Valkyries bring home medals (new)

Larry Sheppard, Norsemen and Valkyries weightlifting coach, submitted the following article to baytoday.ca
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The first major competition of the 2004-2005 Ontario Weightlifting Association's schedule was staged in Belleville Saturday. The Ontario Open drew some 50 lifters from eight clubs including five athletes from the Norsemen and Valkyries of North Bay.

In the women's division, the Valkyries took three of the seven weight classes contested. Melissa Ladouceur, the current Canadian champion in the 48-kilo class, weighed in just over the limit and was still able to win the 53-kilo title.

Ladouceur, just returning to competition after a well-deserved rest period, managed impressive lifts of 50 kilos in the snatch and 65 kilos in the clean and jerk. Both lifts were just 2.5 kilos off the Ontario records in that division.

Meanwhile, in the 58-kilo class, Kayla Turner took top honors with lifts of 47.5 and 55 kilos. Turner's win was a convincing one, as her total was a fall 32.5 kilos ahead of the silver medalist, Lori DeTecco of St. Catharines.
In the 63-kilo division, Samantha Scully of the Valkyries caught a break when the class favorite, Jillian Halligan of Toronto, failed all her attempts in the snatch. Scully, who earlier managed 42.5 kilos in the snatch, then posted 47.5 kilos in the clean and jerk, good enough for the top total and the first major title in her lifting career.
On the men's side, the brother team of Theo and George Liritzis made all personal bests, with Theo grabbing the silver medal in the 69-kilo class. Theo did 75 kilos in the snatch and 97.5 kilos in the clean and jerk to place 2.5 kilos ahead of his long time junior rival, Adam Carr-Braint of Belleville.
George, lifting in the 85-kilo division, made 82.5 in the snatch and 95 kilos in the clean and jerk for a fifth place finish.
The 85-kilo class winner was former Norsemen, Buck Ramsay, who now lifts for the Sabaria Weightlifting Club of Mississauga.
Ramsay lifted a total of 280 kilos, 120 kilos in the snatch and 160 kilos in the clean and jerk. At the end of the competition, Ramsay was named the best lifter of the day.
Richard Found, another Norsemen who just recently joined the Sabaria team, was narrowly squeezed out of the medals in the 94-kilo class. Found put up a best ever total of 240 kilos the exact same mark as Martin Walt of Belleville. In the end the tiebreaker was bodyweight, with Walt being a kilo less than Found.
The next contest on the provincial weightlifting schedule, the Champlain Cup, takes place Saturday, Oct. 23, in North Bay.
The competition, an under-16 challenge, will feature lifters from Northern Quebec against up and coming North Bay athletes.
Guest lifters include Canadian junior champions: Trevor Brown of North Bay, and Kevin Bellerive of LaSarre, as well as Canadian masters female champion, Daralynn D'Angelo of North Bay.
The lifting starts at 5 p.m. in the main gymnasium at the YMCA.