LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Crossfit will host the first USA Weightlifting-sanctioned event on island in over three years with next week’s “‘Ohana Open.”
The competition, to be held July 2 at the Kaua‘i Crossfit Lihu‘e location, is open to all ages and skill levels.
“We’ve got people that have never competed in weightlifting before and people that have competed on the national level,” said Kaua‘i Crossfit General Manager Jared Miller. “We’re expecting to see some of the kids that we have in our youth programs with Keala Foundation and some older athletes who like to sling some weight around, and people in their early 20s who train full time and train at the national level.”
“We’re super stoked to bring that back out here. It’s long overdue.”
Because it is USAW-Sanctioned meet, any lifts recorded during the session can be used to qualify for national events.
Coaches Travis Akasaki and Kristina Beck helped prepare a team of beginner weightlifters to compete in the meet. Over about a month of training, Akasaki and Beck helped the team of mainly cross-fitters develop the confidence to lift in front of an audience.
“It’s definitely a nerve-wracking thing,” said Beck. “We’re just making sure that everybody feels comfortable being able to get in front of a platform in front of everybody and snatch or clean.”
The coaches instructed them on the snatch — where the athlete moves the weight from the floor to the overhead position and the clean and jerk, where the lifter moves the barbell from the floor to a racked position, then raises the barbell to a stationary position above the head.
“We just teach them to focus on the basics,” said Akasaki. “We focused on getting them comfortable with what they have for now.”
The key to weightlifting, Beck (an experienced weightlifting competitor) said, is practice.
“It’s a lot of repetitions and a lot of time,” she said.
The event will feature vendors and tents from local businesses and community partners.
It is a partnership between Kaua‘i Crossfit and O‘ahu-based Iron Athletics Weightlifting, intended to draw competitors from neighbor islands as well as Kaua‘i, making it the first sanctioned interisland weightlifting event ever.
“Part of our mission here is to unite the islands through the platform of fitness,” said Miller. “All of us are passionate about fitness being more than just back squats and mile times. It’s a platform to build community and to facilitate growth.”
