Sisters men power to lifting titles

Ryan Hudson of Sisters shattered more records in last weekend's University of Oregon Weightlifting Classic - known to lifters simply as the state meet.

Competing in the 77-kilogram (169-pound) weight class, Hudson snatched 113 kg. (249.1 lbs.) to break the 112 kg. record, then went on to snatch 116 kg. (255.7 lbs.) to shatter his own brand-new record. A snatch means lifting the weight straight overhead.

"That was the first time I've attempted 116, so that was an all-time personal record for me," Hudson said.

Hudson, who operates Level 5 Training in Sisters, also cleaned and jerked 144 kg. (317.5 lbs.) for a combined total of 260 kg. (573.2 lbs.), breaking his own state record and a national record, and winning the overall state championship. The clean and jerk requires hoisting the weight to shoulder level, then pressing overhead.

Hudson has been coaching Adam Hamilton, a 30-year-old former champion college hammer-thrower, who has moved into Olympic lifting. Hamilton, too, had an outstanding showing, competing in the heavyweight 105-plus kg. (231 pounds) class, he snatched 111 kg. (244.7 lbs. ), and cleaned and jerked 145 kg. (319.7 lbs.) for a 256 (564.4 lbs.) total - good enough to win his class and finish fourth overall. And he and Hudson combined to take the overall men's team title - with a team of two.

Hamilton has been training with Hudson since September.

"A gifted athlete, for sure," Hudson said. "Lots more to come from him."

Hudson plans to compete in the Masters Pan Am Championships later this month, where he's gunning for a couple of new records.

Hudson is hard at work to develop a competitive weightlifting program in Sisters.

"We are now recruiting and building our men's team to defend its title(s) next year, and a women's team to debut next year," he said. "We are also building a youth and junior team to debut at the inaugural kids state weightlifting meet in the summer of 2015. We are also building a masters team for the first state masters meet which is also in the works. We plan to take these teams to their corresponding national meets in 2015.

"Adam and I will be running an Olympic weightlifting clinic at Sisters High on Wednesday, June 18, from 1 to 4 p.m., open and free to all incoming high school students. This will kick off the summer Sisters Weightlifting Team training, which will be 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, starting on Thursday, June 19. There will be a high school weightlifting meet held Saturday, August 16, at Sisters High School for all the students who participate in the summer program."

For more information visit www.facebook.com/levelfivetraining.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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