Topic: News: Katie Ryck, Florida Girls HS State Weightlifting Champ

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Reigning diva:Port Charlotte's Katie Ryck is the First State Champion in the Sport in School History

Katie Ryck saw all the support the Port Charlotte High girls weightlifting program received.

"We would host two big meets each year, and everybody comes," Ryck said.

Ryck really gave the Pirate supporters something to cheer about, when she became the first state champion in the sport in school history.

Competing in the 199-pound class at the FHSAA state meet at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Ryck tied the state mark by lifting 195 in the clean and jerk and went on to post a 375 total, 25 pounds better than her closest competitor.

For her efforts, Ryck was named the Herald-Tribune's co-Athlete of the Year, along with Booker's Jessica Reynolds, for girls weightlifting.

"After the sectionals, we were looking at the rankings," Ryck, a junior, said. "The other girls had a 375, and I knew I could do that, because I did it before. I thought if I worked really hard, I could do it."

Ryck fully expects to defend her title next year.

"There's not too many girls in my weight class, and I usually beat all the girls by about 150 pounds during the season," Ryck said. "I would definitely like some competition."

Other state records for her weight class are 215 in the bench and 390 overall, set by Amy Hartman of Winter Springs.

Ryck hasn't lifted for more than a month, as she is concentrating on her other sport -- softball, the reason she began lifting in the first place. It was at the urging of former softball coach Cynthia Kennett that Ryck became interested in weightlifting.

Port Charlotte weightlifting coach Sonia Tirb, the Herald-Tribune Coach of the Year, took it from there.

But it won't be long before Ryck begins training to defend her title.

"I'm better at the clean and jerk because it has more to do with legs, and my legs are pretty strong," Ryck said. "But I'm learning new techniques on the bench."

Ryck doesn't know if she will continue lifting beyond high school.

"If I get a scholarship, I will," she said. "But I'll probably still do some, just to stay in shape."

Katie Ryck
Port Charlotte, Junior
By The Numbers

First at the FHSAA meet with a 180 in the bench and a 195 in the clean and jerk for a 375 total in the 199-pound class.

Finished first at the Section 7 Regional with a 170 in the bench and a 185 in the clean and jerk for a 355 total.

A returning first-team performer a year ago, she took first at the Section 7 sub-qualifier with a 170 in the bench and a 190 in the clean and jerk for a 360 total.

INSIDE LOOK

Although she is an imposing figure in weightlifting and on the softball field, Ryck wants everyone to know she is a caring and sensitive person who enjoys boating, fishing and hunting with her father, Michael. She wants to pursue a career in sports medicine.