TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Strength In Her Numbers

ADVERTISEMENT

By LARRY BUGG Tribune correspondent

Published: January 2, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Carmen Figueroa recently found negitives can be turned into positives.

The Gulf High senior weightlifter found herself proving her strength and ability at a recent three-way weightlifting meet at River Ridge.

She tied her personal best when she lifted 140 pounds in the clean and jerk. She won the 129-pound class with a 150-pound bench press and a 290-pound total.
Figueroa has spent much of her life proving her strength and ability to others.

She grew up in a competitive family with five brothers. The siblings spent much of their lives trying to convince their sister she couldn't succeed.

She has proven herself in the classroom with a 3.6 weighted grade-point average.

She already has proven herself in the weight room. She missed a state title by 15 pounds last year and took fifth in her weight class.

This year, she has a very supportive coach in Steve Franks, who happens to be a masters powerlifter.

Franks thinks Figueroa can and will take home some gold hardware from the FHSAA girls weightlifting state meet, which, coincidentally, will be held at River Ridge in February.

She took first in every meet until the state meet last year.
Figueroa knows that negative influences actually bless her.

"Its been motivation from having not many people believe in you," she said. "I've had a lot of people in my life who told me you are never going to do this. I get up there and I do it."

She said that her freshman year, she benched 125 pounds and people started thinking the girl could lift.
Figueroa said that the first-, second- and third-place winners at the last state meet have graduated, so the first prize is there for her to grab.

This could be the year Figueroa can laugh at everybody who told her she couldn't.

She attributes her strength in part to training in karate for seven years.

She also plays volleyball and competes in the shot put and the pole vault in track.

It's in girls weightlifting that she really excels at making jerks feel foolish.

"I feel confident at every meet," she said.
Figueroa also practically works as an assistant coach on the weightlifting, helping the younger girls on the Gulf team.

She said that when she does the clean and jerk, she uses her own brute strength. She said she doesn't have good form.

"I was born to bench," she said.

Franks is a believer in Figueroa.

"I have never seen any athlete with the drive she has," Franks said. "She's got an inner strength that no other lifter I have ever had has. She's very confident with what she can do but she's not cocky.

"She's got a mind-set and when she sets her mind, she succeeds. She made some mistakes last year and she has already corrected those mistakes.

"I fully expect to see her standing up there on the podium at the end of the state meet with first prize."

Franks said Figueroa doesn't appreciate her clean and jerk talent.

"She says she doesn't have the technique in the clean and jerk but it's there," the coach said. "She's better than most boys."
Figueroa even manages to work as a cook at a local pizza place but she doesn't diet. Franks said she has a very fast metabolism.

So, if Figueroa can bring that drive, motivation and brute strength to the state meet, she may very well have very nice gold souvenir.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT