Topic: News: National Weightlifting Meet Begins Friday at LSUS

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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National Weightlifting Meet Begins Friday at LSUS

The best Olympic-style weightlifters in the nation will be in Shreveport on Friday for the USA Weightlifting National Championship at LSUS.

As part of the world team trials, the event will finalize the United States team for the World Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
 
There is no charge to witness the event, scheduled for the LSUS Health and Physical Education Building. Competition begins at 10 a.m. today and runs through Sunday.

Local competitor Kendrick Farris is currently ranked high enough to be on that team, which will consist of the top eight men and the top seven women.

"He's ranked to be on the team, and there's some really good guys in his category. Kendrick posted 340 kilograms in his class (85 kilograms)," coach Kyle Pierce says. "They'd both have to do 340 to bump him off that team. He's pretty solid at this point."

But there will still be challenges for Farris. Pierce says his student has been better in competitions away from home than in town.

"On the road, he's good. He's good out of the country," he says. "The last meet (at home), he wasn't prepared for it very well. This time, he is pretty prepared."

Even though some of the top competitors are ranked high enough to be on the World Championship team, Pierce says all the best lifters will be at LSUS because they are required to be.

Another local, Cody Gibbs, would likely be in the hunt for the team but will miss this meet.

"Cody would have had a shot at winning the thing in his category (105 kilograms) if he hadn't gotten hurt," Pierce says. "He'll be back though. He's in there training again."

Both male and female lifters will compete, bringing 134 athletes to the meet.

Other LSUS students competing are Monica Davis (75 kg.), Michelle Sicard (48 kg.), Jason Brown (77 kg.) and Aaron Adams (62 kg.).

There have been 14 national championships and four international meets in Shreveport under Pierce's leadership.