Topic: Please Introduce Yourself

[MissT]

Name: Cherine Fons
Age: 28
Gender: F
Occupation: Wrestler
Location: ATL, GA
Team: Coffee's
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: I was recruited as a SHW one year ago. I had no prior experience with the sport.
Years involved in weightlifting: one year
Athletic achievements: Bodybuilding Professional
Role in weightlifting: SHW Lifter
Coaching/educational credentials:
Favorite weightlifter:
Interests other than weightlifting: JuitJitsu and Bodybuilding
Other information you would like to share:

[Michael Lawrence]

Name: Michael Lawrence
Age: 27
Gender: M
Occupation: PhD Student (Computer Science)
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Team: (none)
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: Initially, through my mentor Stephen Wasylishen and later picked it up a bit more in training for track cycling.  Eventually stopped track and decided I would like to keep weightlifting as a hobby.
Years involved in weightlifting: 2
Athletic achievements: Not much!  A provincial track cycling title for sprints.
Role in weightlifting: hobbyist
Coaching/educational credentials: nothing!
Favorite weightlifter: Pyrros Dimas
Interests other than weightlifting: sailing, skateboarding, scuba diving, snowboarding, hiking, photography, drinking beer.
Other information you would like to share: nope

[Ákos Nagy]

Name: Nagy Ákos
Age: 31
Gender: male
Occupation:Bank officer
Location: Tatabánya - Hungary
Team: Tatabánya Sport Club
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: My Father...., I was a fat child..., and I hated to run it..
Years involved in weightlifting:23
Athletic achievements: I was a Junior world champion (1997. Cape Town) in weightlifting, and at several times hungarian weightlifting champion, U16 years European Record holder in snatch, Best resulst: 185kg in snatch, 225kg C&J, category +105
Role in weightlifting:I'm the president of West Hungarian Weightlifting Federadtion....,
Coaching/educational credentials:Semmelweis University-Budapest, Sportmanager exam
Favorite weightlifter:Rony Weller, Földi Imre (also live in Tatabánya)
Interests other than weightlifting: my new hobby is the strongman-sport and powerlifting
Other information you would like to share:

[Castro]

Name: Helder Castro
Age: 35
Gender:Male
Occupation: Diamond setter/massage therapist
Location: Porto,Portugal
How did you get involved in weightlifting? : Started lifting weigths as a mean to improve my martial arts skill
Years of weigthlifting: just 2 months
Favorite weigthlifter: Sizmon Kolecki

[365lbs.]

Name: Mark Winchester Sr.
Age: 41
Gender: M
Occupation: student
Location: New Orleans area
Team: n/a
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: self interest/train at home
Years involved in weightlifting:12+

I am interested in starting Olympic lifting.  I have 12+ years of basic lifting experience.  Can anyone suggest a book which instructs on how to get started?  All I have to concentrate on is the snatch and the clean & jerk right?

Thanks!

[Eduards Tarasovs]

Name: Eduards Tarasovs
Age: 37
Gender: male
Occupation: teacher/strength coach
Location: Latvia, Riga
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: my father was OW coach
Years involved in weightlifting: since 1982
Athletic achievements: USSR championship 4th place (U-17), 10 times Latvian champion, World Master championship - 2nd place (2008)
Role in weightlifting: coach
Coaching/educational credentials: master degree in sport education
Favorite weightlifter: Naim Sulejmanoglu
Interests other than weightlifting: biochemistry
Other information you would like to share: married with son

[Grimreaper6696]

Name: Jurgen Henriquez
Age: 20
Gender: male
Occupation: Student/work part time
Location: Aruba
Team: A.W.A
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: a friend told me and i came and saw the sport and liked it ever since
Years involved in weightlifting: 1.5
Athletic achievements: 1st place junior/ 1st place most improved lifted
Role in weightlifting:
Coaching/educational credentials:
Favorite weightlifter: Evgeny chigislev
Interests other than weightlifting: Ford trucks.. music, drag racing
Other information you would like to share:

[Nick Horton]

Name: Nick Horton
Age:  32
Gender: Male
Occupation: Sports Performance Coach (www.PDXWeightlifting.com)
Location:  Portland, OR
Team:  PDX Weightlifting
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?:  I always did individual sports: gymnastics, track, powerlifting, etc.  Always lifted weights, loved it.  Started personal training 10 years ago.  But, it was after a few issues of MILO that I decided to take the plunge into Oly lifting all the way.  Now I train athletes of all kinds and coach one of only 2 Oly clubs here in Portland. 
Years involved in weightlifting: 5, two to finally have some idea was I was doing, and three with my club.
Athletic achievements: Not many.  3rd place, Oregon State Championships in the 77's in 2008, and 84's in 2009.  But, the two guys who beat me (both years) ... really beat me!! :) 
Role in weightlifting: coach, competitor, and most important, shameless promoter!
Coaching/educational credentials: USAW sports performance coach, CrossFit Olympic Weightlifting coach.  BS Mathematics, MS Mathematics (in progress) with a focus in Mathematical Biology (I know that doesn't sound relevant, but it is!!)
Favorite weightlifter: Tommy Kono
Interests other than weightlifting: Mathematics, Evolutionary Biology, Economics, and Theoretical and Computational Finance.
Other information you would like to share:  My primary goal as a coach is to maintain a positive, safe, and truly fun atmosphere for my athletes.  90% of all athletes any of us coach won't make it to Nationals.  But, all of them can better themselves and learn to love this wonderful sport.  It's our job to encourage that.