Topic: News: Weightlifter Casey Burgener Eyes Olympics In China

[Jon Janz]

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Weightlifter Casey Burgener Eyes Olympics In China

BONSALL ---- Casey Burgener is a 23-year-old Renaissance man who pumps iron to see the world.

"If I could visit every country in the world, I would be a very happy man," Burgener said last week while visiting his parents in Bonsall from his residence at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

As one of the top weightlifters on the U.S. national team Burgener has traveled to the Czech Republic, Hungry, Greece, Canada, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Australia and, most recently, Qatar.  It was in Doha, Qatar, last month when Burgener, a 2000 Rancho Buena Vista High grad, became the No.1-ranked American weightlifter with his performance at the world championships.

The 6-foot-1, 261-pound Burgener set personal bests by dead lifting 175 kilograms (385.81 pounds) and then lifting 215 kilograms (473.99 pounds) in the clean and jerk.  His combined effort of 859.80 pounds was good enough for 14th place in a meet featuring more than 300 athletes from 75 countries.

"Next to the Olympics this was the biggest meet in weightlifting," Burgener said.

Unlike many other sports, lifters do not qualify for the Olympics in just one meet. Their governing body looks at what an athlete does over a period of time and then selects the three best in each weight category.

"In terms of how this is going to help me make the Olympic team, it is pretty insignificant because it is so far out from the Olympics. Being No. 1 in 2005 is not going to mean as much as being No. 1 in 2008," Burgener said.  The effort was about an 11-pound improvement from his previous best.

"I still have a long ways to go," Burgener said.

He figures that if he could add another 20 or 25 pounds to his total, and if everything falls into place, he would have a chance for a medal in Beijing.

"The only goal I have ever had with weightlifting was to go to the Olympics, so I guess you could say this is one of the stepping stones to get to that last goal," he said. "As long as I can maintain that No. 1 ranking, I'll have a much better chance of going."

Weightlifting provides Burgener an outlet for two of his main interests: travel and competition.

"I love to compete and pretty early on weightlifting came pretty natural for me so I decided to pursue that," he said.

Casey credits his father, Mike Burgener, for getting him started in the sport. The elder Burgener, who played football on Notre Dame's 1966 national championship team, is a highly respected weight and conditioning coach at RBV.  Casey Burgener lists Australia as his favorite spot, but he has a fondness for Prague as well.

Spend an hour with Burgener and you will find that he is a multifaceted man with a passion for learning. He is studying physics at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs with the goal of becoming a high school math teacher.

"I took a physics course because a couple of my friends were taking it, and I absolutely loved it," he said. "It takes a lot of work, and it takes a lot of time to learn, but I find physics very, very interesting."

Like his weightlifting, Burgener is very proficient in the classroom, carrying a 3.8 GPA. That's pretty impressive when you consider his schedule and his Spartan-like surroundings where he shares a dorm room with another weightlifter and lives on a $500 a month stipend from the USOC.

"It helps that we get our room and meals," Burgener said.

The lifters work out twice a day. Between sessions, most of them rest. Burgener does not have that luxury because he's off to school tackling such courses as quantum mechanics.  He would not have it any other way.

"Typically, a competitive session will last an hour and a half, but if you just count the lifts (six in all), your total time for the lifts in probably a minute," Burgener said shaking his head. "You train all year long doing thousands of reps, for less than a minute of competition."

But when there is improvement, it all seems worth it to Burgener.

"Just thinking about the months of work to get where you are is most gratifying," he said.

[Matt Foreman]

A 385 lb. deadlift?  Big deal!  I can do that easy!

Just kidding:) but it's a funny glitch in the article.  Casey is easy to root for, comes from a great family, and I'd love to see him make the Olympic Team in 2008.  I hope it happens, maybe with a big 410-420 total to boot.