Topic: Please Introduce Yourself

[Janet Beckham]

Name: Janet Beckham
Age: 40 (on Jan 16)
Gender: female
Occupation: finance dept
Location: St Petersburg, FL
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: I liked watching it on tv when I was a kid.  I joined a ladies only "gym" when I was 16.  It only had machines but was close to where I lived.  In my early 20's I joined another gym.  This one had weights.  Working with the weights versus machines - sheer joy.  I had a baby and my life was devoted to him.  It's almost my turn again.  I miss the feeling of power and confidence.  My son met Chris LeRoux last year and our lives haven't been the same since.
Athletic achievements: cheerleader, won 2 dance contests (not really athletic but I'm proud of it)
Role in weightlifting: Mom, friend, fan
Favorite weightlifter: Jared Beckham (my son), Chris LeRoux (my friend)
Interests other than weightlifting: counseling, reading, beach, music, movies

[Tracy Fober]

Name: Tracy Fober
 
Age: 37 (on Jan 6)
 
Gender: female
 
Occupation: physical therapist / s&c consultant / Dartfish person

Location: St. Louis, MO

How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: Got a sports med PT job working with Derrick Crass and started lifting at the age of 28.   Love the technical aspects of the sport.  Strength, power, flexibility--it is beautiful.  Got my Club Coach certification.  Saving my $$ to take the Senior course.   Organize and help teach courses now and then.  I am very proud to have my own power rack, women's bar, set of bumpers, straps, adjustable pulling stands and chalk in my basement.  My husband, a swimmer, even knows how to squat now.    

 
Athletic achievements: Decent volleyball, basketball, track athlete in high school; volleyball in college.  Played team handball for the North squad in the '89 Olympic Festival in OKC.  VERY cool game.  Now I race bikes on the road and the track, and try to educate endurance athletes and physical therapists on the benefits of resistance training and squatting properly.  Check out one of my articles: http://www.ironmaven.net/october_issue.pdf

Role in weightlifting: Fan, educator, helper, scholar

Favorite weightlifter: Valentina Popova (saw her in person--and many others in Sydney!), Rigert, Osmonaliev (thanks, Arthur--your site is fabulous), Sara Meeks, PT (American Masters lifter).  Kudos to people like Arthur Chidlovski, Chris LeRoux, Mike Burgener and Joe Prusaki who use their talents and time to promote the best of this great sport on the web.

[Ragnar Ohman]

Evenin

I just found this site which contain a lot of vids' with weightlifting- can it be better? :)

Im training myself and are looking to participate in a Olympic championship in the future.
My favourite lifter is Ronny Weller, the german superman :D
I train five days in a week two pass a day.
Hope you enjoy having me here as much I enjoy to be here!
I have these weights as personal record:
Front squat:175kg
Back squat:200kg
Clean pull:200kg
Snatch pull:180kg
Snatch:125kg
Clean and Jerk:160kg

Best Regards

Ragnar Öhman

[michael cooley]

Name: Michael Cooley

Age: 34 (qualifying as a masters lifter this year!)

Gender: Male

Occupation: Attorney

Location: Dallas, Texas

Team: Independent (formerly Invictus)

How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: Converted from
powerlifting in 1997 while training at Hyde Park Gym in Austin, Texas, followed by 2 years training with Artie Dreschler in NYC.  
Never looked back.

Years involved in weightlifting: 9, with periodic sabbaticals for "life."

Athletic achievements: 4 for 6 at 2000 American Open with PR lifts
95/122.

Role in weightlifting: Competitor and occasional coach to my own kids.

Coaching/educational credentials: BA, JD, USAW Club Coach

Favorite weightlifter: Dimas

Interests other than weightlifting: Highland Games, my kids, fixing the pool.


mpc

[ado gruzza]

name: ado gruzza.
male from italy

age 26

competitive powerlifter who has built an olimpic weightlifting team

less than 1 year ago.

i was involved in weightlifting because doing powerlifting i discoverd that weightlifting was simply better, so i became to study and love it.

farorite lifter?
asanidze, chemerkin, chiguishev, and vardanyan

[Manuel Stern]

Name: Manuel Stern
Age: 39

Gender: Male

Occupation: Software Developer

Location: originally from Berlin, Germany, but moved to Stockholm, Sweden 3 months ago.

Team: Stockholm Atletikklubbet

How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: I did powerlifting before but met O Lifters about 2 years ago and found that OLifting is much cooler

Years involved in weightlifting: about 1,5 years

Athletic achievements: None. Did 76/106 @ 82 two weeks ago

Role in weightlifting: Participants and active admirer and envierer of good lifters

Coaching/educational credentials: none

Favorite weightlifter: none specifically, I have a lot of respect for all good lifters.

Interests other than weightlifting: Music

[Mark Limbaga]

Name:Mark Joseph Garcia Limbaga
Age:26
Gender:male
Occupation:research analyst.
Location:Manila, Philippines
Team:none
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: I got interested in the power output of weightlifting and explosiveness of weightlifters
Years involved in weightlifting: 1
Athletic achievements: HS basketball varsity, summer league champions, taekwondo tournament winner, taekwondo college team B
Role in weightlifting: spectator, student
Coaching/educational credentials: nautilus certified, part time personal trainer
Favorite weightlifter: Pyrros Dimas, Galabin Boevski
Interests other than weightlifting: Powelifting, weight training, volkswagen cars, dogs, martial arts
Other information you would like to share: Just ask. Can't think of any now

[David O Keane]

Welcome to The Weightlifting Exchange

As part of our effort to build community in the sport of weightlifting, we would like to give all of our members an opportunity to introduce themselves here. Our membership includes athletes, coaches, researchers, and people from all walks of life who have a special appreciation for this fantastic sport.

Here is a suggested format for your introduction. Please feel free to use it (copy and paste), or not. Please post your introduction as a response to this announcement:

Name:  David  O  Keane
Age:  53
Gender: Male
Occupation:  Supervisor  with  an  Oil  Company
Location:  Dublin  Ireland
Team:  Not  relevent
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?:  Honestly  I`m  not  I  just  wanted  to  get  fit  for  2006,  and  loose  the spare  tyre  my  sedentary  life  has  burdened  me  with. Local  gym  weightlifting  enthuasiasts  have  educated  me  that  weightlifters  have  the  best  information / knowledge  about  conditioning  the  body.  Hence my membership  here  is  really  a  search  for  knowledge  rather  than  the  true  weightlifters  usual  goal.  Yes  my  aim  is  to  turn  my  body  around  but  at  53.  I  am  surprised  by  how  steadily  my  muscles  are  developing.  I  dont  anticipate  winning  medals  for  weightlifting... but hey who knows.
Years involved in weightlifting:  Novice  just  starting  out.
Athletic achievements:  Numerous  Football  honours, numerous running  honours.
Role in weightlifting:  none  except  to  myself.
Coaching/educational credentials:  Athletics  Levell  two  National  BLE  Coach  Ireland.
Favorite weightlifter:  None  being  honest
Interests other than weightlifting:  All  Sports  but  espically  athletics.
Other information you would like to share:

  At  the  moment  I  see myself  primarily  as  an  athletics  guy  with  an  interest  in  weightlifting.