2002 High School Nationals Extra Info(printable version)

The 2002 High School Nationals
Meet report (page 3)

By Rick Fowler, Platform Manager for Platform 2

Girls Varsity, continued
   Krystal Kelly of Alexandria, LA was listed as a 165 and appears to have swapped spots with team mate Traci Till. It was a good move because Krystal won the title over Maggen Millen with a tie on bodyweight and a 400 kg. Total. Millen, who also totaled 400 kgs last month at the Womens Nationals, was the front runner for the World team going into the meet. At this writing I'm not sure which girl will be selected for the team, though I guess it is possible for them to be an awesome one-two punch for Team USA. Only time will tell!
   In the 198's Mindy Guidry of Folsom, LA cruised to a perfect 9 for 9 day totaling 898 lbs. for the big win over Meredith Enxing of Slidell, LA. Another 9 for 9 lifter was Margaret Morgan, who walked out with fifth place in this division. Some very fine lifting...
   I took great pleasure in managing the platform Erica Bailey was lifting on. After reading about her, and hearing that she was coming to turn some heads, we weren't disappointed. THIS YOUNG LADY CAN LIFT! Her total exceeded the prior front runner for the World team by over 200 lbs.! Talk about "taking your spot", this is exactly what she did. Her lifts were a phenomenal squat of 424 lbs., a benchpress of 209 lbs., and a deadlift of 352 lbs, totaling an amazing 986 lbs! As I look into my crystal ball I see nothing but gold around this girl's neck....Go Erica!

Boys JV
   The Boys JV classes were very competitive, with 4 decided by 5 kilos or less. Many classes had the lifters bunched tightly together which is a testament to how tough the competition was.
   Eric Kratz of Souderton, PA, was the 114 lb. champion thanks to his 7 for 9 day and total of 694 lbs. Just 5 kilos back was Timothy Cross. Cross had a chance early on to shake things up a bit had he made his 3rd squat of 286 lbs., but it just wasn't there. 3rd and 4th place was decided by a tie on bodyweight at the total of 666 lbs. Robert Blusehi, who was just a tad lighter than Kyle Dahl, and took third.
   The 123's looked interesting early on with a host of lifters ready to post some big lifts for the young kids class. After Branson and Rinderer bowed out early in the benches, things turned into a three horse race between Daniel Brignac, Bart Marks & John Miller. With a perfect day and well balanced lifting, Daniel Brignac came out of this one on top by just 2.5 kg's. over Marks & Miller who both totaled 352.5 kilos. Marks being the lighter lifter was the runner up in the class.
   In the 132's Glenn France of Slidell, LA missed just one squat and one deadlift in taking his title. He totaled 869 lbs and even tried a 402 lb. 3rd attetmpt deadlift. Speaking of deadlifts, Steve Mikulecky of Racine, WI had quite the deadlift at his disposal...he pulled a nice 451 lbs. on his 3rd attempt and won the 148's hands down. In 2nd place Jonothan Norwood was able to hold off Adam Nagele to keep the runner up position by 2.5 kilos.
   In the 165's, David Starkey and Mike Cosgrove really had it out. Going into the deads they had each only missed a total of two attempts between them. At subtotals Cosgrove was ahead by 10 kilos and Starkey would have to pull the win out with some big dealifting, which is just what happened. After Cosgrove missed 192.5 on his 3rd attempt, Starkey went out and pulled the 195 he needed for the narrow margin victory.
   Ryan Alles of Perkasie, PA walked out with the 181 title by a margin of 10 kilos over Missouri lifter Nathan Gentges. Alles only missed one attempt per event en route to his victory, while Gentges attempted an American record bench that would've shook things up quite a bit.
   Derek Brixius of Manitowoc, WI had big lifts in all three categories and cruised to his first place victory. He ended with a big 534 lb. deadlift and a 1,306 lb. total. Domonic Possa of St. Amant, LA stood tall in the 220 lb. class with his crushing victory by a margin of over 500 lbs. This was by far the largest distance between first and second of the meet.
   The 242 lb. JV category went down to the final pull between Jonothan Jarred of Woodworth, LA and Cedric Johnson of Slidell, LA. Jarred lifts put him on top in the end with bests of 424 264 & 507 for an 1,195 lb. total. His final pull was vital for the victory and he came through. Great lifting by both lifters!
   Callahan Bright of the Glen Mills team out of Pennsylvania, won the 275's hands down with his perfect 9 for 9 day. His lifts included a 540 lb. deadlift and he totaled 1,273 lbs. in his victory.
   The Supers turned out to be close due to the efficient lifting of Kody Sweet of Blue River, WI who went 8 for 8 into the final deadlift. Justin Newsome of nearby Venice, IL, had missed a few attempts after a nice squat that had Kody playing catchup while making attempt after attempt. In the end, Newsome prevailed in the deadlift and held of the hard charging Kody Sweet with a deadlift of 545 lbs. to take the title.

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