Picture it: Sicily, I mean San Jacinto, Ca. A young, charismatic, track and field athlete and Girl Scout was introduced to the sport of weightlifting.
Summer of my freshman year of high school, my head track coach who was a former weightlifter herself (2X National Champion, American Record Holder and 2000 Olympic Trials Participant), asked me if I wanted to go lift with her. I did and I was sore for about two weeks. I only lifted the bar! Now that I think about it, I wonder if two weeks was an exaggerated feeling? Hmm. Well, after that, I decided not to do it again as I thought I would be perpetually sore.
The next track season, her husband, my throwing coach (My head track coach's husband and former weightlifting coach) decided that I needed to actually lift as part of my training. At the time, he was coaching us part-time after coaching his team at a neighboring high school. Anywho, I hated it at first but, as I got stronger and my throws went further, I changed my tune.
One day, as I recall it, my throwing coach asked me if I'd like to be in a weightlifting competition. I think I said, "Not really." and his response was "Too bad, I signed you up and I'm picking you up at 6 am on Sunday." I had no idea what I was doing and just followed what everyone else was doing and trying to listen to my coach.
I was asked recently what my best numbers were when I started lifting. My very first weightlifting meet I snatched 50 kgs and I clean and jerked 60 kgs. I totaled 2 kgs over my own bodyweight. Score! From the very, very, beginning, I can't remember what my squats or presses were, to be honest. I can remember at the end of high school what I was doing in my major lifts. I never really deadlifted and I didn't really press heavy. By the time high school was over, I was able to snatch 75 kgs for 4 sets of 3 reps and clean and jerk 105 for 4 sets of 2. I front squatted only up to heavy singles; my best being 150 and I back squatted 140 for 5 sets of 8.
I started lifting in like 2004/2005 and did it mostly for fun. I originally wanted to do weightlifting after track and field was over as a way to stay in shape and have fun. I didn't get reintroduced to weightlifting until 2008 where I did it on the side as a red-shirted sophomore at ASU. In 2009 was when I switched over to weightlifting full time.
That's pretty much how I started weightlifting and the numbers I was doing then. I had very humble beginnings in my athletic career and life. What a difference 12 years can make!
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