In the minds of many casual sports enthusiasts, the term “Olympic-style weightlifting” will conjure up a certain image, typically male-dominated, perhaps with ties to Eastern European countries.
To the best of the knowledge of Laurentian Weighlifting Club head coach Thomas Hums, none of the ladies that comprise almost 50 per cent of the entire team roster have any affiliation whatsoever to Romania, Bulgaria or Poland.
In fact, there is no “standard” background for most of these young ladies, who arrive with athletic resumes that vary widely from one participant to the next.
Twenty-one-year-old Kapuskasing native Kaylee Wedge is now in her third year with the club, having drifted over from her crossfit training, which obviously incorporates a significant element of strength conditioning.
“My crossfit definitely helped my weightlifting training,” said Wedge. “I was already pretty strong, and I have the good proportionate size for a weightlifter. I’m short, so I don’t have long arms, so it’s not as high for me to get the bar over my head.”
There is, however, still an evolution that occurs.
“To begin, being strong definitely helps, but now, it’s all about speed and technique,” said the fourth year health promotion student.
And it is her search for technical perfection, or at the very least technical improvement, that Wedge hopes lifts her to her goal of meeting the qualifying standards for the provincial championships in the new year.
“My snatch just needs to increase about four kilos, and I’m really close,” said Wedge. “For that one, I have to get lower and widen out my feet. For my clean and jerk, it’s basically to keep my chest up, keep my shoulders up, and be sure to drive straight up, instead of forward. That’s my issue right now.”
Some day, long-time Timmins resident Taylor Huot hopes to approach her weightlifting training with that level of technical scrutiny. But just not quite yet, for the first year psychology major at Laurentian.
A competitive hockey player for much of her youth, Huot hooked up with the North Bay Midget “AA” Ice Boltz a couple of years ago.
She transitioned from a very rudimentary involvement with weights, the type of introduction to the sport that comes from wanting to add a strength component to the off-ice training regimen that is now part and parcel of elite youth hockey.
“When we were doing a hockey workout, we weren’t worried about the technique,” said Huot. “We were just lifting the weights. And I had never lifted off the floor before, so that was a challenge, for sure.”
Because of her hockey background, Huot also trained extensively with her cardio requirements, sessions that she has continued, to some extent, allowing her to remain in a weight class where she finds herself more competitive.
Still, just a few months into her training with the LU club, Huot knows there is still a long way to go. She will build from her first competition this past fall, one which taught her some valuable lessons.
“I was so nervous with everyone watching me on the platform, that every time, I would lift the bar up, but I would forget to wait, so my lift wouldn’t count,” she said. “I knew what I had to do. I just wasn’t doing it.”
With her skates now safely tucked away, at least when it comes to competitive hockey, Huot looks forward to the growth ahead with her newfound passion.
“I really like weightlifting, so I’m definitely going to stick with it,” she said.
“I’ve played hockey my whole life, so this is replacing hockey.”
Courtesy of: Northern Life