The Mangold name has been in the news for years. Nick Mangold was a great college football and is now a New York Jets lineman. However, he wasn’t the only football player in the Mangold family. His sister, Holley, also played high school football. She too was a lineman; she too played at over 300 pounds. What differs is Holley is an acclaimed girly-girl. She loves pink nail polish, ribbons in her hair and dresses.
Had a college coach taken the chance putting a female on the team, she could have easily played college football. She was a good lineman, but Holley found new passions. She earned a Track-and-Field scholarship in shot-put and continued aspirations in weightlifting she developed in high school. When she started lifting seriously, her goal was to squat 500 pounds within two years. She hit that goal in four months.
“I just thought it was really fun,” Holley said about weightlifting. “I realized I really liked it.”
She has been urged by coaches and onlookers to begin training with USA Weightlifting in Colorado Springs this fall in hopes of qualifying for the 2012 Olympics
“Holley shows incredible potential,” said Rick Adams, CEO of USA Weightlifting in a recent phone conversation. “She’s one of the most exciting young athletes .we have. She certainly has the attention of the Olympic Committee, and has our attention. We absolutely think she’s a strong candidate for future international teams.”
