Topic: News: All-Area (Gainesville) HS Weightlifting Team

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Strength of Purpose
By Cliff Olsen

The Sun All-Area teams are selected with the help of the high school coaches. Next up is the All-Area tennis teams.

The height differential is easily noticed, but so are the muscular frames each weightlifter possesses.

For Santa Fe's 6-foot-6 Linval Joseph and a pair of guys with dynamite-like power in 4-foot-11 Jonathan Garcia of Palatka and 5-7 Travis Davis of Interlachen, each may come in a unique package, but there is one overpowering similarity with the trio.

Each athlete is strong.
Many people throughout the state received that message loud and clear during the FHSAA's state weightlifting meets at Santa Fe Community College in April.

The 308-pound Joseph, 116.5-pound Garcia and 127-pound Davis each lifted their way to state titles. Their determination also helped them earn selection as The Sun's Boys Weightlifters of the Year.

Sun Weightlifters of the Year profiles

Jonathan Garcia,
Palatka

Garcia, an avid comic book fan, earned the nickname "Superman" from his friends. Following his record-breaking performance at the Class 2A state meet a lot of other people soon realized he is more than worthy of his nickname as well.

"A lot more people called me Superman after I won the title," said Garcia, who also wears his lucky Superman T-shirt before all of his big meets. "Winning state is big, that was one of the greatest moments ever."

The junior set two state finals records en route to winning the 119-pound weight class. He bench pressed 260 pounds, before he clean and jerked a record 245 pounds for a record total weight of 505 pounds. Garcia, who was also named the Florida Dairy Farmers Boys Weightlifter of the Year, easily won his weight class by 55 pounds by lifting a combined total of more than four times his body weight.

He also became the 36th male athlete in school history to win an individual state weightlifting title.

While other athletes participate in weightlifting in order to keep in shape or get stronger for other sports they participate in, Garcia doesn't.

"I do weightlifting for weightlifting. I work out to be a better weightlifter," said Garcia, who stopped wrestling after his sophomore year. "I like weightlifting and working out, it feels good to work out."

Although Garcia, who got into weightlifting when he started to go to the gym to work out with his dad, has a good time lifting weights that can only mean bad news for other lifters around the state.

"Next year I'm going to crush my records, I'm going to have to. Hopefully I'll get 320 or 315 on the bench, my goal is to clean and jerk 270-275 and still stay at the 119-pound class," said Garcia, who finished fourth at state in each of his first two years. "I try not to be satisfied. I always want more."

He also knows he will be wearing a bull's eye on his back at next year's meet, but that won't change how Garcia prepares.

"I won state, but what's next?" he said. "The winner is going to be whoever works the hardest. I'm a hard worker.

"If you put your heart and soul into weightlifting you are going to get stronger and you are going to do great things."

It is a safe bet that Garcia's state sequel will garner some attention.

Travis Davis,
Interlachen

It's hard to think the Class A state meet could have turned out any better for Davis.

As a sophomore, Davis finished ninth in the 119-pound class and qualified for the state meet a year ago at 119, but was unable to participate because he failed to make weight.

This year, Davis moved up a weight class and came home with the title amid strong competition after posting a total weight of 455 (240 bench press, 215 clean and jerk). Not only was Davis able to culminate his high school career with a state title, but he was also able to give Rams veteran weightlifting coach Jack Williams a fitting send off.

Williams retired after 31 years of coaching weightlifting.

"I knew he was retiring and I always told him I would bring him a state championship home," Davis said. "I feel real good and it makes me feel good that he feels good about it too. He can retire happy now."

Davis, who moved to Interlachen when he was a sophomore, began weightlifting for a similar reason Joseph did.

"People used to pick on me. I used to be the lightest one of the bunch," said Davis, who added he weighed about 95 pounds when he was in middle school. "I started weightlifting because I wanted to get bigger and stronger."

But if it wasn't for Williams, who asked Davis to come lift weights, he would have never gotten into the sport.

"Coach Williams said to me, 'Come lift weights for me and I'll make you a state champion,' and he did that," Davis said. "I lifted with him and got a little stronger. I started getting into lifting and I got motivated and I made it one of my goals to win state."

Davis, also a Sun honorable mention all-area basketball selection, overcame disappointment as a junior to leave on top as a senior.

"For me to come out and accomplish many goals and be a state champion of weightlifting, you can't ask for a better senior year than that."

Linval Joseph,
Santa Fe

The junior said he dreamed of winning the state title in the heavyweight class on the night before the Class A meet. Joseph fulfilled his championship dream with a total weight of 725 (410 bench press - a season best - and a 315 clean and jerk).

He picked up the sport during his freshman year in response to some classmates' remarks.

"Upperclassman, mostly seniors, used to say you're so big and you're so weak, that motivated me the most. I had something to prove to them," said Joseph, who as a 6-foot-2, 210-pound freshman was only benching 160 to start. "Ever since that day I wanted to be stronger than them. I made their mouth drop."

Joseph, who has generated a lot of football interest from major Division-I schools, also placed second in the discus and finished third in the shot put at the Class 2A state track meet.

"I was shocked when I won the title. I couldn't believe it, I worked so hard for it," said Joseph, who jumped for joy and took off in a sprint around the Santa Fe Community College gym after he realized he won the competition. "It was just one of the best things that ever happened to me."

Joseph, who placed ninth at last year's event, became the 26th male athlete in school history to win an individual state weightlifting title.

"I'm going to work hard and I'm going to push myself like I did this year and accomplish my goals," Joseph said. " And hopefully win it again next year or be stronger than I am this year."

Coach of the Year

In his 31st and last season as weightlifting coach at Interlachen, Jack Williams went out on a high note. Williams had five Rams qualify for this year's Class A meet, including Travis Davis, who won the 129-pound title, and guided the team to a seventh-place finish.

"I'm happy for the kids, what a retirement present," said Williams, who decided to retire prior to the start of the season. "I couldn't ask for any better, you're on the top of the world. It's really a great feeling to have going out."

Williams coached the Rams to the 1991 Class 2A state title and a runner-up finish in 1988 and a co-runner up finish in 1986. Interlachen has won 50 weightlifting tournaments under Williams and has not lost a regular-season dual meet since 1982. He has also coached 10 individual state champions.

Williams said he plans to do some traveling with his wife. He plans to go to some of Interlachen's meets next season but plans to stay in the background.

"The kids have been super, people in community have really supported weightlifting," Williams said. "It has been a great 30 years at Interlachen. It has been a great time and I'm really going to miss the kids a lot."