He's small, but mighty good

The 5-foot-2 Viet Lam, a state champion who can bench 230, is getting ''recognized by people I don't even know.''

By GREG AUMAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 17, 2001

BROOKSVILLE -- Even in a low-profile sport such as weightlifting, if you excel enough, people will notice you.

Just ask 5-foot-2, 114-pound Central junior Viet Lam, who still is getting used to the thought of being recognized in public as a weightlifter.

"The other day, I was at Wal-Mart, and some guy goes 'Were you in the newspaper?' " said Lam, who drew headlines last month by taking first in his weight class of the state championships. "I get recognized by people I don't even know."

Lam may or may not be a celebrity, but he is a state champion, one who can bench press 230 pounds, or more than twice his own body weight. He clean-and-jerked 190 pounds at state, matching his personal best total of 420 pounds.

All this, and Lam didn't begin lifting until his freshman year at Central. He credits his strength to a middle school regimen of push-ups that increased to 200 a night.

Since coming to Central, Lam has made steady progress -- from a total of 365 pounds as a freshman to 390 last season, which was good enough for him to finish third in the state. He was dominant enough this year to move up a weight class for the county meet and still win, and in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference event, his nearest competitor finished 60 pounds behind him.

"He's short in stature, but his body is proportioned to where he has the right build for weightlifting," Bears coach Mark Griffith said.

Lam's strength and dedication in the weight room -- especially in the immediate context of his relative size -- serve as motivation to the rest of the team. In short, his ability to raise the bar has raised the bar at Central.

"All the other kids look at him and it inspires them, whether they are bigger or younger kids," Griffith said. "They say, 'That little guy's doing that much weight?' and it motivates them to work out harder."

Shopping isn't the only time when Lam said he gets double-takes. Other lifters who don't know him might give Lam a look as if to suggest he's in the wrong room, but that's only until he adds a few weights to the bar and begins a workout. He likes the thought of breaking the misconception that weightlifting is only for bulkier competitors.

"I'm a pretty small guy, and I don't look like I can lift much," said Lam, also a Central wrestler. "When I get under the bench, I'm lifting all this weight, and they're like 'Oh, my God, look at this kid.' "

With a state title under his belt, Lam isn't backing off when it comes to setting goals for his senior season. He plans to lift year-round for the first time and is looking to increase his averages again, recognizing that the rest of the state knows who he is and will be going after him.

"The people from this year are going to try to beat me next year," Lam said. "The hard thing is not winning the state. It's defending the title."

ALL-CITRUS/HERNANDO

119 POUNDS: Viet Lam, Jr., Central -- The state champion won his division in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference meet by 60 pounds, bench-pressing twice his weight.

129: Warren Hendry, Jr., Springstead -- Finished eighth in state meet; captured the GCAC crown by 40 points, totaling 410 pounds.

139: Harold Skidmore, Sr., Lecanto -- Finished sixth at state with a total of 465 pounds; won GCAC title by 25 pounds.

154: Danny Smith, Jr., Central -- Qualified for state meet; finished third in his weight class at GCAC with total of 460 pounds.

169: Jordan Darga, Sr., Citrus -- State champion as a junior; finished second at state after winning GCAC with 590 pounds.

183: Clayton Swearingen, Sr., Citrus -- Totaled 520 in the 169-pound class of the state meet after winning county and league championships at 183.

199: Greg Haight, Sr., Citrus -- Placed 13th at state with 540 pounds after capturing GCAC and county titles.

219: Justin Matejka, Sr., Springstead -- The Hernando County overall champion finished second in his class in the GCAC; qualified for state.

238: Sam Forrester, Sr., Hernando -- Finished 11th in state; won his weight class in the conference and county meets.

HEAVYWEIGHT: T.J. Hedick, Jr., Central -- The top local in his class at state meet; finished second in division at GCAC.

HONORABLE MENTION

CENTRAL: Billy Ales (119), Jeff Moss (139), Jerry Daniels (199), Bobby Vasquez (219). CITRUS: Flint Whitelaw (139), Dan Marinelli (238), Mike Maxwell (238). CRYSTAL RIVER: Nathan Messier (119), A.J. Davis (139). HERNANDO: Steve Cassell (238), Tony Joseph (183). LECANTO: Nick Derise (119), Terence Hollis (169). SPRINGSTEAD: David Fenty (169), Ron Paulin (183).

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