8 November 2024
Young lifters lit up Evofit recently, as the Crosshands-based Weightlifting Wales licensed club hosted this year’s Carmarthenshire Schools Weightlifting Competition. The competition once again proved a showcase of youthful enthusiasm and up-and-coming talent, with local school pupils descending on Evolve Strength & Conditioning Weightlifting Club (Evofit) to take part.
The event has developed over recent years, having originally been a collaboration between Evofit and the closest secondary school, Maes y Gwendraeth, after the club linked up with the school’s PE department to target students who had chosen Weightlifting as their individual sport for GSCE PE.
From a competition designed to support these pupils’ weightlifting development and give them their first taste of competition, Evofit now welcomes children from four different schools.
Representatives from Maes Y Gwendraeth, Ysgol Dyffryn Amman, Ysgol Y Strade and Llandovery College all took part, with a total of 30 students taking to the platform.
“I have developed close links with the PE teachers at these schools,” Evofit Managing Director Mathew Williams explained, “and we are helping to support the GCSE PE students with their weightlifting development by offering technical training workshops and competitions at Evolve Weightlifting Club. It was great to see some our own youth members taking part in the competition and members from other weightlifting clubs in the area. It's also a great way to make students aware that there are weightlifting clubs in Carmarthenshire that are accessible to anyone who wants to peruse the sport further.”
All of this activity goes to further the sport and ensure that those in the local community have access to participate in it.
“It's great for our club and coaches to link with local schools and teachers to build a bigger presence in the community,” Mathew explained.
“There is an increase in the number of students choosing weightlifting as their individual sport for their PE GCSE. Supporting them and running competitions really helps to expose younger people to the sport and spread the benefits of weightlifting.”
And with PE teachers doing a great job in improving their own knowledge to help students learn more about weightlifting, more and more children are engaging with the sport in Carmarthenshire, reflected in the success of the recent Carmarthenshire Schools Weightlifting Competition.
“It was great to see such a good turnout for the competition,” Mathew told us.
“We ran three groups of 10 on the day, and groups that weren't involved got to sit down and cheer on their fellow students as well as students from the other schools.
“The weightlifting scene in Carmarthenshire is definitely on the up,” he continued,” with ourselves and Llanelli Weightlifting Club having a good number of youth and junior members.”
Evofit and Llanelli are just two of the many clubs around Wales doing fantastic work to promote the sport and engage new people, for example running free Raise the Bar sessions throughout the year.
“Lots of weightlifting clubs throughout Wales are doing a great job in promoting the sport, and it seems to be having a positive effect on participation levels,” affirmed Mathew.
“It's always good to go to various competitions through the year and see familiar faces competing and developing their performance.”
And this emphasis on engaging young people is evidently paying dividends, with Mathew impressed as local students competed at Evofit.
Among the competitors were two standout performers, based on Sinclair totals. Ysgol Dyffryn Amman’s Zac Nottingham came out on top among the boys, while Ysgol Y Starde’s Ava Wooller was crowned girls’ champion as well as the lifter with the best technique on the day.
“Our coaching team was very impressed with the standard of lifting from all students, considering most of them are new to weightlifting,” confirmed Mathew.
“We help all students out with technique in the warm-up area and all of the students ask lots of questions about technique and competition rules. They are always eager to learn and really enjoyed the experience.
“It's very rewarding for our coaches to help so many students on the day and to know they leave with more knowledge in terms of lifting technique and how a weightlifting competition works.”
If you’re interested in trying the sport out, don’t hesitate to find a club near you and get started! Discover more about the Raise the Bar programme on our website!
