Along with several of the regulars at club workouts, the Voyageur crew also welcomed 72 year-old world age group record holder Lorraine Pelletier to the campus.
Coached by long-time Coniston Weightlifting Club coachBob Leclair, Pelletier lifted 31 kg in the snatch, and 41 kg in the clean and jerk, for a combined total of 72 kg at a body weight of 68 kg.
At the other end of the spectrum was 11-year-old Arijana Tuttle, as the newest competitor completed six legal lifts in six attempts, finishing with a combined total of 47 kg, at a body weight of 45 kg.
Just a few years older, Alexanne Coulombe (15) of Lockerby Composite continued to show progress, hitting 65 kg at a body weight of just 63 kg. The top male lifter was Kyle McDermid, recruited to join the club following a competition back in May.
Weighing in at 77 kg, McDermid hoisted a snatch of exactly 100kg, adding another 130kg in the clean and jerk, and qualifying for the Provincial Championships in March.
"Kyle has done extremely well over a short period of time," said club head coach Thomas Hums. "He is quite a natural."
Similar story on the ladies side, as Manitoulin Island native Victoria Niven showcased the strides she has made in becoming a stronger technical lifter, registering weights of 59kg (snatch) and 70kg (clean and jerk).
Still relatively new to Olympic style lifting, Niven brings an interesting athletic background to the table as she prepares for her third year of studies at Laurentian University. "I've been doing Cross Fit for about five years now," she said.
"We had an affiliate in our high school (Manitoulin Secondary School). Back then, basketball was my sport, but we didn't do any weight training, per se. But my math teacher loved Cross Fit. Whenever I wasn't training for basketball, tennis or hockey, I would stay after school for a Cross Fit class."
While Olympic lifting is part of the entire package of workout variations offered by Cross Fit, it is truly just one piece of the athletic puzzle. Yet Niven, for one, sees something of a symbiotic relationship between her two major passions.
"Focusing more on Olympic style weightlifting here has actually improved my Cross Fit," she said. "I feel like I am more confident in lifting the weights at a faster pace, and I know the proper technique for lifting."
Coming off a personal best performance in Mississauga a few weeks ago, Niven looks forward to competing again in both disciplines, heading out of town for Cross Fit in September, and weightlifting on October 3rd in North Bay.
Following are complete results for the remaining Voyageur Club weightlifters:
- Ellen Sheppard (20) - 40kg (snatch) and 56 (clean and jerk) - body weight 60kg
- Kaylee Wedge (21) - 52kg (snatch) and 70kg (clean and jerk) - body weight 67kg
- Robyn Damude (24) - 52kg (snatch) and 60kg (clean and jerk) - body weight 71kg
- Pete Barbeau (23) - 55kg (snatch) and 77kg (clean and jerk) - body weight 61kg
- Connor Smyth (23) - 65kg (snatch) and 82kg (clean and jerk) - body weight 68kg
- Adrian Brubacher (21) - 55kg (snatch) and 75kg (clean and jerk) - body weight 85kg
