The USA PowerLifting championships came to Peterborough for the first time in nearly two decades on Saturday. Muscular men and women of all ages and levels of competition threw down in the squats, deadlifts and bench press to see who had the goods and who might make it to the national level.
For some, like Chris Colbert of Somersworth, it was another stop on the circuit for an experienced pro. Colbert put up the biggest female squat numbers of the day, maxing out at 150 kilograms.
“I was pretty happy with it,” Colbert said, though she pointed out that she’d gotten up to 350 in the gym.
Colbert may have squatted more weight than any other woman in the gym, but she was more concerned with pushing herself than beating others.
“For me, I have personal goals of how much I want to lift,” Colbert said, “so I’m mostly trying to hit my own personal goals.”
For others, like Erin Williams of Rindge, it was a chance for a newcomer to get a first taste of competition action.
“This is new to me,” Williams said. “This whole experience is new to me, and it’s actually really fun.”
Williams said she’d been lifting on her own for a while before Lizz Smullen, the Peterborough weightlifter instrumental in bringing the championships to ConVal, approached her and recommended she enter the competition. With two months to train, she and some of her fellow gym buddies from Performance Health and Fitness worked hard to get ready for the day.
In her first competition, Williams fared well in front of the crowds.
“I just kind of focus right in front of me,” Williams said. “I try to block it out and just kind of pretend I’m in the gym and lift. I was really nervous coming into it, but now that I’m here, it’s amazing.”
World champion lifter Tom Weeks of Peterborough, who’s been unable to train in recent months, served as the judge, keeping a sharp eye on each competitor as he or she tried to complete the perfect lift.
There were many first-time competitors like Williams in the building Saturday, and it’s a safe bet some will return.
“I definitely think I’ll be lifting again in the future,” Williams said, “and that’s when I’ll be focused on competition. I think it’s an underrated sport and I think bringing this here to this area will really amplify it more.”