A team of five athletes from the New College Powerlifting Team arrived in Orlando for the 18th Annual USA Powerlifting Florida Collegiate State Championships just before Thanksgiving, and they came home with three fourth-place medals.
Eight days after a mock meet on the New College campus, the competitors (third-year students Kathy Abbott and Marina Sidlow; and thesis students Taylor Young, Daniel Schell and Jacob Brody-Ogborn) headed to central Florida for the event on November 21. It was the team’s first competition in two years, and Young, Sidlow and Brody-Ogborn all placed fourth in their respective weight classes.
“I hit a 10-pound PR [personal record] by deadlifting 270 pounds,” Sidlow said. “And just being able to spend that day with the team and cheering each other on was an invaluable experience.”
Leading up to the competition, the mock meet at New College served as a pep rally on the campus tennis courts with 18 lifters (including 17 students and New College President Patricia Okker). It was an exciting reunion for the teammates after years apart.
The three-year-old team was founded in November 2018 and, in April 2019, three New College athletes attended their first competition (the 37th Annual USA Powerlifting Florida State Championships). That November, three athletes competed in the 16th Annual USA Powerlifting Florida Collegiate State Championships (Young placed third and Schell placed fourth).
In February 2020, five athletes competed in the 3rd Annual USA Powerlifting Southwest Florida Open Championships (New College earned first place for overall team performance). About a month later, the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to the competitions. Now the team is ready to keep up the momentum, and the November 21 event was just the start.
“There were a lot of schools and people there, and I think everyone did fantastic,” Young said. “One highlight from the event was, when I did my final deadlift, I jumped in weight higher than I expected. My current PR at the time was 360 pounds but I went up to 410 to try and catch up with the competition. Although I didn’t get it up, I was really happy that I lifted it, and it’s something I want to work toward next semester.”
Sidlow encourages newcomers to consider participating in the New College Powerlifting Team for the personal fulfillment and camaraderie it offers.
“Powerlifting is a sport in which even small gains in strength are quickly evident. The feeling of hitting a new PR while your teammates cheer you on is euphoric,” Sidlow said. “I’ve met some really amazing people through this team and gotten the experience of competing in a sport for the first time in my life. I really could not have done it without their support.”
The team’s next mock meet will be held at the beginning of the spring semester, and new members will be accepted at that time.
To support the New College Powerlifting Team, visit instagram.com/ncfpowerlifting and gofund.me/fdc525cb.
Abby Weingarten is the senior editor in the Office of Communications & Marketing.