Newsletter Volume 3, Number 1

Note: The Disabledpowerlifting.org Newsletter will never be sent unsolicited. You have received this newsletter because you, or someone using your e-mail address, has asked us to send it to your email address.

If you would like to send a copy of this newsletter to a friend, please forward it as you wish.

If you received this copy from a friend, and you would like to be added to the mailing list, please

The information, including opinions and recommendations, contained in this Newsletter is for general educational and informative purposes only. Such information is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. No one should act upon any information in this Newsletter without first seeking advice from a qualified professional.

For my first Paralympic games I was overwhelmed with amazement when all the United States athletes entered into the Bird’s Nest for the opening Ceremony. Selected to be apart of an event with over five thousand athletes from 140 countries which drew ninety two thousand people to the opening ceremony was a dream come true. With all the negativity we read in newspapers and watch on television, to have people all over the world come together to celebrate such a tremendous event was wonderful.

When our team arrived at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for team processing I met athletes from Archery, Rugby and Fencing teams. It was great meeting veteran athletes and new Paralympian’s such as myself. I learned about sports I had never seen played and talking with other athletes to see how their training regiment goes.

Once we arrived in China I felt like a celebrity there were volunteers personally escorting us to customs and baggage claim. There were huge banners raised in the airport that said “2008 Paralympic games Beijing China”, “One Would One Dream” which was the slogan. Once we were all on the shuttle buses heading towards the athlete village there were even more signs posted on the sides of the street and on building, which I have never seen that much advertising for an event I have competed in. Once we were all settled into our rooms it finally hit me that I was at the 2008 Paralympic Games.

Having the right frame of mind is one of the most important aspects to competition. I had a little over a week once we arrived in China before I competed, so I kept reminding myself that although I am in a new place with wonderful teammates around I still needed to focus on Powerlifting. Mary Hodge our head coach did a great job at making sure myself and Mary Stack the veteran on our team had plenty of time to train and rest among other things. The training facility where we practiced twice before the competition was enormous. The room held around fifty benches for training and also had weight scales for athletes to measure their body weight. It was interesting to watch some of the athlete’s technique in lifting, whether they were in my weight class or another. Seeing all us athletes training in the same area gave me confidence and motivation to keep strong.

On the day of competition I was so excited and also a little nervous with not ever competing at the Paralympics. Having my team there for support made me feel at ease once I started warming up. Mary told me to just focus on my lifts and don’t let the crowd or anybody get in your way. Hearing my name called over the loud speaker, stating that I was representing the United States of America made me feel real proud. I was able to get two clean lifts during the competition, I started at 314lbs and than my second lift was 330lbs. For my third attempted I tried 341lbs which I was not able to lock out my arms. I still felt very happy with placing 11th in the world in my weight class and looking up into the stands and seeing my Mom and Dad cheering for me put a huge smile on my face. When I think back to what our team accomplished as a whole it was a dream come true to be apart of this experience.

After competing internationally for the past ten years, I have seen myself grow, along with the sport growing, as well as the other women I compete with. It is so great to see many new countries have women lifters.

Preparing for these games was so different for me than in the past. In the past I always trained hard and never gave up, I knew I was going to be in the top 5 but did not really believe deep down that I could compete with the top three. Over the past few years, I have slowly gained that confidence and it has shown in my lifting. I felt much more focused and knowing exactly what I was going for, to be on the medal stand!

During the past several years my bench has also gone up slowly but surely, having consistent training, and self-confidence in my lifting abilities. I have learned how I focus the best to stay in the game. I have had my fair share of ups and downs through the years, but I felt as though I was prepared to show the other women that I am able to compete right there with the top 3.

Unfortunately, I have also had my fair share of problems with staying in my weight class which has made my struggles double at competitions. Losing weight at a meet is never the way to go to keep your strength up. In China, I still needed to lose close to twenty pounds. I had lost 12 pounds before coming to China but still to lose that weight in order to be able to compete in my body weight class. With lots of hard work and will power, I MADE IT! Unfortunately, I drained myself during the weeks prior (due to my weight loss), so my lifting suffered on the day of competition. I opened light so that I could make my first attempt with ease but did not get it more than half way. I stayed the same on the second lift and it just stunk, in didn’t budge from my chest, the third lift I came back I felt really focused and powered the bar right up, I heard cheering, but was waiting for the referees to decide, it took like three seconds to decide but unfortunately they decided I did something technically wrong.

What this taught me was that, one I need to keep in the plus class because it is where my body is comfortable in lifting, however, staying light in the class so that I feel confident in myself. It also taught me that I have it in me to lift with the top women and I will just have to come back and show myself and them that! It also taught me that I need to practice, to be perfect so they can not possibly call me on anything, I do not want to give them any reason to think about it, I just want to see white lights and smiles!

Athletes: In order to qualify for the Paralympic Games, and earn a position on the USA Disabled Powerlifting Team, you must do ALL of the following:

* Attend a training clinic;
* Compete at a National competition, meeting or exceeding the Paralympic Standard, as imposed by IPC- Powerlifting, for the next Paralympic Games;
* Obtain IPC licensing, (the athlete is responsible to keep renewed annually);
* Obtain an IPC passport.

For the complete IPC Powerlifting 2012 London Paralympic Qualification Criteria in Adobe PDF Format,

If you have questions or topics you would like addressed in the next newsletter, please contact Mary C. Hodge ASAP.

If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail: Mary or Michael. The next newsletter will be sent out in approximately August, 2008. Please submit any requests by July 1, 2008. If you have questions or topics you would like addressed in the newsletter, please Click HERE!