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Bears break through with win
By BRANT JAMES, Times Staff Writer
SPRING HILL -- The big bar and bigger rubber plates could not intimidate the smallest girl in the weight room. After watching two competitors falter, awkwardly dropping the weight in an attempt to clean 105 pounds, Mindy Zavesky, a 97-pound Central freshman, ripped the bar up to her chin, helping her win the 100-pound class Wednesday in a definitive Bears victory. Central totalled 62 points, followed by Hernando (24) and Springstead (20). Competitors are given three attempts to lift their maximum in bench press and clean, and their highest totals are added to create a final score. "I just thought really hard and put my anger in it and threw it up," said Zavesky, her jargon belying her stature. The freshman has been lifting seriously only since October after three years in gymnastics. That training gave her an immediate edge in weightlifting. "I worked out a lot in the gym anyway when I was doing gymnastics," Zavesky said. "It gives me a lot of upper-muscle and leg strength." Zavesky, who benched 85 pounds for a total of 190, was one of eight Bears to win in the 10 weight classes. Other Central winners were: Cristi Carlini (190 in 110-pound class); Kelly Dunham (205 in 119); Lani Coates (215 in 139); Shelane Etchison (220 in 154); Dionndra Mathis (220 in 183); Teresa Brown (275 in 199) and Cristina Cross (250, unlimited). Springstead (0-4) claimed the other two first-place finishes as Bianca Demes tied for top bench (135) and totaled a 255 at 129; and Carrie Harwell had a total of 235 at 169. Demes, too, comes from a gymnastics background. "The thing that probably helps her the most has been doing gymnastics," Springstead coach Chris Mock said. "It gives you natural strength, total-body strength, especially in the upper body. When she started, she was probably only lifting about 115 at the beginning, but she's been working all year and has really come on strong," Mock said. Central improved to 3-3 after losses to tough Citrus, Crystal River and South Sumter teams. "We finally got a win," Bears coach Sharon Elliott said, adding that it would motivate her team for Wednesday's Gulf Coast Athletic Conference meet at Hernando. "Everybody feels really good about it." Hernando (1-3) stole second place overall with seconds by Jamie Stockton (119), Jamie Perdue (139), Monica Morrill (169) and Vanessa Zacharias (183). "We were really, really, really pumped up for having just come back from the break," Leopards coach Angie Svagerko said. Brant James can be reached at (800) 333-7505, ext. 1407. Send e-mail to brant@sptimes.com .
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From today's Hernando Times |
