Even though weightlifting does not qualify as a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sport, it is one of the most empowering yet strenuous sports to participate in. Generally, the two lifts for weightlifting are the snatch and the clean & jerk, but according to the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), the lifts are the bench press and the clean & jerk. Either way, these lifts aren’t easily learned overnight and require intense training to master. Personally, I should know, because it’s the sport that I train for on a daily basis.
Because of my participation in the FHSAA’s weightlifting program, as a junior I won my school’s first ever state championship and broke two state records in the bench press and in cumulative …show more content…
In my freshman year of high school, I began my athletic career in basketball, which was a very familiar sport to me. I can recall when I was younger my sister and I would compete on co-ed recreational teams. The team my sister and I played on was pretty good; we had won first place for our division three years in a row. Not only that, but I was also given the chance to participate in the Jam Session in my seventh grade year of middle school. Therefore, because of my previous accolades, I was somewhat confident in my basketball skills. But I was highly aware that it needed a lot of tweaking in order to compete against other elite players, especially when I found out that I would be on the varsity team.
As anyone could imagine, during my first year me and the bench became really close friends, and we’d often talk about what it would be like to play in the game. However, at the very few times that I was given a chance to play, I would either foul out or get the ball stolen from me. For someone that’s played basketball all their life, I was finally a fish out of water, having to learn to maneuver my way back to the shore. What I did not expect, is that my shore would be weightlifting, and the road that I’d have to take to become a state …show more content…
That year I did good; I had made it to regionals and qualified second in my weight class, but unfortunately I did not make it to state. I scratched the majority of my lifts. When I realized that I would not be going to state, I was very downcast and frustrated with myself. For a very long time I questioned whether or not my leap of faith was just a pipe dream or legitimate. Nevertheless, I encouraged myself to try out for weightlifting again, using my loss at regionals to propel me forward and keep me focused. I’m very glad to say that I fulfilled my vow to myself, and became a state
Because of my participation in the FHSAA’s weightlifting program, as a junior I won my school’s first ever state championship and broke two state records in the bench press and in cumulative …show more content…
In my freshman year of high school, I began my athletic career in basketball, which was a very familiar sport to me. I can recall when I was younger my sister and I would compete on co-ed recreational teams. The team my sister and I played on was pretty good; we had won first place for our division three years in a row. Not only that, but I was also given the chance to participate in the Jam Session in my seventh grade year of middle school. Therefore, because of my previous accolades, I was somewhat confident in my basketball skills. But I was highly aware that it needed a lot of tweaking in order to compete against other elite players, especially when I found out that I would be on the varsity team.
As anyone could imagine, during my first year me and the bench became really close friends, and we’d often talk about what it would be like to play in the game. However, at the very few times that I was given a chance to play, I would either foul out or get the ball stolen from me. For someone that’s played basketball all their life, I was finally a fish out of water, having to learn to maneuver my way back to the shore. What I did not expect, is that my shore would be weightlifting, and the road that I’d have to take to become a state …show more content…
That year I did good; I had made it to regionals and qualified second in my weight class, but unfortunately I did not make it to state. I scratched the majority of my lifts. When I realized that I would not be going to state, I was very downcast and frustrated with myself. For a very long time I questioned whether or not my leap of faith was just a pipe dream or legitimate. Nevertheless, I encouraged myself to try out for weightlifting again, using my loss at regionals to propel me forward and keep me focused. I’m very glad to say that I fulfilled my vow to myself, and became a state