Topic: News: Josh Robbins Earns Bronze at USAW Schoolage Nationals

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Well worth the weight
Arrowhead senior finds success as weightlifter
By Rob Reischel

Town of Merton - Josh Robbins was just 10 years old. He played soccer, wrestled a bit and figured that his athletic future would come in one of those sports.

But Robbins' father, Peter, a renowned powerlifter, introduced his son to the world of weights. Seven years later, Josh would be the first to admit that father knew best.

Robbins, who will be a senior at Arrowhead this fall, followed his father's lead. Except that he decided to specialize in Olympic-style weightlifting. And though Peter Robbins refers to Josh as a "stringbean," he has become one of the top young lifters in the country.

Robbins recently participated in the National School Age Championships in Springfield, Miss., placing third in the 85-kilogram (187-pound) class. The finish qualified him for the national Juniors and Collegiate competition (for those ages 17-20) in February in Chattanooga, Tenn.

"It's unbelievable," Peter Robbins said of Josh's accomplishments. "He's far exceeded what I ever did on a platform. He's done unbelievably well."

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Arrowhead's Josh Robbins ranks among the top junior weightlifters in the country.
Photo by Karen Sherlock

Two components in sport

Even if few people understand just exactly what Olympic-style weightlifting is.

The sport was actually part of the first modern Olympics in 1896. A woman's event was added in 2000, yet the sport still operates in virtual anonymity.

In competition, athletes perform the two-hands snatch and the two-hands clean and jerk. Whoever lifts the highest combined weight is the winner.

Robbins has tried explaining how the sport works to many of his friends but admits most don't understand.

What's easy to understand is that Robbins certainly doesn't resemble your typical lifter. The object of the sport is to lift the bar over your head, so a short and compact body type is typically ideal.

But Robbins is pushing 6 feet 2 inches and weighs about 180 pounds. Considering most of his competitors are roughly 6 inches shorter than him, Robbins' accomplishments are even more impressive.

"A lot of times, I have to get it a foot higher than some of the other guys," Robbins said. "That's tough."

And something that most of Robbins' competitors take notice of.

"I get comments on Josh's height all the time," said John Shields, who coaches Robbins. "People are always saying, 'Josh should be a basketball player.' It's pretty unusual to see guys his height do what he's done."

With work comes success

Robbins lifts four days a week, and Shields spends a day each week working with him on his technique. Both the coach and the protégé admit they're surprised with how well things have gone.

"I have to admit, I never thought he'd get this far," Shields said. "It's a really big accomplishment."

Robbins' biggest accomplishments have come this year.

Robbins won the Wisconsin State Meet in March in Denmark, lifting a combined 215 kilograms (474 pounds) in the two events. Then, at the National School Age Championships, Robbins boosted his total to 225 kilograms (500 pounds).

Robbins' build will make it extremely difficult for him to mount a serious run at the Olympics. So Robbins is trying to soak up every second of his current success.

"I'm just really happy to have gotten to this point," Robbins said. "The chances of the Olympics aren't very good and I may not go farther than junior nationals. So I'm just going to enjoy that."