Topic: News: C.J. Stockel helps spearhead local Olympic efforts

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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C.J. Stockel helps spearhead local Olympic efforts
By John DuPont

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FLOWERY BRANCH – These days, Flowery Branch not only boasts some of the area’s finest athletes, but also lists some of the area’s elite coaches among its ranks.

C.J. Stockel, who serves as the Falcons’ head strength and conditioning coach, is also head coach of Team Georgia Weightlifting, the host organization for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Weightlifting Trials.

Officials announced Tuesday that those Olympic Trials will be held at Georgia Tech next May.

“Georgia itself has a rich history of Olympic weightlifting dating back to the 1956 Melbourne Olympics,” said
      
“Up to 12-15 athletes of the 60 that could be competing are going to come from the state of Georgia. We’re excited about having a hometown crowd for our athletes here.”

The First Center, located at the heart of Georgia Tech, will host the Olympic Trials May 16-17 of next year. The two-day event includes two Friday sessions and a single Saturday session to determine who will represent the United States at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

“There are two events coming up: The American Open and the National Championship, and those will help qualify the athletes,” said Stockel.

Stockel added: “We’ll have the top 30 overall women and the top 30 overall men in the country here competing for slots to go to China.”

The projected lineup for Beijing calls for a team of four men and four women, although that number may be adjusted after the trials.

Tickets to the weightlifting trials are expected to go on sale in January. More information is available at www.usaweightlifting.org.