Girls Weightlifting Beefs up at Mandarin High School

Beth Denson of Mandarin High School, with Ashley Potignano as her spotter, took part in the bench press at the Keystone Heights High School Tournament.

Laura Koeppel is head coach of the girls weightlifting team and has built a team of 22 lifters, up from eight in its inaugural season last year.

February 1, 2009

Whether it was her sport truly gaining acceptance, or just the fact that it was seen on the Olympics last summer, Laura Koeppel was glad to see the turnout this year at Mandarin High School.

Koeppel is head coach of the girls weightlifting team and has built a team of 22 lifters, up from eight in its inaugural season last year. Fighting against myriad other activities and prejudices about girls' weightlifting made recruiting that first year a challenge, to say the least.

"A lot of people have stereotypes. They think you have to be able to lift 200 pounds," said senior Nicole Valles, who has been a member of the team since it was just part of training for spring flag football. "People think you have to be beastly. But you don't have to do anything past your limit."

The Mustangs compete in the district meet today at Ridgeview.  Of the 10 weight classes, the top three girls in each class move onto the state tournament. Each meet consists of two events: the bench press and the clean and jerk.

Duval County schools added girls weightlifting last year to help balance gender equity numbers among their sports. Clay County and other surrounding areas have had teams for years and feature more- developed programs.

Mandarin had success this season in their seven dual meets, going 6-1, with their only loss to Terry Parker. Seniors Valles and Ayanna Armstrong, who were among the eight pioneers last year, led the way, along with junior Beth Denson.

Koeppel, who was new to the sport when she took over as coach, continues to learn more about the different dynamics this girls sport brings. For example, in dealing with high school girls, she is careful in how she words suggestions about watching their weight. But overall, she has found weightlifting to have a positive impact.

"One reason I like this sport, not only are they a part of a team, but they're doing things individually," Koeppel said. "The girls are building confidence in themselves."

Photo:  Mandarin's Cierra Trent performs the clean and jerk at the Keystone Heights High School Tournament. The Mandarin girls weightlifting team is coached by Laura Koeppel.

Source:  Florida Times-Union