All- Star Weightlifting Line-up for Provincial Juniors

The 2007 Ontario Weightlifting Association’s Junior Championship is set to go this Saturday, December 1st, at the North Bay YMCA. Not only will the top junior lifters in the province be vying for spots on the provincial team, but a special roster of senior- aged guests will attempt to post totals worthy of national team funding and spots on the 2008 Olympic team. In weightlifting junior lifters are 19 and under, while seniors are 20 years and over.

Two of Canada’s top senior women lifters, Marilou Dozois Prevost of Montreal and Miel McGerrigle of Brampton, will lift in the female session. Both Dozois Prevost and McGerrigle were medalists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne Australia.

Among the guests on the male side will be Akos Sandor and Buck Ramsay from the Sabaria Club of Mississauga. Sandor was the gold medalist in the 105 kilo class at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and was also a member of the 2004 Olympic team. Former Norsemen and West Ferris Secondary School graduate, Buck Ramsay, is making a serious run at an Olympic spot and on a kilo-for-kilo basis, is currently ranked ahead of Sandor. Ramsay lifted in the 85 kilo class at last summer’s Pan-American Games.

Two other high profile male lifters include Francis Luna Grenier of Montreal and Dalas Santavy of Sarnia. Both have impressive international competition resumes and are the reigning Canadian champions in the 77 and 94 kg classes respectively.

Juniors from the Norsemen Club to watch for include Matthew Fraser, A.J. Wendover, and Andrew Uyeda. Fraser, a native of Vermont with dual citizenship, has been affiliated with the Norsemen for a number of years. He is making the trip to North Bay in order to solidify his ranking as the top junior male in the province. The top six males and four females will travel to the National Juniors in Lake Country B.C. in late January.

From the Valkyries, Courtney Simkins and Kayla Turner are the top ranked junior females in the province. Only Simkins will compete this Saturday, as Turner has opted to attend a competition in Quebec in mid-December.

The competition gets under way at 10:00 a.m. with the lighter male lifters- up to the 62 kg class. The entire female line-up takes the platform at noon, and the third session, starting at 2 p.m., includes all the male lifters from the 69 kg class and above.

Submitted to BayToday.ca by Larry Sheppard