Topic: News: Caitlin Carter Lifting Way Onto Collegiate Spotlight

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Caitlin Carter Lifting Her Way Onto Collegiate Spotlight
By Lorrie Whorton and Ainslee S. Wittig

Northern Arizona University senior Caitlin Carter set a personal best and landed in the top 10 at the recent National Collegiate Weightlifting Championship.

The competition was held April 29-30 in Merrillville, Ind., sponsored by USA Weightlifting.

Carter, of Willcox, represented NAU at the competition. She graduated from the Flagstaff university May 13. The 21-year-old, who has only been lifting for 15 months at Peaks Weightlifting Club in Flagstaff, competed in the women's 63 kilo weight class (138.6 pounds or less) against a highly competitive field of 13 other lifters in Olympic-style lifting. Each lifter is permitted three attempts in two styles of lifting, the snatch and the clean & jerk, which make up Olympic-style lifting.

Carter went one for three in the snatch, lifting 55 kilos (121 pounds) in her first lift. Then, in the clean & jerk, she hit a personal best with 66 kilos (145.2 pounds), which gave her a total in her two best lifts of 121 kilos (266.2 pounds).

"I was definitely nervous going in," she admitted. "But once I was done, it was, 'now what's the next competition I can qualify for?'"

Her coach, Peaks Weightlifting Club's Chris DeRosa, who has competed three times in that particular meet over the years, said, "She had a great outing for her first national-level meet. Her weight class was the toughest of the entire meet, and to post a finish in the middle of an extremely competitive pack is doing very well."

Carter now sets her sights on qualifying for the National Championships in August and the American Open in December.

"I had a really great time, and I'm ready to do what it takes," Carter said. "My goal is to drop down to the next (lower) weight class (58 kilos or 127.6 pounds) and to lift more weights on the bar in order to qualify for nationals."

Carter said she missed qualifying for nationals in Indiana by two kilos (4.4 pounds).

"I'm right there. I can do it," she said.

Carter said she began lifting after a friend she worked with introduced her to it.

"He suggested I try it, and I kind of got hooked," she said. She had not even lifted weights to help her with sports during high school, she said.

Carter double-majored in criminal justice and psychology. While at NAU, she served as the manager of the women's volleyball team and also as an assistant volleyball coach at Sinagua High School in Flagstaff.

At Willcox High School, Caitlin was a varsity athlete on both the volleyball and track teams.

She said she plans to look into graduate school, and has thought about careers in forensic psychology or physical therapy.

But she also wants to continue her weightlifting.

"It's been a great opportunity and a good challenge. And I'm always up for a challenge. I hope to continue," she said.

Her parents are Stuart and Kathy Carter.

Younger brother, Cameron, a high school senior, has also been active in athletics, participating in wrestling, track, and cross country. He is the 2005-'06 Athlete of the Year at WHS.

"I'm really proud of Cameron. He did an awesome job in wrestling this year," she said.

Cameron won the 1A-2A State Championships for the 189-pound weight class in February, and the WHS team was state runner up.

Cameron said, "There was a time I was better in athletics than Caitlin. I think she can pound me into the ground now!"

Either way, winning must run in the family.

(Editor's Note: Lorrie Wharton is a staff member at Peaks Weightlifting in Flagstaff and also is a weightlifter.)