| HowardCenter Connections - September 2008 |
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Power Lifting, Power Fundraising
by Bret Kernoff
On August 16, the McClure Gymnasium at the Baird School came alive with some of the world’s best powerlifters. Athletes from around the world competed in the Bench Press, Deadlift, and Strict Curl events as part of the Vermont Powerlifting’s CAN-AM International Championships.
As a teacher at the Baird School, I developed and promoted this event to raise money for a new weightlifting program at the Baird School. A total of $800 was raised—enough to fund the entire startup of the program. At a recent training, I had the opportunity to explain the benefits of self regulation with heavy lifting to Baird School staff.
The event was a RAW drug-free event, so the contestants did not use supportive equipment or steroids. Male and female lifters competed in many categories and age groups, from age 8 to 60 and over. This was an excellent opportunity for care givers to bring children to watch healthy athletes do amazing things without the use of performance enhancing drugs. We were especially pleased to offer free tickets to all children involved in HowardCenter Programs.
Thank you to the HowardCenter volunteers who helped to make this possible:
Jayme Gaudet, Melissa Perham, and Michelle Phelps for working the concession stand and the gate; Bruce Audette who helped to coordinate the use of the gym and made sure everything was perfect for the event. Special thanks to the 1138 Pine Street Facilities Team for making sure the gymnasium was in tip-top shape.
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