 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Schmidt seeking a strong comebackBy KEITH NIEBUHR © St. Petersburg Times, published March 14, 2001 Sarah Schmidt was ready. Or so it seemed. She practiced hard, kept in shape and ate right. Then came the state meet, the biggest meet of her life. It ended with disappointment -- a scratch that kept her not only from placing but posting a total. "I got so nervous," Schmidt said. "I got moved from the 119-pound division to 129, and I had to eat a lot. I was full and I was nervous. I had never been in a meet that big in my life and I scratched out. It made me so frustrated." Schmidt, a ninth-grader at Citrus, is hopeful her poor experience at state helps her in future events. She is headed to Charleston, Ill., as a member of Team Florida for the USA Weightlifting Junior Nationals, scheduled for Thursday-Sunday. "I'm a little nervous, but not like I was at state," Schmidt said. "I have a lot more strength, and I'm not going to be intimidated by the other girls." Not long after Citrus' season ended in January, Schmidt began training with Wally Underhill, a local masters division champion and friend of Hurricanes coach Doug Patton. In high school events, girls perform the bench press and the clean. For national events, Schmidt had to learn the clean and jerk and the two-handed snatch. "She definitely has talent," Underhill said. "It's really all in the head, but physically she has the talent." Two weeks ago, the 116-pound Schmidt qualified for the Junior Nationals in the Last Chance Qualifier in Bradenton. She clean and jerked 93.5 pounds and snatched 66 pounds. She has since started training in Bradenton with Richard Lansky, coach of Team Florida. "He works us real hard," Schmidt said. "He's really good at teaching us form. Once I learned my form, my weight went up, but I still have to learn some more." Although Schmidt can bench press 115 pounds, she thinks she is more suited for the clean and jerk and the snatch. "Those lifts are totally different (than the bench press)," Schmidt said. "They're not about strength. They're about technique, and I have my technique down pretty good." Earning a medal this week is not a high priority for Schmidt. Gaining experience is. This time, she wants positive memories -- not painful ones. "I want to try to win, but I don't think that's going to happen," Schmidt said. "I'm just going to try to do my best, that's all I can do. I'm a lot more comfortable with this format."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
Citrus Times |
