Topic: News:Ric Hartwell 3rd@Florida HS State Champs Despite Injury

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Injured Knight Still Thrived: Ric Hartwell Won a SAC Title then Finished Third at State Despite a Sore Wrist.
By Mike Tompkins

NEW PORT RICHEY - Ric Hartwell is built like an ancient Greek warrior.

But like Achilles, the River Ridge graduate isn't invulnerable.

Where Achilles was done in by his heel, Hartwell's wrist was his downfall.

An injury to Hartwell's carpus sustain during his final clean-and-jerk at the Sunshine Athletic Conference meet resulted in a lower-than-expected 350-pound bench press at the Class 2A state meet on April22.

Still, Hartwell's 655-pound total earned him third at 183 pounds, 45 ahead of the next finisher. In addition to being the county's highest placewinner, Hartwell was a conference and section champion.

"The total wasn't what I wanted," Hartwell said. "But the wrist played a big part in that. I mean, if the wrist can't hold the weight, the rest of the arm is going to give out."

This is not the first time Hartwell's body has given out on him. A football player as a freshman and sophomore, the linebacker/fullback's career was cut short due to a knee injury. The injury cost him that year's weightlifting season as well. Last season, he didn't even qualify for state, totaling 540 pounds at the section meet.

"I think, even with the wrist, Ric had a real good season," Royal Knights coach Mike Marlin said. "I mean, the wrist is a legitimate injury. They did a bone scan, and there's damage. I was baffled that (the wrist) even held up at states.

"We had to drop his opening lift 15-20 pounds, and that was the only one he got. But I think that just goes to show the work ethic of Ric. Here's a kid who has had two knee operations, who didn't even qualify last season, to someone who competed for the state title."

Hartwell coasted through the regular season, going undefeated, before cruising to a 45-pound victory with a 605-pound total at the conference meet.

His 615-pound total at the March 22 section meet allowed him to sit out the April 5 sectional at Mitchell.

A personal trainer who works at Family Fitness Center in Hudson, Hartwell will continue his weightlifting career.

He hopes to couple a personal training side business with a teaching career.

A successful student who carries a 3.8 grade point average while dual-enrolled at PHCC, Hartwell will enter the fall one year away from an Associates Degree. He hopes to earn his Bachelor's Degree in physical education from USF before returning to River Ridge to teach.