Sports

Highland Powerlifting Club to host competition Sept. 13

August 21, 2014   ·   0 Comments

The Highland Powerlifting Club will host the Orangeville Open Powerlifting Championships Sept, 13 at the Athlete Institute, a world-class training facility at the intersection of Highway 9 and Heart Lake Road.
This is the first year for this event, which is sanctioned by the Ontario Powerlifting Association (OPA). There will be 36 men and women, ranging from teenagers to older than 60 years of age, who will compete for best lifter honours across 11 weight categories.
This event would not be possible without the support Highland Powerlifting has received from its sponsors, including the Athlete Institute, Popeye’s Supplements Orangeville, Orangeville Equipment Rentals, Hyde-Whipp Heating and Air Conditioning, Isagenix — Carol Foullong, Whispering Pines Landscaping and Titan Training.
Lifting will commence at 10 a.m. and the public is encouraged to watch and cheer on the competitors.
Powerlifting is a sport that tests total body strength. Athletes compete in three separate lifting events to achieve a combined three-lift total.
The squat requires the lifter to first stand with a weighted barbell across his or her shoulders, then squat down until the hips are below the tops of the knees before standing back up.
In the bench press, the lifter lays on a bench and lowers a weighted barbell to the chest and holds it until the referee gives the command to press it back up to arm’s length.
For the deadlift competitors simply bend over and grip a weighted barbell, which is resting on the floor, and lift it until they stand completely upright with their shoulders back.
All lifts must comply with a strict set of rules and at least two out of three judges must agree that the lift has been properly executed for it to be successful. Competitors are given three attempts to register their highest successful lift in each event, which are added together to record a three-lift total. Final results are determined by ranking the three-lift totals from highest to lowest in each weight division.
For more information about the Highland Powerlifting Club, contact James Newton at jnewton19@hotmail.com or visit the club’s Facebook profile page to view competition and training photos and videos.
For more information about OPA, visit www.ontariopowerlifting.org.