Lots of Gold at Winterlift

The 4th Annual Ontario Weightlifting Association’s Winterlift Open took place Saturday at the Variety Village Sport Centre in Scarborough. In an effort to qualify for the up-coming provincial and national finals, a large line-up of over 70 lifters took part in the one-day event. Included in the roster were members of the local weightlifting clubs – the Y Norsemen and Valkyries.

The contest opened with the ladies competition. Two Valkyries, Melody Ogletree and Kayla Turner, were gold medalist in their divisions.

Ogletree, in winning the 53 kilo class, reached an unprecedented milestone when she qualified for the Canadian Senior Championship. Indeed, in the 40 plus year history of the OWA no athlete has ever met the qualifying standard for the Senior Nationals in such a short period of competing. The 28 year-old West Ferris Secondary School Phys. Ed. teacher began her competitive career in August at the Blue Mountain Open in Collingwood. Her next competition was in Trenton at the Ontario Open in early November. In both instances Ogletree lifted in the 58 kilo division. For the Winterlift contest she dropped down to the 53 kilo class and posted new personal bests of 55 kilos in the two hand snatch lift and 70 kilos in the clean and jerk. She took first place in her division and is now favored to win the 53 kilo class at next months Ontario Senior Championship.

Kayla Turner of the Valkyries was the winner of the 69 kilo class. The 18 year old, Cambrian College student, did 60 in the snatch and 72 kilos in the clean and jerk for a
total of 132.At the conclusion of the contest Turner received an additional award as the Best Junior Female competitor based on the Sinclair Bodyweight Formula.

In the 58 kilo class Samantha Scully and Courtney Simkins staged a heated battle for the silver medal. Scully took the lead in the snatch making 53 kilos to Simkins’ 48. Simkins had a miss at 51 kilos on her third attempt. In the clean and jerk Scully finished with 63. Simkins, beating her own personal best, was successful with 64 kilos, but it was not enough to overtake her teammate. Both Scully and Simkins have qualified for the Ontario Seniors. Simkins, at just 13 years of age, is the youngest female ever to qualify for the Provincial Senior finals.

In the male competition, 13 year old Norsemen Reid Martel was the gold medalist in the first weight class contested. Martel, lifting in the 46 kilo division, did 32 kilos in the snatch and 42 kilos in the clean and jerk for a 74 kilo total. The silver medal went to the Norsemen’s youngest ever competitive lifter – 9 year old, Zach Gebhart. Gebhart did 25 kilos in the snatch and 32 kilos in the clean and jerk for a 57 kilo aggregate. The bronze medalist was Brandon Moore from the St. Thomas Strength Athletics Club. His total was 35 kilos.

Later in the contest, Andrew Uyeda of North Bay outpaced the field to win the gold medal in the 62 kilo weight class. Uyeda did 69 kilos in the snatch and 85 kilos in the clean and jerk. In the next division up- 69 kilos, Norsemen Theodore Liritzis finished just out of the medals with a 195 kilo total, via 90 in the snatch and 105 in the clean and jerk. Meanwhile, Glenn Ogletree was the bronze medalist in the 77 kilo class with lifts of 90 in the snatch and 110 in the clean and jerk. Ogeltree was close to the silver; his total of 200 was only 2 kilos behind Parvender Marwaha of Mississauga. Calvin Yeh of the Toronto Weightlifting Club was the winner with a 220 total.

The contest concluded with competition in the heavier weight classes. Former Norsemen, Buck Ramsay and Richard Found, now lifting for the Sabaria Club of Mississauga, won the silver in the hotly contested 94 kilo class. Ramsay, normally an 85 kilo competitor, entered the higher class to do battle with his Mississauga teammate, Nick Roberts. Both posted the third and fourth best overall totals of the entire meet. Roberts did 315 – 140 snatch and 175 clean and jerk, while Ramsay did 310 – 140 snatch and 170 clean and jerk. Both will be in the running for the 2007 National titles at 85 and 94 kilos. Richard Found, who qualified for the Canadian Seniors I an earlier contest, managed lifts of 102 in the snatch and 140 in the clean and jerk to place 4th in the 94 kilo class

The unlimited, over 105 kilo division, was dominated by Olympic team member and Canadian record holder, Akos Sandor of the Sabaria Club. Sandor did 150 kilos in the snatch and 195 kilos in the clean and jerk. Sean Gawley of the Belleville Apollo Club was the silver medalist, while Norsemen A.J. Wendover and Jason Partridge battled it out for the bronze. In the snatch lift Partridge equaled A.J. Wendover’s best ever with a success at 110 kilos. Wendover responded by making 116. Partridge had planned to keep pace in the clean and jerk and opened with 140. Wendover made 135 on his first attempt and then 141 on his second. Taking 145 on his second, Partridge missed. Repeating the attempt, he missed again. With the bronze wrapped up Wendover went on to make 147 on his third and final clean and jerk. Wendover now holds all the Norsemen unlimited class records, once the sole property of Jason Partridge. They will meet head to head again in next month’s Ontario Seniors.

The Norsemen/Valkyries have won the team title at the last two Ontario Seniors. Long dominate on the junior front, the program is now building a dynasty in the senior ranks. The provincial Seniors are being held at the University of Toronto’s - Erindale Campus on Saturday March 31. Coaches Ray Hamilton and Larry Sheppard are predicting a three-peat by the local lifters.

Submitted to BayToday.ca