Elliot Ave-Lallemant, Staff Writer
The Barbell Bucs Lifting Club held its first lifting tournament this Saturday, March 23. With me being a member of the club, it would be foolish for me not to compete and channel my inner Arnold Schwarzenegger. So I signed up for deadlifts. In hindsight, I probably should’ve signed up for squats, but it is what it is.
The rules of the competition were simple: you could compete in squat, deadlift or bench press, and each person had two attempts at a lift with the option to change the weight of the lift with each attempt. The final score was judged based on the total amount of weight each person lifted across each lift attempt.
For someone who started his lifting journey in September, the thought of a weightlifting tournament was a little scary, but the competition was full of positive energy and support. It didn’t matter if you were lifting 400 or 40 pounds, everybody cheered everyone else on. The music selection was also quite interesting, with Deftones being the band of choice to be played over the speaker.
For some competitors like Max Martinez’27, lifting is something that helps him stay in shape which motivated him to come to the tournament. “I quit running but I still wanted to do an exercise and I really fell in love with weight lifting, so when I saw this tournament I thought it would be a good opportunity to test my limits with other people around.” Max also had a good run in the tournament, hitting PRs (personal records) in squat and deadlift.
I also sat down with the founding president Jane Price’26 to talk more about her motivations for starting the club and the tournament as a whole.
Why did you start this club?
“One of my primary motivators for starting this club was to help empower anyone, but especially women, to feel confident and strong in gym spaces. Though I grew up with a VERY strong and VERY cool mom who was also very passionate about lifting and coaching, I am unfortunately still used to the typical narrative of few to no women being present in gyms (and lifting heavy). I wanted to flip the script and help other women understand that strength is feminine—and that weightlifting isn’t just for men. I hoped that by starting this club, beginners could be given a safe space to learn about lifting—and that I could also meet other strong & passionate women. I also love having a gym community where people can socialize, lift, and push one another. And, I wholeheartedly believe that physical health is the key to a happy and productive life—exercise is one of the easiest ways to ensure your longevity and happiness. By creating a community that helps people hold one another accountable and provides support and encouragement, I hoped that I could not only help create a healthier Beloit College community but also one where women are inspired to be strong.”
How do you feel about competing in this tournament?
“I was very excited to compete in the competition this weekend! I have always found it disappointing that the NCAA does not recognize power or Olympic lifting as sports, and I am hoping to bring these sports to our campus as legitimate competitive sports through Barbell Bucs. I think that this competition was a great first step to further establishing weightlifting on this campus.”
Any advice for people who are just starting weightlifting?
“When I talk to people who don’t come to Barbell Bucs but who might be interested, they often say something along the lines of “I would come, but I don’t think I’m very good at it!” To that, I want to remind us all that trying new things is never about being good at them immediately—it is about experiencing something new and pushing yourself. Don’t let your beginner-ness stop you from coming—we all were beginners once. The easiest way to get good at something is to practice! And, weightlifting isn’t just about who can lift the heaviest weight—it’s also about ensuring your future health. You don’t have to be lifting 500 pounds to get in your gym and take care of your body.”
Jane Price’26 and Greg Nelson’24 won first place in the competition overall, and both also won best bench press and deadlift in the women’s and men’s competition.
Even though I may not have won anything, the experience was still pretty fun and I hit a PR, which is always a win. The tournament went really well, and congratulations to all those who won their categories! Thinking about getting your gains on? The Barbell Bucs meet in the Athletic Center weight room from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays!
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