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Local powerlifting team earns state championship
The Mountain Home Barbell Powerlifting Team earned six first-place awards and set 42 state records during the Idaho State Powerlifting Championships, held Dec. 12 in Boise.
Fielding a team of 10 athletes, the Mountain Home competitors also took home four second-place medals at the meet.
The local team is a "raw" powerlifting group, meaning they are only allowed to use belts and wrist wraps during a competition. The division prohibits athletes from using special squat and deadlift suits, bench shirts or knee wraps.
Antonia Salutregui started the day off by finishing first place in the women's 114-pound weight class. In the process she broke four state records in four different categories, bringing her total of broken records to 16.
Lissa Hall continued the team's award-winning momentum by finishing first in the masters (over age 40) 125-pound weight class, setting four more state records in two categories. Gena Doyle, the 2014 National Powerlifting champion, added to the team's gold count by winning the women's master super heavyweight division
Vanessa Berger won first-place honor in the women's 158-pound weight class while being named "best lifter of the meet" in recognition of her outstanding effort that day. Berger set four new state records in two categories with a 300-pound squat, a 165-pound bench press and a 355-pound deadlift for a three-lift total of 820 pounds.
Mountain Home Barbell also had three women competing for the first time during the state competition. Each of them hit personal records on the day and will no doubt be breaking their own state records as they continue to get stronger, said team head coach Wes Beach.
Jamie Neussendorfer took second place in the women's 158-pound class while Stanisha Render was awarded second place in the women's super heavyweight class. Meanwhile, Misty Elom took home another second-place title to finish off a great day for the local women's team, according to Beach.
"I am very impressed with our first-time lifters," the coach said. "It takes a lot of courage to stand on that platform with three judges and a crowd watching you. It's a chance for them to prove that they are as strong as they think they are and not just tell people they are strong.
"All four of them did a great job of proving it too, not only to everyone in the state, but more importantly to themselves," Beach added.
On the men's side of the powerlifting event, Mountain Home had three athletes take on gravity.
Austin Romine won the 145-pound weight class during his first appearance at a powerlifting meet. He set the standard for the men's division with a 350-pound squat, a 235-pound bench press and a 400-pound deadlift.
Coach Brian Floyd was up next, taking second place in the Masters' 205-pound division.
Beach finished out the day in the Masters' 231-pound class. He ended up setting a total of 10 state records in various divisions for the day and had the biggest deadlift of the meet with a pull of 640 pounds.
This was an unofficial American Masters (over 40) record and his second national record over the past two years.
Mountain Home Barbell has become one of the most successful powerlifting clubs in Idaho over the past three years with 71 current standing Idaho state records, according to Beach.
"The club believes that training and results come first, everything else is secondary," the coach said. "It is an extremely positive club to be a part of. There are no egos in the club; we only compete against ourselves and gravity."
The team is preparing to host its first powerlifting meet March 19 at Mountain Home High School. The Mountain Home Barbell Push Pull Classic is designed to introduce and allow people of the community to take part in and experience powerlifting.
The meet will only include bench press and deadlift events. The tournament will include a bench-only division for those unable to participate in the deadlift event. More information for the competition is available online at http://barbell.mtnhomesd.org/ and on the group's Facebook page at MHB Powerlifting.
The Mountain Home Barbell team meets every Friday at the high school weight room from 6 to 8 p.m. and is free to anyone ages 14 and up.
USA Powerlifting is the nation's leading powerlifting organization and a member of the International Powerlifting Federation. The governing body of powerlifting internationally, the IPF includes of member federations from 83 countries on six continents.
Distinct from weightlifting where weight is lifted above the head, powerlifting features three lifts: the squat, bench press and deadlift. Powerlifting competitions can include one, two or all three of these lifting disciplines.
Athletes are categorized by sex, age and body weight. Each competitor is allowed three attempts at each lift with the best lift in each discipline added to their total. The competitor with the highest total is the winner. In cases where two or more lifters achieve the same total, the person with the lightest body weight wins.
In the United States, USA Powerlifting has representative chairs in 44 states. Each state chair is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of USA Powerlifting's local competitions, state championships and state records.
"These drug-free, amateur athletes are powerful role models in the world of competitive sports," association representatives said. "Their dedication, hard work and winning attitudes are a testament to the purity of competition for the love of their sport. In a world where steroids and other performance enhancing drugs have become the norm, USA Powerlifting stands apart."
More information is available online at www.usapowerlifting. com.