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GIRLS WEIGHTLIFTING: Ridgewood Has Numbers, Wins Meet

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LARRY BUGG

Tribune correspondent

Published: December 10, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Ridgewood girls weightlifting coach Kent Reed has some real assets on his Rams team.

Reed, in his first year as weightlifting coach, has 30 enthusiastic girls on his team and some of them just happen to be very good lifters as well.

The numbers really helped as Ridgewood won its first tri-meet of the season. Ridgewood had 45 points, followed by Hudson (21) and host Gulf (20) Wednesday night.

Senior Ridgewood lifter Lauren Heymann wasn't thrilled with her first outing of the season, considering last year, she qualified for the state meet last year. Wednesday, she finished second in the 154-pound class with a 130-pound bench press and a 140-pound clean and jerk. Gulf's Jordyn Roberts beat her with a 290-pound total.

"I'm doing okay, not that great,'' said Heymann. "I didn't get 140 in my last lift at bench press. I'm pretty sure I lifted 135 pounds at state. I have to get (ready for state) quickly. I am at 154 now, but for conference and state qualifier, I will be at 139 pounds."

Ridgewood's girls took four titles at the small meet.

"These girls have been working hard," Reed said. "We worked out some of the kinks. Ashley Rodriguez impressed me. It's her second week lifting."

Ridgewood's Jillian Browne, who was the top runner on Ridgewood's girls cross country team, won the 101-pound class with a 90-pound bench and a 70-pound clean and jerk.

Brittany Ramey (129), Irina Kantaras (183) and Katelyn Haas (199) also took titles at the meet.

The girl they call "Little Beast," Kayla St. Pierre, was all stress and strain when she tried to lift 130 pounds in the clean and jerk. She couldn't get the bar over her head.

After the lift, the Hudson lifter was smiling because she had a personal best of 120 pounds in the bench press and 125 in the clean and jerk. She was second in the 110-pound class. Gulf's Ashley Mizrahi won the meet with 225 pounds.

"The Big Beast is Brittany Foster,'' St. Pierre said. "I am the Little Beast. I have never lifted this much before. I was one place off from qualifying for state."

Hudson High coach Tim Hudson had mixed feelings about the first meet.

"Individually, we had some who did very well,'' Hudson said. "Kayla had her best lifts. All of my girls are pretty happy. As individuals, we have some who are doing well."

Gulf coach Bruno Buonsanto had to run his first meet and was visibly relieved when the event was over.

"I'm very, very proud, very excited [for the Gulf girls],'' Buonsanto said. "I see a lot of potential. I had a couple of girls who scratched, but they knew their problems. The older girls did exactly what they set out to do, first place. I am very excited. We performed very well."

Gulf's Jennifer Auxier won the 169-pound class with a 275 pound effort. Danielle Bartles won the unlimited with a 190-pound total.

Team Scores

Ridgewood 45, Hudson 21, Gulf 20

Individual winners

101-Jillian Browne, (R) 90-70-160; 110-Ashley Mizrahi (G) 125-125-250; 119- Randy Groff (H) 100-125-225; 129-Brittany Ramey (R) 90-110-200; 139-Antonia Henderson (H) 90-105-200; 154- Jordyn Roberts (G) 145-145-290; 169-Jennifer Auxier (G) 150-125-275; 183-Irina Kantaras (R)105-100-205: 199-Katelyn Haas (R) 90-85-175; Unlimited-Danielle Bartles (G) 95-95-190.

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