Three, two, one, squat. Three, two, one, bench. Three, two, one, deadlift.
In its third season as a competitive club, the Carleton Ravens powerlifting team has been competing in various competitions around Ontario.
Powerlifting is a sport in which competitors have three individual attempts in the squat, bench, and deadlift categories. The competitor who has the highest score in the total of the three combined lifts wins the competition in each weight class. There are six individual weight classes for both the men’s and women’s divisions.
Competitors who fall into these specific weights are subject to compete in that category.
Currently, the powerlifting team is considered a competitive club at Carleton, rather than a varsity team. As it stands, the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) does not give powerlifting varsity status. Third-year powerlifter Jackson Spencer said this means they receive less funding.
The Ravens powerlifting team currently trains at the High Performance Centre (HPC) at Carleton Athletics. Due to a lack of funding, the team is only able to reserve times during open gym hours. By not being able to reserve private times throughout the week, it proves difficult for members who are doing a full course load and may not be able to participate in the open gym hours. Nevertheless, the team makes efficient use out of the times they have.
The team started in 2013 with very few members and resources.
“We started out not last year, but the year before [2013] and we were just a club with limited funding and limited access to the HPC. Last year with the competitive club funding, it helped us get into the HPC, get apparel for all team members, and hold bonding events,” Spencer said.
Earlier in the season, members of the team competed at the Ontario Junior/Sub Junior Provincial Championships in Hamilton on Oct. 31. Spencer was one of the Ravens competitors who competed and ended up winning his weight class with personal best results.
“I squatted 625 [pounds], benched 365, and deadlifted 640 and ended up winning my class . . . That puts me in a good spot heading into nationals in February,” Spencer said.
As a whole, the Ravens won the award of strongest team in Ontario.
Among the biggest challenges in powerlifting is the mental aspect, according to former competitive high school baseball player and current Ravens powerlifting team member Anthony Singeris.
“Baseball is one of the toughest mental sports that a person can play,” Singeris said. “I play baseball, and can tell you that powerlifting is 100 times more mental.”
In terms of a typical weekly routine for a power lifter, Singeris said he goes to the gym four times a week for two to three hours. These times are split up equally, working on the three types of lifts that are performed in competition.
First-year team member Danielle Vervuurt said the sport involves hard work and dedication.
“You don’t get immediate results, but after time, you progress. If you want to see improvements in your lifts you have to train hard and not skip out on training sessions,” Vervuurt said.
Many of the athletes have taken things they have experienced in their training and competitions and have applied them to their everyday lives.
“Personally I always feel good after a workout and that leads to more self-confidence and energy for the rest of the day,” Vervuurt said.
Singeris said a lot of the lighter power lifters prefer to maintain a healthy diet, but for him, it’s all about eating enough food.
“For me, its about making sure that when I go back to the gym I have enough energy . . . so that I’m not exhausted when I work out,” Singeris said.
The team will be looking to defend their title for the second year in a row at the Seneca College meet in Markham, Ont. in Feb. 2016. A week later, a number of team members will be traveling to Regina, Sask. to represent Ontario at the Canadian National Championships from Feb. 15-20.
“If I win at nationals—which I have a fairly good shot of doing—I’ll qualify for worlds, which are in Texas in 2016 as well,” Spencer said.
