21/10/2018
Ray Hamilton – Bob Leclair Competition Recap
October 13, 2018
9 athletes from the club put on a very strong showing last week in Sudbury. Here’s the recap:
Cathy, Naomie, and Madalena started the day off in the first session.
It was Cathy's first competition. Uncharacteristically, she was bouncing happily around the waiting area between her clean and jerk attempts. She stopped at one point and said “I’m having a lot of fun!” I don't know if I've ever heard her say that. I have a feeling she’s hooked! In the sn**ch, she made her first two attempts at 36 and 38, then had a close miss at 40 (which would have tied her PR). In the clean and jerk, she made all three attempts, with 47, 50, and 53 (PR). This was especially impressive since she lost a lot of weight over the last few months! Cathy also received the best novice (i.e. first time) lifter award!
Naomie showed major improvement over her last competition in the spring. 46, 48, 50 (tied PR) / 58, 61x, 62 (tied PR). I'll note that both of those PRs were set two weeks ago and were BIG improvements at that time. This is also a 25 kg increase over her total at the Scholastic Challenge in April (where she won best novice lifter)! Very exciting!
Madalena came into the competition after having a fairly interrupted training schedule with travel, cutting bodyweight, getting engaged, catching a cold from coach, etc.; but she managed to put in a strong performance nevertheless. In the sn**ch she made 50, then missed 52 twice, but she went 3/3 in the clean and jerk with some lovely technical lifting at 64, 67, and 70. She didn’t make any PRs, but this was about 10% above what she's managed in the last few months of training!
In the second women's session, Jessica, Chloé, and Amy continued the strong performance.
In her first competition, Jessica made 40 and 42 in the sn**ch, followed by a very close miss with 44 (which would have been a 1 kg PR). In the clean and jerk, she made nice lifts at 51 and 53, but was called on a press out with 55. In the waiting area, none other than Bob Walt commented to me that she looked VERY strong. It’s obvious to everyone that she’ll be lifting some very big weights with a little more practise.
Chloé improved by leaps and bounds over the summer, but has been sitting around 90% in training since school started (improvement in weightlifting is rarely continuous). She really turned things around today with near - PR lifts in both movements. 42, 45x, 45 (best technical sn**ch she's ever made) / 54, 57, 60x (a few more squats and she'll make that clean). This was a 15 kg improvement over her first competition at the Scholastic Challenge in April!
Amy made PRs in both lifts two weeks before the competition - but that didn't stop her from hitting another one! In the sn**ch, she made 64, 67 (tied PR), 69 / 76, 80x (called on pressout), 82x (would have tied her PR). That’s a very strong performance from her. The results of continuous dedication and practice are really showing.
In the final session of the day, Jason, Calvin, and Xavier finished strong.
In his first competition, Jason went 6 for 6 with PRs in both movements! 62, 65, 68 (PR) / 90, 95, 100 (PR). The 100 also involved a surprise transition from power clean to full clean! I’d have to chalk that up to good coaching. Now that he has his feet wet, I would expect that he’ll add at least 10 kg to both of those lifts in the coming months.
Calvin had his first competition in a long time (2 years?) after having a baby. He had a great comeback! 70, 73 (ties his fatherhood PR), 76 (fatherhood PR) / 85, 89, 93 (fatherhood PR). It was great to have him back at it. Good job, Calvin!
Xavier put his names in the record books with the heaviest sn**ch by a juvenile in Ontario history! This was after a tough month or so, when he got the flu, and then developed a sore back that limited his training for the last two weeks. He made nice lifts at 90 and 93, then had an unbelievable fight to make 96 kg for a PR and provincial record. The sn**ches took a lot out of him, so we played it safe and pulled out if the clean and jerks. Look out at the provincial junior championships in December!
