SPORTS
The SPOKE
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Senior slams national weightlifting competition
Crunching the Numbers
Emma Clarke Staff Reporter
When senior Gavin Bell deadlifted 524 pounds at a recent powerlifting competition, he was competing without a team or coach. While sports such as football emphasize the team aspect of athletics, Bell, who began weightlifting in eighth grade, has been flying solo. While training for football, Bell discovered powerlifting, a form of competitive weightlifting in which competitors attempt the squat, deadlift and benchpress. He is able to squat 458 pounds, deadlift 524 pounds and bench press 285 pounds. “I quickly began to enjoy [weightlifting] much more than playing football and sports in general,” Bell said. Bell just started competing in the squat, deadlift and bench press last February, participating in various state and national competitions. “I had just quit lacrosse and was looking to compete in something again. I was already training pretty hard and wanted to see how I stacked up against other kids my age in weightlifting,” Bell said. Most recently, he placed second at the National Championships this October. Although Bell trains without a coach, he does not see this as a drawback. “Since I taught myself how to train, I learned how my body responds to different training styles and learned exactly what works for me,” Bell said. He said that this training does not only require building muscle, but also focusing on technique in the gym. “Powerlifting is much more technical than people think. It takes a lot of time and practice to master the three lifts,” Bell said. Since he started competing, Bell has excelled in several different competitions. He placed first at the Liberty Bell Classic and Mid-Atlantic Regional Cham-
The 1st weightlifting world championships was held in
London, 1891 8,543 weightlifting related injuries occurred in children 14 and under during the past year
700+ participants Neil Goldenthal/The SPOKE
Lifting big time: Senior Gavin Bell participates in the National Championship for weightlifting in Las Vegas. Bell quit lacrosse last year to pursue a weightlifting journey; along the way he set his own personal record of 458 pounds for squatting, 524 pounds for deadlifting and 285 pounds for benchpressing. pionship and second in the PA State Championship and 2017 Raw National Championship in his division. At the National Championship, total lifts typically ranged from about 200 to about 800 kg, depending on age, gender and level.
Bell has also had to work to find a balance between school and training. He typically trains six days a week, coming into the school gym before classes, and takes Sunday as an optional day. Bell’s self-reliance and determination have led him to this
point in his life, and he hopes for even greater success in the future. “It’s a sport where you compete against yourself just as much as other people, so I’m just always trying to be better and that’s all I really need,” Bell said.
Serving wins: Former TESD student takes second place win at Junior Wimbledon Lyvia Yan
Centerspread Editor
The last time two American female junior competitors competed for the Wimbledon finals was in 1979, and the last female-junior to win the event was Chanda Rubin in 1992.
attended the 2016 Youth National Championships
2017 was a year of change. Former Conestoga High School student, Ann Li competed against the best junior players around the world in junior Wimbledon. The 17-year-old, although unseeded (a preliminary ranking), showed her grit and perseverance and made it to the finals, competing against
Courtesy Ann Li
Swinging to the top: 17-year-old Ann Li perfects her forehand swing. Li started her tennis career when she was just five years old. Today she competes in competitions like the junior Wimbeldon held in London.
Claire Liu, No. 3 seed, also 17. “My mindset was just to have fun because I love grass— it helped me a lot. I wasn’t really nervous, surprisingly. Besides the semis and the finals, obviously, but other than that I wasn’t really nervous,” Li said, “I kinda knew I was better than the other girls on grass, so that helped a little as well.” The tournament takes place in July every year with 64 players competing against each other bracket-style. Although Li lost to Liu 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in the final, Li beat No. 1 seed Kayla Day in the quarterfinals, marking her first victory over Day. “When she beat (Day) that was a really big win because it signaled a belief that said ‘Hey, I can play at this level. This girl is number one in the world in juniors,’” said Jon Glover, a former professional player and coach of Li since she was 10 years old. Li started playing tennis at Teegarden park when she was only around five years old. “My brother played before me, so I just wanted to go along with him,” Li said. She never imagined that 10 years later, she would be playing on the same court as her idols. At the Wimbledon ball, or the dance of the event, she met her childhood hero, Roger Federer, and even took a picture with him. “That was just such a magical moment,” Li said. To accommodate training, Li transitioned to online school. Her schedule allows her to complete homework assignments without strict deadlines and travel to various national facilities to sharpen her skills. “My tennis career has really kicked off since starting online school,” Li said. “I get so much more time to train and travel to
Sources: International Weightlifting Federation, FACTA Universities, Barbend.com
COMMITMENT CORNER
tournaments and not feel the pressure of telling my teachers every time and giving a reason to the school.” Li has trained around the nation at Arthur Ashe Legacy in Philadelphia, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) facility in Flushing, NY, and the USTA National Campus in Orlando. Aside from the training facilities and workout regimes, much of Li’s success can be attributed to Glover. “When I started playing tennis right away I just tried to hit the ball as hard as I could, but but he really helped show me that I could (hit every shot) and helped me create a base and a bunch of tools I could use,” Li said. After Wimbledon, Li returned to the US and won a professional tournament in Evansville, Indiana. She was awarded $15,000 for winning the women’s draw. “Confidence is a weird thing—it’s hard to get but once you have it, it brings your game forward, and now you see she’s got a different look in her eye, she carries herself mentally, and she thinks she can compete with anybody,” Glover said. That confidence helped Li get a scholarship to Louisiana State University for tennis. She looks forward to dedicating more time to her sport under the direction of Michael Sell, who used to coach Serena Williams, winner of the second-most Grand Slam tennis women’s singles titles of all time. “When I was younger I wanted to be number one in the world,” Li said. Her hard work and dedication have proven valuable in her career. Only time will tell if her childhood dreams will be fulfilled.
Caitlin Donovan School: La Salle University Grade: 10 Sport: Soccer Why La Salle?: “I love the size and location of the school. Also the coaches are really nice.” Favorite ’Stoga Soccer Memory: “My favorite memory was beating Penncrest High School because it was a very important game and there was a great team effort.”
SCORELINE Football
W L T
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1 9 0
B Soccer
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16 0 1
Regular season scores as of 11/6
G Soccer
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13 3 1
G Tennis
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17 0 0
B XC
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10 1 0
G XC
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11 0 0
Golf
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12 0 0
Volleyball
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15 7 0
Field Hockey
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16 2 0