.

And student-athletes will have quite a list of people to thank, from the booster club to the Ladies of the Elks, from local businesses to supporters near and far.

It also took contributions from all the Vikings' athletic programs.

"The head coaches got together as a unit and decided that we were each going to donate a certain amount of money from our programs to this fund," Pool said.

"All our coaches, from head coaches to down below, every program, have been able to contribute."

The biggest donor was the Siuslaw Athletic Booster Club with a grant of $10,000, which covered three stations. The Ladies of the Elks are paying for one station.

"There are a lot of people, a lot of businesses, who deserve a lot of credit for this," Pool said.

Some of those sponsors already have been recognized on the new Siuslaw Vikings app for iOS and Android, and include: TR Hunter Real Estate, The Shippin' Shack, Siuslaw Glass & Mirror, City Lights Cinemas, Bi-Mart of Florence, Fred Meyer of Florence and KCST Radio.

"The support has been phenomenal," Pool said.

The benefits will be immediate. More students will be able to safely use the facility at one time. All sports. Boys and girls. Athletes and nonathletes.

Pool, who will teach weight-training and health during school hours, can't wait for the transformation.

"My philosophy is that if they want to come in to get bigger, stronger, faster, for whatever their reason, for work or for self-image or for whatever it is, I'll open it up to them," Pool said.

"Whatever helps out."

NOTES

Pool's assistant coaches this year are Gerald Fleming, Mike Blankenship and Kris O'Connor. ...

Fleming will coach the offensive and defensive lines. Fleming, who teaches at the elementary school, has been on the Vikings staff for more than a decade and is a Siuslaw High School graduate. ...

Blankenship, a local pastor with years of coaching experience, is responsible for wide receivers and defensive backs. ...

O'Connor is moving up from the middle school football staff and will handle running backs and linebackers. ...

Pat Wondra returns as junior varsity coach, and will be assisted by Dennis Davidson and Kellyn Davidson. ...

The annual Vikings Youth Football Camp is Aug. 8-11 at the high school. Hours for kindergarten through fourth grade 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., for fifth through eighth grade 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., for 9th through 12th grade 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. ... Fee is $5, and includes a T-shirt. ...

The football team will volunteer its help for the annual Relay for Life on Aug. 13. ...

Daily doubles for football begins Monday, Aug. 15, with the first session 10 a.m. to noon and the second session 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ...