LIFTING: Lawrence O’Hara brings Olympic weightlifting to Poly.
By Andrea Alvarado, Staff Writer
Do you remember the 2012 Summer Olympics? You were probably excited to see your favorite duo duke it out in beach volleyball or your favorite runner get a gold medal in track and field. Odds are, you didn’t know about the Olympic weightlifting competition taking place—or you didn’t know it existed at all. Poly senior Lawrence O’Hara believes everyone should recognize the sport and found a way to bring it to Poly’s campus this year. “I feel no one really sees Olympic weightlifting as a sport, but it probably takes more effort, dedication and character than almost any other sport,” he said.
O’Hara, along with James Higgins (12) and Coach Neil Schlesener decided to enlighten everyone on the underrated sport by founding the Powerlifters Club. The purpose of the club, which meets every Thursday at lunch in the weight room, is to teach students about the fundamentals of weightlifting. “We show people demonstrations and teach them technique. That way, we can decide whether it is worth trying next year; this year is more of a foundation for the club,” O’Hara noted.
O’Hara demonstrated his weightlifting skills to the Poly family by participating in this year’s Mr. Poly pageant. He, along with 10 other contestants, competed in this pageant to show how they represent Poly. O’Hara not only helped choreograph a dance number for the pageant, but also showed his special talent in weightlifting as well. “I performed special lifting moves with my friend Abbie Meneses (12) as the weight bar. I also gave a ridiculous pick-up line to a Show Stopper girl and walked up to the stage in formal wear with Coach Schlesener as the theme song to 2001 Space Odyssey was playing,” he recalled.
Though O’Hara will be graduating this year, he has high hopes for the continuation of the Powerlifters Club at Poly. “We are proud to say we bring weightlifting to a new level at Poly, and we believe that it will eventually become a varsity sport,” he said.