Strength competition by Health Science Club
Rob Steiner
MesaCC Legend
Health science club students at Mesa Community College (MCC) cash in on the sweat equity they have built all semester with a weightlifting competition. The health and wellness program use exercise and weightlifting as a main part of their curriculum. Students have been working all semester lifting weights and gaining strength to compete with no way to test themselves against others until now. As the day draws near, students look forward to challenging each other and striving to lift the highest weight. Members of the Health and Wellness club are organizing the competition. The event is open to all and will have three levels, beginner, intermediate, and advanced. “Anybody that knows about it can come down and get involved with it,” said Craig Nolan, a faculty member in exercise science.
The competition consists of three events, bench press, back squat, and deadlift. Each event costs $10 individually or $25 for all three. Spectators are welcome to attend for a $2 fee. The competition takes place on April 14. “It is all going to take place in the health improvement center on campus,” said Nolan. “Volunteers, which are mostly exercised science students, and students in the exercise science club will be helping out with collecting money and setting up the weights,” continued Nolan. Fundraising is a necessary activity to help the health science club. “Usually the funds go to like attending conferences…. Maybe purchase equipment for the club, but I think the main thing they use it for is continuing education,” said Nolan.
Nolan does not specifically train his students for the competition. But, they have known about it since the beginning of the semester and he hopes they have been preparing. “The person that wins the powerlifting competition is the one who lifts the most weight…. whoever is the strongest in each category is the one that would be the winner,” said Nolan. Jackson Park, a student participating in the competition said, “it’s a fundraiser for the school and obviously for a good cause so I’m going to go and have some fun.” Park has been lifting weights for about 10 years and hopes this competition will help increase the amount of weight he can lift. “I do have my own goals I would like to reach… I never competed seriously now I just do it as a hobby kind of thing,” said Park. This is the first weightlifting competition held by the Health Science Club and they hope it will become an annual event. They are already planning on how to improve the marketing for next year to continue to build on this experience.
