Norseman/Valkyries capture provincial title

The Ontario Seniors, held Saturday in St. Thomas, featured the top qualified weightlifters in the province competing for individual weight class awards and final spots on the Ontario Senior team. Also, for the first time since 1990, a team championship award was presented; and when the final points were tallied the North Bay Y Norsemen/Valkyries were presented with the 2005 provincial pennant.

The top female for the Valkyries was Melissa Ladouceur. Weighing in just slightly over her usual 48 kilo division, she took the gold medal in the 53 kilo class. The eighteen year old Canadore student managed 57.5 kilos in the snatch, and then set two new provincial weight class records of 72.5 kilos in the clean and jerk and a total of 130. Ladouceur is the reigning Canadian Junior and Senior Champion in 48 kilo class.

Kayla Turner was the gold medalist at 58 kilos with a 112.5 total, her teammate, Samantha Scully, earned a bronze medal in the same class. Stavrula Liritzis, the youngest female competitor in the contest, put in an outstanding performance to take third place in the 63 kilo class. Lirtizis made six of six attempts, and finished with 52.5 kilos in the snatch, 60 kilos in the clean and jerk and a total of 112.5. North Bay’s final female entrant, Sarah Harling earned the gold in the 69 kilo division with a final mark of 110 kilos.

In the male competition, the top placing Norsemen was 85 kilo entrant Chris Lemieux. Lemieux won the silver medal with a 240 total, via 105 kilos in the snatch and 135 kilos. Glenn Ogletree established new personal bests of 122.5 in the clean and jerk and 217.5 in the total to take the bronze medal in the same division. In the 94 kilo class Trevor Brown finished fourth with a 250 kilo total. Brown, the current Canadian Junior Champion, made 110 in the snatch and 140 in the clean and jerk. Earlier in the competition Dan Brown managed a fifth place finish in the 77 kilo class, while Theo Liritzis finished seventh in 69 kilo division.

Buck Ramsay, formerly of the Norsemen, and now with the Sabaria team of Mississauga, failed to make weight for the 85 kilo class. Forced to move up to the 94 kilo group, he had to settle for the silver medal behind Dalas Santavy of Sarnia. Despite this setback, Ramsay is near the top of the national rankings in 85 kilo division, and is favored for a medal at the upcoming Canadian Seniors.

At the conclusion of the contest, the best lifter awards went to Miel McGerrigle and Akos Sandor, both members of the Sabaria club of Mississauga.

The top three scoring teams of the eight present were:

North Bay Norsemen/Valkyries – 442 points
Sabaria, Mississauga - 396 points
Fury, Sarnia – 327 points

Submitted to BayToday.ca