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Sports

Pumping Iron For Olympic Gold

A local gym is home to an Olympic Weightlifting Team, training lifters for national and international competition.

When an athlete works out by lifting weights, it is usually in preparation for another sport.

Jonny Renker, 14, who trains at The Yard Authentic Strength and Barbell, a local gym in Palm Desert, proudly declares that weightlifting is his sport.

“I fell in love with Olympic Weightlifting, and wanted to be on the team that was forming at the Yard,” Renker said.

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The Yard is home to an official Olympic weightlifting club that is affiliated with USA Weightlifting. The team currently trains five times a week, about two hours a day.

Olympic weightlifting consists of two lifts: the snatch, and the clean and jerk. The weight that is lifted is measured in kilograms, as in international competition.

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 “It takes an athlete to do these lifts, not just someone who is strong,” explained Anthony Pomponio, team member and captain. “However, anyone can perform them if they are properly taught.”

Pomponio, 23, was discovered by Yard owner and coach, Nick Frasca, 57, and began training with him four months ago.

“I believe that Anthony is the most dynamic athlete in the nation,” Coach Frasca said.

Frasca opened The Yard in 2008, and the gym has undergone recent renovations and an expansion over the past year.

“The Yard is a throwback to when people were serious about training. It provides a venue for athletes to train without all the unnecessary frills and trims of a typical gym,” Coach Frasca said.

What makes training at The Yard stand out from other gyms is the energy of the coaches, and the camaraderie between everyone who trains here, explains 16-year old Anthony Vong.

The team is currently coached by Kevin Winters, a three-time Olympic Weightlifting National champion, and three-time World Team member.

“Coach Winters knows what it takes to get to the highest level in this sport, and it is very motivating to be training with him because we aspire to be just as successful,” Vong said.

The team will be competing March 12 in Burbank at the 2011 High Voltage Open.

For those interested in participating in this sport, there is a developmental class instructed by Coach Frasca.

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