Topic: News:Kevin Kusler&Dave Schopfer Excel @ Schoolage Champs

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Chris Pennington's Lifters Kevin Kusler & Dave Schopfer Excel at Schoolage Champs
By Douglas A. Kaid

BRADENTON - When Chris Pennington went to tell Kevin Kusler his first turn was up at the USA Weightlifting Championships last month in Detroit, the coach patted his young athlete on the chest.

Or maybe it was Kusler's chest doing the patting.

"He was bu-bu-bu-bu-bu," Pennington said, mimicking Kusler's rapid heart rate. "It was funny."

Despite the nerves that came from him competing in his first-ever nationals, Kusler, 14, put up some of his career-best numbers to come back from the event with an 11th-place finish in his weight class (69 kilos, or about 153 pounds).

"I had adrenaline," said Kusler of the reason for his personal-best marks. "I lifted a lot more than I had before."

His best friend and lifting partner, Dave Schopfer, 15, placed third in the same class in his second time at nationals. Kusler snatched 115 pounds and clean and jerked 172, while Schopfer put up 150 and 200.

The boys will be freshmen at Manatee High when school starts in August. They plan to play for the tradition-rich Canes football team.

Kusler said he initially started lifting weights two years ago to increase his strength for football. Pennington believes Kusler's work in the weight room will help him immensely.

"Olympic weightlifting is a balance, athletic, explosive-type lifting, and football is that," said Pennington, who coaches the freshman football team at Manatee High. "It's good hip movement, it's good foot movement, balance and strength - everything you need for the football field."

But lifting will give the boys an edge off the field as well.

"They have been in this weight room since they started, lifting with high school juniors and seniors and kids getting ready to go to college," Pennington said. "I can tell it's really helped them a lot because when they come to school here, they have already met, lifted with, talked to (and) hung around with seniors, juniors and sophomores. It's gonna help their transition to high school."

Pennington might have been most excited to see Kusler qualify in the 69-kilo class. He had originally qualified at 62, but his weight came to the point where he needed to go up a class. That called for a lot more work to get him to 153 pounds and get him into nationals.

"He made it in five weeks," Pennington said. "He was in here working his butt off. He did real well. I was proud of him."

The boys figure to move up an age and weight division next year, but Pennington sees no reason they can't qualify again next year. He's seen them grow from 90-pound 12-year-olds to 145-pound freshmen-to-be.

So it was little surprise to Pennington when, the morning after the group returned from Detroit, Kusler and Schopfer were back in the weight room ready to lift again. What brings him back every weekday morning during his summer break?

"It's fun because I can do it with all my friends and everything," sad the soft-spoken Kusler. "I just like it."