AAU - Strength Sports

Written by: Kristina Haumschild

Tags: AAU Junior Olympic Games

LAKE BUENA VISTA,, FL-The Houston 2012 AAU Junior Olympic Games saw some of the most competitive youth and teen powerlifting in recent memory, as multiple teams joined the battle and world and national records fell like rain.

“This was some of the best lifting I have ever seen at the Games,” said AAU Powerlifting National Sport Chairman Steve Wood. “We had a good turn-out, but in terms of quality of the lifting and some of the individual performances, this meet was fantastic.”

Seventy-six lifters, representing seven states and the United Kingdom, were entered in the two-day meet at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center. Day one lifters ranged in age from six to 13-years-old, and they set numerous records during the day day-two was comprised of mainly teenagers and a few college-age lifters.

Day one standouts were numerous. A crowd pleaser was seven-year-old Silencia Algarin, one of three Algarin siblings from the raw team champion Minnesota Raw Athletics weighing in at 60 pounds, Silencia set four world records with a 66 lb. squat, 50 lb. bench press, and a 100 lb. deadlift. After pulling the 100 lb. deadlift for a new world record, Silencia celebrated on the platform by hugging her father and coach, Luis Algarin, the AAU Minnesota district sport director. Minnesota Raw Athletics brought a team of youth and teen athletes to the Games who competed in both powerlifting and track and field.

Twelve-year-old Ally Dodds came from Florida with her mother to compete in her fourth Junior Olympic Games, and did not disappoint. Lifting in the 148 lb. equipped class, Ally set three world records with a 181 lb. squat, 110 lb. bench press, and 193 lb. deadlift. The Lakeland Highlands School seventh grader trains at Elite Personal Fitness and Training three times a week, and takes her powerlifting very seriously. “She originally started lifting to improve her gymnastics,” says her mother Sonya, “but eventually shifted to powerlifting.” Ally says she plans to play flag football this fall at school, and she is also planning to begin Olympic lifting in the near future.

Another familiar face at the Junior Olympics was 11-year-old Aaron Ellis, of Elmira, New York, who competed in his sixth Junior Olympic Games. Aaron came with his dad Tim Ellis, and they wowed the crowd with his pre-lift, hand-slapping, psych-up routine, impeccable form on the platform, and his trademark Mohawk haircut. Aaron finished with a 154 lb. raw squat, 100 lb. bench press and 149 lb. deadlift. At home, he lifts weights two or three days a week, does plyometrics for explosive power, and plays multiple sports — baseball, football, wrestling, and boxing.

Ten-year-old Caitlin Harrier, of Kissimmee, Florida, competed alongside her nine-year-old brother Nolan Caitlin was poised and intense on the platform, psyching herself up for each lift, and she finished with a 121 lb. squat, 72 lb. bench press and 177 lb. deadlift — good for two world records in the 10-11 year-old, 97 lb. class. Caitlin and Nolan train with their dad Tom Harrier at home. “Lifting is great for the kid’s self-esteem,” Tom says. “These meets are something they can look back on later and say they were a world champion... The lifting also sets a pattern of participation that we hope will last throughout their lives.”

One of the highlights of day one was the lifting of 13-year-old Luis Pena, of Texas, who came with his dad to set records. Lifting raw in the 275 lb. class, Luis broke records on all of his lifts, finishing with a 418 lb. squat that fired up the crowd, 198 lb. bench press, and a 341 lb. deadlift with plenty of gas left in the tank.

The second day of lifting saw some amazing battles and intense, competitive lifting. A highlight of the meet was the lifting of 18-year-old, 266 lb. Matt Sohmer of New York, who put the large crowd on its feet with a raw 761 lb. world record squat, and barely missed 800 lbs. on a fourth attempt. Multi-time national and world champion Gene Bell brought a team from San Antonio, and they set a bevy of raw world records — including 17-year-old Michael Reyes, who recorded a raw 627 lb. squat, 281 lb. bench press, and a 517 lb. deadlift in the superheavyweight category, and 17-year-old Sawyer Yandell, lifting at 132 lbs. bodyweight, with a raw 363 lb. squat, 175 lb. bench press, and 424 lb. deadlift. Fifteen-year-old Steven Brisker came from Georgia and set records across the board, with a raw 462 lb. squat, 325 lb. bench press, and 512 lb. deadlift at 205 lbs. bodyweight. Thirteen-year-old Evan Pittman, of Tampa, Florida, went nine-for-nine with five national and five world records in the 12-13-year-old, 114 lb. class, registering a raw 232 lb. squat, 121 lb. bench press, and 294 lb. deadlift.

In the equipped men’s division, 16-year-old Troy Angelo set several records, including an impressive 551 lb. deadlift at 173 lbs. bodyweight. Nineteen-year-old Robert Johnson, of Texas, also set multiple world records in the 181 lb. class with a 606 lb. squat, 325 lb. bench press, and 623 lb. deadlift.

But perhaps the toughest and most competitive lifting came in the teen women’s divisions, where multiple records were broken.

Sixteen-year-old Irma “Alejandra” Avila recorded an amazing 816 lb. total — more than seven times her bodyweight — and earned the prestigious Joel Ferrell Award, given each year to the athlete in each sport at the Junior Olympic Games that most exemplifies the highest qualities of sportsmanship and overall excellence.

Eighteen-year-old Maygan “Bam Bam” Crosslin was a huge crowd favorite who fired up the audience with her intense focus Bam Bam set world records in all three lifts, including her fourth attempts in the squat, bench and deadlift. She also recorded the heaviest women’s squat (391 lbs.), bench press (237 lbs.), and deadlift (364 lbs.) of the competition, while weighing only 158 lbs. Nineteen-year-old Bethani Duncan was successful in fourth attempt world records in both the squat and bench press, and totaled 887 lbs. lifting in the 148 lb. class. Twelve of the fifteen teen female equipped lifters squatted and deadlifted more than 300 lbs.

The equipped team championship was won by Cross Trainer Alpha of Texas, and the raw team championship was won by Minnesota Raw Athletics.

“The 2012 AAU Junior Olympic Games was among the best in recent history in terms of the quality of competition and the lifting,” said Dave Mansfield, AAU Powerlifting vice chairman, New England district sport director and an international referee for the competition. “The kids were competitive and respectful, the coaches were absolutely on top of their game, and a number of world records were set. This is the quality of event we would love to see every year.”

ATHLETES LIFT TO NEW HEIGHTS AT AAU JUNIOR OLYMPIC GAMES POWERLIFTING