Sparta White County YMCA Fitness and Wellness Director Nina Weston was named the Tennessee Special Olympics Powerlifting team head coach.
Weston said that she has been coaching powerlifting since 2017, and she attributes this achievement to one athlete in particular.
“His name is Calvin Jones,” Weston said. “He has been powerlifting for 20 years. When he went to compete that year he asked me to be his coach, and from there it just grew. The next year we took four athletes, in Georgia we took seven athletes, and our team is continuing to grow from there.”
Weston said the team roster will be announced sometime this week. She said that after the announcement, the next steps are to spend the next year training to prepare for the Special Olympics.
Powerlifting is a sport that has three dedicated lifts using Olympic barbells, including a squat, a bench press, and a deadlift. Weston said that when it comes to the sport, she wants people to know how hard her athletes train.
“These athletes work so hard,” “They are phenomenal athletes. They are dedicated. They get so excited, and it is good for your soul to just watch them.”
Weston said that she’s been overwhelmed by the support from the community, and she looks forward to fulfilling her desire to coach on a national level.
The 2022 Special Olympics USA Games will be held June 5-12, 2022 in Orlando, Florida.
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