SOUTHWEST RANCHES, FLA. (WSVN) – Less than five years ago, the state’s education leaders recognized girls Olympic weightlifting as an offical sport, and now a South Florida school is ready to lift a state crown.
Three students from Archbishop McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches may be the strongest female high school athletes in the region.
Seychelles D’Andrea and her two teammates are set to compete at the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Girls Weightlifting State Championships in Lakeland, Wednesday to Friday.
“I don’t think people should be scared of me. We’re all here to do the same thing: We’re here to lift some weights and a lot of weight,” said D’Andrea.
D’Andrea lifted 220 pounds in the clean and jerk to win her weight class at Regionals.
“I thought weightlifting was just going to the gym, but then I figured that there’s something so much more and interesting, and that’s why I kept coming back,” said D’Andrea.
The Mavericks team is coached by former Olympic and power lifter Heidi Bowser, and her girls just won the Class 2A District and Regional finals.
“Weightlifting is, you know, it’s not all about strength, it’s got finesse to it, too. It’s everything, and there’s speed, there’s strength, there’s the finesse of it, I think,” said Bowser, “because I watch them, and they can’t just rip everything off the ground. There is a timing, there’s so many aspects to the lift.”
The competition is comprised of two lifts: clean and jerk and the snatch. Then their best lift in each session will count as their overall total.
Ari McFarlane made the switch from soccer to Olympic lifting a year ago.
“It was more mental for me. That’s my problem, because I overthink a lot, and it really affects my lifts, especially my snatch, but when I do push past that, it’s like amazing,” said McFarlane.
The individual result is based on what they do on the platform, but this team has rallied around each other as they look to win the school’s first ever state team title.
“They’re always, like, supportive, like they just- whatever is on that bar, they know, and that I can do it, and they encourage me to do it as well to my best ability,” said Desirae Phoenix.
If these three Olympic weightlifters from Archbishop McCarthy win their individual weight classes, there’s a chance they can rack up enough points to win the overall team title in Class 2A.
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