In a recent Special Olympics powerlifting tournament for the Virginia state championship...
… every Gabriel Homes resident who participated went home with medals. Residents competed in their respective weight classes in bench presses, deadlifts, and combinations; the latter is a mix of the former two.
Trainers like Tim Figueroa and Seth Abrams helped residents prepare for the tournament by meeting every Tuesday evening at IMP Fitness. At the gym, residents built their strength and learned proper lifting techniques.
Photos from the competition:
Competing in their respective weight classes...
... the residents performed as follows:
- John: 1st place bench press and deadlift, 2nd place combination
- Patrick: 2nd place bench press and deadlift, 3rd place combination
- Sean: 1st place bench press and deadlift, 2nd place combination
- Joe: 1st place bench press, deadlift, and combination
- Chris: 2nd place bench press, deadlift, and combination
- Sam: 1st place bench press and deadlift, 2nd place combination
Leading up to the championship...
... residents trained to prepare for commands from Special Olympics officials. The commands in order are “lift,” “down,” “up,” and “rack.” Anybody who ignores the commands is disqualified, so the trainers worked to ensure the residents would hit their marks when they were called up to lift.
“John and I compete in the same weight class from time to time,” Chris said. “We like to push each other to our limits when we face each other, but he’s still one of my best friends at the end of the day.”
“I’m glad to see everything’s back on track. Nothing beats the feeling of seeing the residents' faces shine when they win. They smile from ear to ear.”