Topic: Please Introduce Yourself

[Steve Black]

Name: Steve Black
Age: 46
Gender: M
Occupation: college librarian
Location: Albany, NY
Team: none
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: Beginner. Read about the fitness benefits, then discovered the technical difficulty involved in learning the lifts. Now intrigued by the combination of skills & abilities needed. Also like that you can get very effective workouts in relatively short sessions.
Years involved in weightlifting: Beginner. Have weight trained recreationally for about 15 years.
Athletic achievements: Recently ran a marathon in 4:30. That's about it. I've never been an athlete. All time max bench 245lbs; back squat 325, in my early 30's.
Interests other than weightlifting: running, Little League, woodworking, gardening, home maintenance/improvement
Other information you would like to share: Although I have little natural strength and have no plans to compete, I'm serious about learning proper technique.

[Dave Winchester]

Name: Dave Winchester
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Occupation: Student/Construction
Location: Tyngsboro, MA
Team: Nashua Weightlifting
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: I developed a casual interest, and then a teacher at my high school spoke to me about it when we were discussing training. After he told me about it I decided to try and find a coach and so far I love it.
Years involved in weightlifting: <1 (just started ~4 weeks ago)
Role in weightlifting: Greenhorn
Favorite weightlifter: Pyrros Dimas
Interests other than weightlifting: Guitar, writing, camping, fishing, skiing, and whatever else that comes along and passes the time
Other information you would like to share: I've trained with weights for a couple years (which gave me habits which are hard to break), but after a long hiatus I moved to Olympic Lifting and I'm not lookin' back

[Ronald Mann]

Hi everyone
Name: Ron Mann
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Occupation: Retired - Office Manager (voluntary) for local SeniorNet branch
Location: Palmerston North - New Zealand

I began training with weights back in 1956,commenced Olympic lifting a year later as a competitor for about twelve years and since then have been involved as a referee,coach,and statistician in both weightlifting and powerlifting at various times of my life.I lived in a small rural area when I purchased my first set of weights in 1956,and trained at home with an ordinary exercise bar until I moved to the city about nine years later. My best lifts accomplished in 1968 at a bwt of 165lbs were a meagre 155lbs press,155 snatch and 210 clean&jerk (split style)-no doubt very insignificant compared to most other members of this forum.

I have experimented with many different training methods and routines through the years,and still train in my garage gym at home on a regular basis.What 'knowledge' I've acquired through the years has come mainly from watching lifters in action,talking with and listening to other coaches,lifters,etc; and reading everything that I could possibly obtain about the sport.During the past few years I've also found a 'wealth' of information on the Internet,and have been a member of the "Old School Strength Training" board since July 2002,and have also posted on a regular basis on Marty Gallagher's "PPF" website since September of last year.In addition,I correspond personally with several members of these two sites.I qualified as a National level referee in both weightlifting and powerlifting way back in 1968 and also as a Category Two IWF referee in 1975 - I would enjoy exchanging views on Olympic weightlifting with members of this forum.

My regards and best wishes to all
Ron Mann

[Joshua Davis]

Name: Joshua Davis
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Occupation: Student
Location: Tampa Bay, FL
Team: Team Florida (Strongman), Dunedin Heavy Athletics (Highland Games)
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: Accessory for strongman and throwing.
Years involved in weightlifting: 2-3 years of training with weights, only about 3-6 months of training classical lifts.
Role in weightlifting: none, really
Favorite weightlifter: Shane Hamman, Michael Kokleyev, Raimonds Bergmanis (now both strongmen in IFSA)
Interests other than weightlifting: Strongman, Highland Games, Music (all types), whatever else

[patrick ward]

Name: Joshua Davis
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Occupation: Student
Location: Tampa Bay, FL
Team: Team Florida (Strongman), Dunedin Heavy Athletics (Highland Games)
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: Accessory for strongman and throwing.
Years involved in weightlifting: 2-3 years of training with weights, only about 3-6 months of training classical lifts.
Role in weightlifting: none, really
Favorite weightlifter: Shane Hamman, Michael Kokleyev, Raimonds Bergmanis (now both strongmen in IFSA)
Interests other than weightlifting: Strongman, Highland Games, Music (all types), whatever else

don't you post on Jesse Marunde's board?

[Joshua Davis]

often

[chris lee]

Name: chris lee
Age: 19
Gender: male
Occupation: in between jobs
Location: sequim/bellingham, wa
Team: marunde muscle
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: started training for sports, then moved into powerlifting, then got into strongman
Years involved in weightlifting: 5
Athletic achievements: competed in 2004 WABDL World's, 2005 NAS Inc LtWt Teen National Champion
Role in weightlifting: not sure what this means, but i do strongman mainly, with almost all of my current gym training developed from old soviet and bulgarian olympic training methods, and the work i've done with jesse marunde
Coaching/educational credentials: none at the moment
Favorite weightlifter: pyrros dimas, hossein rezazadeh
Interests other than weightlifting: strongman
Other information you would like to share: i'm in college right now working towards a degree in exercise science so that i can be a strength coach for a D1 college or pro football team

[Jesse Reynolds]

Name: Jesse Reynolds
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Occupation: High School Weightlifting Coach
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Team: Team Florida
How did you get started/involved in weightlifting?: I was a Florida High School lifter for 3 years and Lane Lowery was my coach.  For anyone who knows Coach Lowery it is very dificult to not fall in love with the sport after meeting him.
Years involved in weightlifting: 7
Athletic achievements: 100 / 125 @ 94
Role in weightlifting: I started as a rather unsuccessful lifter, but soon had the good fortune to get hired as a head weightlifting coach at Episcopal High School.  I have been helped my many coaches to become a better coach along the way, but mainly I try every day to have the same impact in the lives of my kids that Coach Lowery had in mine.
Coaching/educational credentials: USAW Regional Coach
Favorite weightlifter: Tim McRae, he is a former Creek Lifter and I consider his records in the 64 KG class to be some of the most impressive American lifts.
Interests other than weightlifting: Weightlifting
Other information you would like to share: I think Weightlifting is truly the greatest sport in the world and I just want to do my part to help the sport grow here in the USA.