Powerlifters use their holiday spirit to break records in annual competition
Sean Clancy was named one of the event's top lifters thanks in part to this deadlift. Photos by Bobby Grady
Ryan Langlois on his last bench press.
Sixteen-year-old Gabriel Cully powers through a deadlift.
Stephanie Raposa begins her deadlift.
James Hardiman lifts.
Santa, also known as Paul Topham, can't be stopped.
Event judge and former Wareham firefighter Chip Deblois encourages a contestant.
Sean Clancy was named one of the event's top lifters thanks in part to this deadlift. Photos by Bobby Grady
Ryan Langlois on his last bench press.
Sixteen-year-old Gabriel Cully powers through a deadlift.
Stephanie Raposa begins her deadlift.
James Hardiman lifts.
Santa, also known as Paul Topham, can't be stopped.
Event judge and former Wareham firefighter Chip Deblois encourages a contestant.
While wearing a Santa hat and an ugly Christmas sweater most people don’t feel like an athlete, but those at the YMCA would disagree.
The annual powerlifting competition at the Gleason Family YMCA took place Saturday, Dec. 13 where 30 competitors dressed in their most festive outfits lifted hundreds of pounds each.
“I think it went really well and a lot of people broke personal records,” event organizer and personal trainer Liz Pereira said. “A lot of the people that competed take my classes or are my clients and even some trainers from the YMCA competed. We’re really trying to bring strength sports to the Y.”
Three years ago Pereira organized and hosted the first competition — which alternates between a Christmas and Halloween theme every year — with the goal of raising money to support the YMCA’s annual fund.
“I think we raised around $350 and the second year we raised $1,200 and the goal today is to raise roughly $3,000,” she said.
Pereira added supporting the YMCA does not just benefit her professionally but it also hits close to home.
“I am a single mom and when my son was two or three-years-old I couldn’t afford to give him swim lessons or anything like that but the annual fund was able to help me pay for a portion of his classes,” she said. “Without this fund I wouldn’t have been able to put my son through this program.”
On top of raising money to support others who may be in a similar situation Pereira was in, she said growing the event into a sanctioned powerlifting competition is one of her goals.
In order to do so, Pereira said she needs continued community support to grow the event and hopes it can be a sanctioned event in the next two to three years.
“The more the word gets out and the more people come in, the bigger we can make it,” she said. “We’re on the right path and it’s definitely growing.”
One of the competition’s oldest participants Paul Topham is 75-years-old and said his love of exercise has kept him going since he was 15.
“I’ve been doing it all my life and I used to compete in bodybuilding until I was 50,” Topham said. “I was still doing bodybuilding workouts just not competing anymore.”
After getting into powerlifting three years ago, he said it came fairly easily to him.
“I’ve always done physical labor so it’s not like I’m not used to lifting things,” he said.
Event participant and Fairhaven firefighter Ryan Langlois put his strength to the test and even though the event was a competition, he said everyone roots for everyone.
“We’re not trying to compete against each other but we compete against ourselves,” Langlois said. “It’s like we’re on the same team.”
Coming into the competition, Langlois said his preparation looked a little more relaxed than a typical week of training.
“I actually rested before this and took a week off from the gym just so my muscles could heal up,” he said.
He added for anyone with a powerlifter in their life dumbbells and some protein shakes are the best Christmas gifts.
