Wellington Weightlifting Teammates Capture Individual State Crowns By Jason Stromberg
There’s a banner in the Wellington High School gymnasium with the names of Chloe Odom and LeeAnn Hewitt on it. The banner lists Odom and Hewitt as state champions in girls weightlifting. It’s a history-making banner that puts the Wolverines’ girls weightlifting program in elite company. Earlier this year in Kissimmee, Odom and Hewitt became the first state champs in girls weightlifting in Palm Beach County School District history. “It’s a great honor to coach two girls to that feat,” Wellington High School coach Peter Callovi said. “We got lucky with two girls who are very talented and hard-working. For Chloe, she had been a state runner-up the year before. There was an extra push there to win a state title.” High school girls weightlifting features the bench press and clean and jerk events. Practice starts in October, with the state championship taking place the first weekend in February. As a team, Wellington placed fourth at the state meet. Odom competed in the 139-pound weight class, winning the individual state championship with a 205-pound lift on the bench and a 175-pound clean and jerk lift. In her two previous seasons weightlifting at the high school level, she competed in the 154-pound weight class. “The 154-pound weight class was too competitive. I knew I wasn’t going to put up as much weight as I needed to in order to win the title, so that’s why I dropped the weight,” Odom said. “This year, I felt more comfortable at 139 because getting first place was more in my reach. I felt like it would be a little less of a struggle to get to the weight that I had to bench press and clean and jerk.” In her first year at the statewide event, she placed 12th. That shows how much Odom has improved over the past three years. The WHS senior went out on an incredibly high note.
“I was crying, kind of overwhelmed,” Odom said after claiming the 139-pound individual state crown. “I knew I had it. I already knew what everybody else’s scores were because they have the board that sits there with all the scores on it. It was pure elation for me.” Hewitt had that same emotion after her scores were reported. Competing in the unlimited weight class, Hewitt bench-pressed 255 pounds and lifted 230 pounds in the clean and jerk. With a 485-point total, Hewitt broke the tie-breaker with Desire Davis of Orlando’s Evans High School, who clean-and-jerked 205 pounds and bench-pressed 280 pounds. The tie-breaker was broken because Hewitt weighed less than Davis.
(Above) Chloe Odom works out in the weight room. (Far left) Chloe Odom and LeeAnn Hewitt with coach Peter Callovi. PHOTOS BY ABNER PEDRAZA
wellington the magazine | august 2016
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