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VIDEO: First B.C. powerlifting meet since the pandemic draws more than 100 competitors to Langley

When it was over, competitors teamed up to load the weights for transport

Brookswood resident Josh Cook overcame a minor case of nerves and had a good meet at the 2021 Summer Open Powerlifting and Bench Press Championships Saturday, Aug. 28 and Sunday, Aug. 29 at Trinity Western University’s David E. Enarson Gymnasium.

Cook, 23, won the Junior 105 kilogram unequipped class (no special lifting suit or wraps) and recorded a personal best in the deadlift, hoisting 240 kg.

He admitted to “a little bit of nerves” at returning to competition after being idled, along with every other powerlifter in B.C., for close to two years because of the pandemic.

“I’ve been grinding it out in the gym,” said Cook, who trains at Fitness World.

“It’s good to feel back to normal,” Cook told the Langley Advance Times.

He described himself as “just glad” to be competing again.

The Open was the first provincial powerlifting competition since the pandemic hit, British Columbia Powerlifting Association president Dennis Leong explained.

“Our last meet was in February 2020. It was a qualifier for the Special Olympics,” Leong recalled.

Provincial Return to Play guidelines were in effect at the Langley event, with masks required except when attempting lifts.

More than 100 lifters took part and volunteers made the event work.

“Without them, we wouldn’t have anything,” Leong said.

READ ALSO: Proof of vaccination to be required for B.C. sports, movies, restaurants

Leong said days before the event, people were working to make sure equipment that had been stored for nearly two years was still in good shape, including the computer programs that handle scheduling and track results.

“It went quite well,” Leong summarized.

“At the end of the day, all the lifters formed a human chain to load the [weight] plates into a trailer,” Leong added. “It was good to see the camaraderie.”

The association’s next event sanctioned is set for Sept. 11 in Victoria.

READ ALSO: ‘It’s never too late to get strong’: Aldergrove grandma deadlifts twice her weight for the gold

Powerlifting consists of three events, the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

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Dan Ferguson

About the Author: Dan Ferguson

Best recognized for my resemblance to St. Nick, I’m the guy you’ll often see out at community events and happenings around town.
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