Topic: Please Introduce Yourself

[Keith Levet]

Name:  Keith Levet
Age:  42
Gender:  Strapping young lad
Occupation: Agricultural something or other
Location: Nigeria

How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?:  We visited a weight room once during a high school gym lesson and that was it. From that moment on I was hooked on weightlifting to the absolute exclusion of all other sports.
Years involved in weightlifting: 1979- 1987 as competitor. Have been a fan ever since.
Athletic achievements: One medal at national junior level.
Role in weightlifting: Bystander.
Favorite weightlifters: Blagoyev, Vardanian, Zakharevich, Suleymanoglu ... and many others.
Interests other than weightlifting: Huh? Other than weightlifting??? Travel ... to weightlifting comps.
Other information you would like to share:
I try and run the website www.Ripsteel.org.uk but have been a bit slack recently because I am stuck in the "white mans grave" or West Africa. I hope to make it to Thailand this year however, so there is a chance that the site can be revitalised.

[mike rinaldi]

Name:  mike rinaldi  
Age: 60
Gender: mostly male (i score 51/49 on androgyny tests)
Occupation: retired nurse
Location: new jersey
Team: east coast gold
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: lucked out by having the right guy join the teaching staff in bogota high school
Years involved in weightlifting:  formally, 19
Athletic achievements: quetionable to pathetic
Role in weightlifting: wiseguy
Coaching/educational credentials: club coach
Favorite weightlifter: me
Interests other than weightlifting: the universe
Other information you would like to share:  could put me in jail

[JEFF PAUL]

Name:  Jeff Paul
Age: 25
Gender: male
Occupation: Strength and Conditioning Coach
Location: South Surrey, B.C. Canada
Team: Barbarian Weightlifting Club
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: Started doing a few lifts when I was training for rugby, stopped rugby, kept weightlifting.
Years involved in weightlifting:  2-3
Athletic achievements: Rugby club provincial champion, 4th in first weightlifting meet.
Role in weightlifting: coach, athlete
Coaching/educational credentials: club coach, NFPT personal trainer.
Favorite weightlifter: Milen Dobrev
Interests other than weightlifting: Politics, my motorola Q.
Other information you would like to share:  Hello to everyone on weightlifting exchange.

[Jackie Licata]

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:JACKIE LICATA
Age:26
Gender:FEMALE
Occupation:GYMNASTICS COACH
Location:MIAMI, FL
Team:EAST COAST GOLD
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?:I RETIRED FROM GYMNASTICS, BECAME PART OF A POWERLIFTING TEAM, AND MY COACH AND TEAM-MATE INTRODUCED ME TO THE SPORT.
Years involved in weightlifting:4TH
Athletic achievements:NATIONAL LEVEL COMPETITIVE GYMNAST, JUNIOR NATIONAL/JR.WORLD CHAMPION POWERLIFTER, 5TH AT SENIOR NATIONALS 2007 WEIGHTLIFTING.
Role in weightlifting:ATHLETE
Coaching/educational credentials:
Favorite weightlifter:NATALIE WOOLFOLK
Interests other than weightlifting:COACHING GYMNASTICS, BEING WITH MY FRIENDS
Other information you would like to share:I LOVE THIS SPORT, AND HOPE I CAN CONTINUE TO DO IT FOR A VERY LONG TIME, I LOVE MY COACHES AND MY TEAM ECG.

[Paul LaDuke]

I posted on here over 2 years ago and much has changed since then.


Name: Paul LaDuke

Age: 40

Gender: Male

Occupation: Athletic Trainer/Strength Coach

Location: Hummelstown, PA

Team:EAST COAST GOLD (joined this year)

How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?  I started lifting weights in 1981 and have lifted pretty much sense then for football through the 80s and for health through the 90s.  I began an interest in the sport of weightlifting during the 2004 Olympics, I haven't stopped weightlifting since.

Years involved in weightlifting: 4

Athletic achievements: I have lifted in 4 competitions winning 3 events.  In 2 of those competitions I had no one else in my weight class.  I bombed once (with no one else in the weight class...can you say bonehead ?)

Role in weightlifting: Athlete, coach

Coaching/educational credentials:  Master's in Sports Medicine, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Certified Athletic Trainer

Favorite weightlifter: Paul Anderson  (He did a show at my church when I was in grade school!)

Interests other than weightlifting: Sports Medicine, Training multi-sport athletes, injury prevention, biomechanics, NASCAR,

Other information you would like to share: If you are ever in Hershey PA, look me up.

[Adrian Cadmus-Dixon]

Name: Adrian Cadmus-Dixon
Age: 15
Gender: Male
Occupation: Student
Location: Courtenay, BC Canada
Team: Killerwhale Weightlifting
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: Weightroom at school during lunch time. See everybody do the lifts.
Years involved in weightlifting: 2 1/2
Athletic achievements:
- BC Winter Games Competior - 45-50-95 (2006)
- BC Junior Champion - 47-52-99
- Sea Festival Champion - 50-61-111 (2006), 63-77-140 (2007)
- Jr. Doug Hepburn Champion - 36-43-79 (2005), 50-63-113 (2006)
- Western Canadian Competitior - 56-66-122 (2007)
- BC High School Champion - 62-69-131 (2007)
- A&R Memorial Competitior - 42-47-89 (2006), 53-64-117 (2007)
Role in weightlifting: Athlete
Coaching/educational credentials: None
Favorite weightlifter: Halil Mutlu, Maryse Turcotte, Ilya Ilin, Francis Luna-Grenier
Interests other than weightlifting: watching football, work on computers
Other information you would like to share: None

[Brogan Cyrzon]

Name: Brogan Cyrzon
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Occupation: Student
Location: Newcastle, Australia
Team: N/A
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: Stumbled across it through trying to find different ways to train and am now hooked on it
Years involved in weightlifting: roughly 5 months
Athletic achievements: 12th in Australia in Surf boat rowing
Role in weightlifting: Student?
Coaching/educational credentials: N/A
Favorite weightlifter: Dmitry Klokov, Yuri Zakharevich, Milen Dobrev, Mikhail Koklyaev, Leonid Taranenko
Interests other than weightlifting: Rowing, Surf lifesaving

[James R. Climer]

Name: James Climer
Age:   47
Gender:  Male
Occupation: Nuclear Chem & Rad Technician
Location: Paso Robles, CA
Team:  It would be nice to find one
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?:
   Via Crossfit.com

Years involved in weightlifting:  0.5
Athletic achievements:  High School Level
  LETTERED IN 3 SPORTS 4 YEARS
Role in weightlifting:
   TINKERING WITH Masters Level Competition , I will be introducing my
2 young boys (now 5 and 2 y.o.) to lifting, so caoching is my eventual interest.
Coaching/educational credentials: None
Favorite weightlifter:
   Norbert Shemansky, Tommy Kono, Casey Burgener, Aimee Anaya
Interests other than weightlifting: Fitness, Senior Hardball Baseball
Other information you would like to share: It would be nice to find a coach and/ or lifting partner
     near my home.