No Small Feat as Girl Weightlifters Prepare for Strong Competition

By Kathryn Nicolai

When Olivia Barnett, Isabella Madori, Alexis Jones and Kiele Swistak get together, the four pre-teens pursue an activity that isn’t typically associated with girls their age.

The four youngsters attend the Olympic weightlifting program at Downstate CrossFit in Briarcliff Manor.

Later this month, the close-knit group, all from the local area, will compete in the Youth Weightlifting Nationals in Austin, Tex. Barnett, 12, a Westlake Middle School student, placed fourth at last year’s Nationals in Minneapolis, while Madori and Jones, also 12, and 10-year-old Kiele Swistak will be going for the first time.

Barnett said the competitions with the other girls make weightlifting more fun.

“We give each other boosts so we are not as nervous,” she said. “I don’t really get nervous now with them.”

Swistak, who attends Seven Bridges Middle School in Chappaqua, started Olympic weightlifting shortly after Barnett competed at Nationals last year. Madori and Jones joined soon after. Swistak’s father and coach, Steve, said it was within the last six months that the group took weightlifting seriously, in large part because of the competitions.

He attributes the recent popularity of the children’s weightlifting program at Downstate CrossFit to Barnett, inspiring other kids to try the sport.

“The most rewarding part for me as coach is watching the girls develop over time,” Swistak said.

Before the girls started weightlifting, Jones said they built friendships while spending time together in the gym’s kids’ room and gaining admiration for fitness by watching their parents work out regularly. That made them eager to participate, Swistak said.

The girls train together three times a week for one-hour sessions at Downstate. On Monday nights the gym offers the Barbell Club for young weightlifters. Steve Swistak said there are about 12 children who participate, most of whom are girls.

He said the girls practice the two types of Olympic lifts used in competitions – the snatch and the clean and jerk – as well as building strength through squats and pullups. The snatch requires competitors to thrust the bar above their head and lower it to a squat position. The clean and jerk is separated into two motions: the girls raise the bar midway up their torso, pause and then lift it over their heads.

For the two other weekly sessions, the girls attend the gym’s youth CrossFit classes.

“CrossFit transfers to all sports, including weightlifting because it trains all body parts and builds a strong foundation for all other movements, Steve Swistak explained. “The idea behind CrossFit is constantly varied, functional movements, performed at a high intensity, which builds all muscle groups, body awareness, speed, agility.”

The girls agreed their weightlifting experience has been tremendously rewarding. Jones, who attends Somers Middle School, said a common misconception about weightlifting is that it is centered on arm strength. But the development of her leg muscles through running cross country and ballet has been critically important.

“I’m learning the trade,” Jones said. “It’s a learning process and I’m having a lot of fun with it.”

Madori, who goes to St. Augustine’s in Ossining, and Barnett said weightlifting is advantageous in other sports they’ve played, including basketball, lacrosse and soccer. They also see their coach’s individual fitness feats as inspiration for their own training. In July, Steve Swistak will be competing at the CrossFit Games in California after placing in the top 20 in the men’s 40- to 44-year-old age group.

Kiele Swistak and Madori have competed in three youth Olympic weightlifting competitions, and Jones has competed in two. Madori’s mother, who teaches CrossFit at Downstate, said the girls’ last competition in York, Pa., home of the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame, was excellent preparation for what they can expect at Nationals.

Swistak said he focuses a majority of the girls’ practice time on technique and stresses the movements as the most important aspect of their training. At each competition the girls have three lifts for both the snatch and the clean and jerk. The girls compete within categories that factor weight and age. Madori competes in the 58kg weight class (about 128 pounds). Jones and Barnett are in the 39kg (86 pounds) weight class while Swistak competes in the 31kg weight class (68 pounds).

The competitor who successfully lifts the highest weight for the snatch and the clean and jerk is factored to determine a winner in each weight class. Madori’s best clean and jerk and snatch is about 88 and 66 pounds, respectively while Jones’ best lift was just under 60 pounds for the clean and jerk and 54 pounds for the snatch.

Youngest of the four girls, Kiele Swistak’s top lifts for the clean and jerk and snatch are about 50 and 40 pounds, respectively.

In Austin, Barnett hopes to hit about 81 pounds for the snatch and about 97 pounds for the clean and jerk, in excess of her own weight.

Since placing fourth at Nationals last year, Barnett has been training harder for this year’s competition. Her goal is to place in the top three.

“I’ve been going to the gym a lot more and I have goals in mind for myself,” she said.