Here’s the list of peeps (including alternates) going to the Olympics in Weightlifting:

Kendrick Farris of Shreveport, LA, 85kg;

Chad Vaughn of Austin, TX, 77kg;

Casey Burgener of Bonsall, CA, +105 kg;

Lance Frye of Moorestown, NJ, 77kg.

Melanie Roach, 53 kg, of Bonney Lake, WA;

Carissa Gump, 63 kg, of Colorado Springs, CO;

Natalie Woolfolk, 63 kg of Colorado Springs, CO;

Cheryl Haworth, +75 kg of Savannah, GA;

Cara Heads, 69 kg of Shreveport, LA.

We’ve all been embarrassed by the look of the previous USA Weightlifting website.  But, be embarrassed no more.  USA Weightlifting has finally entered the modern age with its new website designed to actually be navigated!  Seriously, this is an improvement that could actually result in new members.

Watch how Melanie Roach VERY quickly dives under the bar in her clean, then appears stuck. But, she isn’t!! She uses the bounce (a lot of bounces) to get out of the hole and makes a clean lift.

Snatch, 62.5, Powered!

EASY 80k power clean!

Comes back with another easy PC with 82.5k

I just ran across a page on a site (from 2002) about the state of Olympic Weightlifting in Portland, Oregon (here). It still rings true in most respects, but there is hope. Here’s an excerpt

Poster Child–Portland, OR Training Environment: In Portland, OR and surrounding areas we used to have some lip service support for Olympic lifting in the 70′s from the Multnomah Athletic Club (MAC) when Ken Patera lifted for them. The sport then had about 10-20 lifters in Oregon. However, Olympic lifting was still not liked by the gyms because of the noise generated by dropping of weights. Most of us, who were allowed entry as students or alumni, lifted at Portland State U., where Paul Ward, a college physical education teacher, lobbied and succeeded in having a weight room and a platform added to the new PE building. Lifters including Paul Thomas, Jim Fry, Pete Cline, Mike Martindale and others congregated there. Most were students or alumni. It was tough to get others permission to lift there because they were not alumni or students, so growth in the sport was limited to those who had access to the facility. Meanwhile, John Thrush promoted lifting out of Auburn High School in Washington in the Puget Sound area. His program is largely responsible for the present scope and size of lifting in the northwest. The sport has essentially died in Portland/Vancouver because there is no decent centrally located facility open to all lifters, regardless of whether they are students or alumni or whatever. When I say died, let me be more precise: Allen Regnier lifts at PSU as an alumnus. Eric Lumpkin, Chuck Krings and Bill Brian Olympic lift in Bill’s garage in Wilsonville (south of Portland) once a week. The conditions at 24-Hr Fitness in Portland/Vancouver are poor or unacceptable for our sport. Where there are platforms, the Olympic equipment is poor (bars without knurling or bent bars, no bumper plates or insufficient or broken bumper plates, missing collars and change plates.) In facilities where there are platforms, the music is often so loud that you cannot carry on a conversation. One location (Mall 205) has a platform but no bumper plates-only octagonal metal plates. Getting support from 24-Hr Fitness management for even modest improvements has not been successful. Efforts to gain entry into the MAC Club as a coach have met with failure. MAC sees no demand for the sport, so it refuses to admit anyone who knows something about the sport. Only Nick Munly remains as an Olympic lifter at MAC. Even so, Ken Patera’s picture hangs prominently on the lobby wall, as if the MAC Club is still trying to project the image that it supports our sport. This metropolitan area lifting environment is typical of the situation throughout most of the country. It serves as a poster child for the predicament that our sport is in and why we need help from the USAW to promote our sport.

That was 2002, this is (almost) 2008.

What’s changed? PDX Weightlifting at Loprinzi’s Gym on 42nd and Division. Loprinzi’s has always had 2 platforms, some old bumpers, and chalk. It isn’t perfect, but we can lift. Now, there exists a competitive club with a certified coach (me) that trains there 3 times a week.

In addition to my club, there are crossfit fascilites that are friendly to weightlifting (though they are usually not interested in competition, nor people using their gear without being a part of their crossfit community). These are at least bringing the term ‘olympic weightlifting’ into the vocabulary of ordinary people.

And PSU still is a player. I run an on campus recreation club dedicated to drumming up interest in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting and I coach there for free one night a week.

What does this mean? It means that there is a movement growing in this town. And if you have an interest in competing in the sport of olympic weightlifting, then you have at least a few options. Namely, you can join my club and train at Loprinzi’s.

OR, If you don’t want to pay me, and you don’t want to join a competitive club, but just want platforms to lift on, then you can join Loprinzi’s gym and lift to your heart content.

Barring that, you can join a crossfit gym and lift there. You aren’t stuck in your garage gym any longer.

So, if you have any interest at all in Olympic Weightlifting and have a question you can’t find an answer to, please email me at coach@pdxweightlifting.com

On Oct. 21st, 2 of our athletes (Leslie and Mark) competed at the Unsanctioned Halloweenie meet in Creswell, OR, put on by Iron Works Gym.  It was a whole lot of fun, and Halloween themed!

They are both solid lifters and lifted remarkably well.  Once I get the pictures developed (ya, film, so old school) I’ll post those with commentary, but for now, here are the results (as sent to me by Oregon’s LWC president Tom Hirtz):

2007 Halloweenie Invitational

October 27, 2007

IronWorks Gym Creswell, Oregon

Lifter    YoB Bwt  SN   CJ  Total

Women

48 kg

Carol Clark 32 46.6  20/22.5  27.5/30 47.5

63 kg

Elaine Weiss 61 62.6  42.5   52.5  95

Leslie Ankney 85 63  27.5/30  35  62.5

Janet Zibelli 53 61.2  22.5/25   30/32.5 52.5

Ruth Lefevre 30 62  17.5/20  22.5/25 40

69 kg

Nadine Powell 51 68.4  45   65  110

Sally Painter 55 67.2  40/42.5   50/52.5  90

Sara Ferris  62 66  35   47.5/50  82.5

Rosie Turner 50 68.6  25   42.5/45  67.5

75+ kg

Lori Alford 62 86.6  50   70  120

Gay McKinley 36 77.6  20/22.5  30/32.5  50

Men

62 kg

Cody Kubik 91 61.4  42.5/45  60/65  102.5

Malik Evans 94 58  40/42.5  50/52.5 90

77 kg

Sam Noga  89 76.4  72.5/75  92.5/97.5 165

Curtis Huyck 90 70.6  65   80/82.5 145

85

Mark Schwab 85 83.4  75   95  170

Meet Director: Gene Joseph Referee: Bill Barkelew Expediter I: Cathy Joseph Expediter II: Chris (The Judge) Hansen Scorekeeper/Certificates: Sarah Bertram Scoreboard: Lisa Apo, Jeremy Townsend Loaders: Jon Joseph, Scott Baxter, Don Nickell, Reid Shepard

It’s almost on his head!

Welcome to PDXW! The site is new. If you’d like to join an Olympic Weightlifting Club in Portland Oregon, please drop me (Nick) an email: coach@dojoathletics.com

I’ve decided that it is easier for me to keep up with the website if it’s in Blog format. That’s the reason for the shift, for those of you familiar with a different page. Also, forgive the strangeness of some posts. I imported much from the PSUW site and some of that is really only relevant to PSU students. Don’t worry if that isn’t you.

Check back often to keep up to date on news and happenings with the club.