The goal for Port Orange Spruce Creek weightlifter Kaysie Junco as a sophomore last year was to win the state championship in the 101-pound weight class. It was a goal she accomplished with a 20-pound cushion.
This year her goal is to break the state record in the weight class of 280 pounds. If last week's Five Star Conference meet at Port Orange were an indication, Junco may be well on her way to setting conference records for the clean-and-jerk at 150 pounds and for total weight lifted at 280.
The key to a state record could be her bench press, which has been stuck at 130 pounds all season.
"I was expecting more on my bench," Junco said. "My clean-and-jerk is pretty close to where I wanted to be, but my bench is frustrating because I know I can do more. When I did 130, it felt fairly easy, but there have been some little things that get in my way of getting five more pounds."
Girl Power - Teenage Weightlifter Kaysie Junco
16-year old Kaysie Junco
Kaysie Junco knows how to pull her own weight, and then some! She is a leader in the only state to sanction female high school weightlifting - so far.
January 15, 2009
Meaty hands hoisting the barbell, bulky muscles straining, sweat dripping from a grimacing face...when you think weightlifter you picture a big beefy guy, right? Not if you live in Florida, the only state to sanction high school girls' weightlifting.
How do these young women weightlifters stay strong against stereotypes of femininity, which can be especially overwhelming during the teen years? They support each other! And what happened in Florida is that high school boys—and the rest of the community—realized that these girls are athletes with drive and determination equal to any boy's.
A standout among these ambitious athletes is Kaysie Junco, 16, of Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange. Not only does she buck the trend by weightlifting, but as a 98-pound lightweight, she does it without the heft you normally see in the sport.
"She might be small, but she's loud," says coach Tom Bennett. "Even though she is just a sophomore she's really shown she has leadership. She's very supportive of her teammates and really dedicated to the sport."
Kaysie shrugs off the praise. "I'm all about doing different stuff," she says. "It's unusual. It's not every day you get to say to somebody 'Oh yeah, I'm a weightlifter.'"
She doesn't worry about not looking girly or cheering too loud. Though her parents introduced her to gymnastics and ballet, she turned to karate at age eight and did it for seven years until she earned her black belt.
When she decided to try weightlifting, her parents supported her 100 percent. "My dad gets a real kick out it," says Kaysie. The guys do, too. She's noticed, "They think it's different that a girl can be strong."
Kaysie discovered strength requires more than weights. "After you learn that most of it is mental, it's about getting in the zone and getting that lift up," she says. "If you don't have good technique you can't lift to your greatest potential."
And what about Kaysie's potential? Not surprisingly she's aiming to be state champion. "I like that feeling, to work that hard for a goal and then to get it."
Source: GuidePosts Mag
Kaysie Junco Named Girl's Athlete of the Week
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