he 18-year-old Moose Jaw product won her division and qualified for nationals despite being the youngest lifter at the Western Canadian Powerlifting Championships at the Golden Nugget Centre.
“I qualified for nationals and set two provincial records. It was a good day,” Walz said.
Walz set provincial records with a 55 kg bench press and a 110 kg deadlift in the under-72 kg sub-junior classic category. She also had an 85 kg squat for a 250 kg total.
After making her 110 kg deadlift, she attempted a 146 kg deadlift to try to set a sub-junior national record.
“I’ve never lifted that much before. My coach said ‘you’re already going to nationals, do you want to go for it?'” said Walz who figured she had nothing to lose “He didn’t tell me the weight. He made me keep my headphones in until I went out.”
She struggled to finish the lift after getting the weight off the ground, but couldn’t lock it out.
Still, her total earned her a trip to nationals in Regina from Feb. 12-16. There she will move up an age category and compete as a junior. She was happy with the accomplishment under the circumstances.
“I tore my rotator cuff in the first week of October, so I’ve only been back in the gym for three weeks,” Walz said. “This whole meet was awesome for me to come back from that.”
It was only Walz’ second competition and that inexperience showed on her first deadlift. She lifted the weight with ease, but dropped the bar before being instructed to by the judge.
“I lifted and everyone’s faces looked confused, so I just casually set it down,” Walz said. “It was easy weight, I just blanked out for a moment.”s
For Walz, a first-year student at the University of Saskatchewan, it was her second competition. Local lifter Rhaea Stinn helped pique her interest in the sport eight months ago.
“Rhaea is a substitute teacher and she was one of my high school teachers,” Walz said. “I was looking for a new sport to do and I love strength sports, so I asked her about it. She told me to come down to the gym. The atmosphere was absolutely phenomenal, it was so encouraging, so I stuck with it.”
Walz travels back from Saskatoon when she can to train and also works out with the barbell club at the U of S.
She was one of five local lifters who competed at Westerns. Pam Windrum also won a western title in the + 84 kg open classic category. She had a 152.5 kg squat, an 80 kg bench and a 152.5 kg deadlift for a 385 kg total in her first competition since taking a year off after the birth of her first child.
In the men’s under-93 kg open classic division, Aaron Ziffle finished second and Rob Rooney finished eighth. Ziffle finished with a 682.5 kg total and Rooney had a 577.5 kg total.
Dustin Fraser finished third in the under-93 kg junior classic division with a 537.5 kg total.
Following westerns, Moose Jaw hosted the Last Chance Invitational meet which would allow competitiors who hadn’t qualified for westerns with the chance to lift a total to qualify for nationals.
Amee Mawson competed for the first time and finished third in the + 84 kg open classic category with a 332.5 kg total. Rory Windrum was second in the under-93 kg open classic field with a 472.5 kg total.
Courtesy of: Moose Jaw Times Herald