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Sioux-z Hartwig set to make returnJim Ford
USAPL Coaches Committee
 For anyone out there who keeps up with the USAPL Women's Open Division, you probably noticed a very prominent absence from the 2004 USAPL Women's World Team roster. Six-time World Team member Sioux-z Hartwig was missing from the Women's Nationals lineup this year due to injury, and was therefore not on the roster for the IPF worlds. Well, not really missing from Nationals, as she traveled to Nebraska for the competition all the way from her home in Rockville, MD to cheer on her teammates. She resides in Maryland now and works full time as a Massage Therapist. I recently had a chance to visit with her and we spoke about her injury and her future plans. She was experiencing some problems, and after seeking medical advice, she found that she had a fairly serious condition. "I found out I had a bulging disc and it was preventing the proper use of my left arm" she told me. "I realized I would need to take some time off from lifting and concentrate on doing whatever possible to heal and not have to go through surgery". This was a very wise decision in my estimation. Of course Sioux-z has always been a "smart lifter" as far as I could tell. One year at a National Championship, I had the privilege to work with her during her meet. She was one of the best prepared lifters I had ever seen. She had done her homework and wanted everything done exactly as she planned in the months prior to the competition. "I worked with Kirk Karwoski for years, and I learned to be in control of all aspects of my lifting competition performance". She was and she won that meet. Like I said, she's a "smart lifter".
Of course she has been on World teams from 1998-2003 and has made steady progress up till last year when she won the Gold at the IPF World Championships in Chicago. She told me she had a feeling of "joy, amazement, and pride" atop the winners platform. "It was unreal, yet a wonderful experience" she told me as we discussed the victory. "Most of all, I always want to better myself, and so winning the IPF Gold Medal was the ultimate achievement for my lifting career and expectations".
The 35 year-old, originally from Lake Norden, South Dakota, is no rookie to lifting or many other competitive sports. "I love most all sports. Growing up I was a catcher on our softball team, a cheerleader, played basketball, intramural volleyball, and ran track. I was even on a flag football team in college" she mentioned. If that’s not enough, she also excelled in karate and tae kwon do. Her Mom and Dad, who I have had the honor to meet several times, are wonderful folks and Sioux-z's greatest fans. They have been there though all the different avenues of sport for Sioux-z.
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