Show 'The Salt hike Tribune SPORTS 1)3 Thursday July 8 2004 WEIGHTLIFTING S 0 0 IIART Mt Sal Laix Tribune BY JIMMY ANDY — The facility that Itt::::tlsir houses Cogent Weightlifting is a far cry from what is shown in health club commercials The floor is bare in many places there are no televisions or fancy stereos and the weights are pinched together inside of a green net designed for a baseball batting cage Coach Eric Aragon isn't worried about impressing people with appearances though He's been too busy training national champions Three girls that train with Aragon earned medals at the USA Weight lift ing Age Group Nationals in Vineland NJ in June Maegan Snodgrass of South Jordan won a gold medal in the 5 age group and received an invitation to attend a training camp at the Olympic facilities in Colorado Springs Colo Shelby Smith an 11- year old from Murray won gold in the category Jessi Butterfield from Erda brought home a bronze medal in what Aragon called a di" "very competitive vision in just her second weightlifting competition Snodgrass set a personal best in the snatch with a lift of 65 tilograms (1433 pounds) She almost didn't get When Maegan the bar Snodgrass isn't training on the weights she's training as a gymnast Three girls rising up through the ranks tin gymnastics and had to have surgery on it It just made me really nervous" Katie Smith said "I think weightlifting is a great sport" 14-1- Shelby said weightlifting has helped her progress as a swimmer particularly in the butterfly She's 1617-year-old- e it "I decided I was going to go for it and go as big as I can I was dancing all around but I got it" Snodgrass said The Bingham High sophomore actually spends more time training as a gymnast than she spends pumping iron She enjoys both sports and dreads having to choose between the two but says she may have more potential as a weightlifter That potential will be explored when she visits the Olympic training center later this summer She's looking forward to the intensive environment and hopes to improve her form Now she says she's lifting purely on power While more college scholarships would be available for Snodgrass as a gymnast her ultimate goal may push her toward a focus on weightlifting "1 want to go to the Olympics I don't know if I can make it in gymnas seen benefits in flexibility and range of motion as well as strength "Before I couldn't even get my arms out of the water" she said Butterfield made the switch from lifting power lifting to Olympic-stylonly recently and has enjoyed the change She also opted out of gymnastics saying years in the sport had physically taken a toll Weightlifting though has her feeling much better "It healed a lot of my back and knee problems" she said She expects to be wearing a gold medal after next year's competition too The girls who placed ahead of her in New Jersey will have surpassed the age limits to compete next year "Next year no one's beating me" she said Butterfield will be a junior at Tooele High this fall and is also involved in an early enrollment program at Salt Lake Community College When she graduates in 2006 she will receive a high school diploma and an associate's degree None of the girls' success would have been possible the parents say without the guidance of their coach "Eric's a great coach We adore him" Katie Smith said Pi IOTOS PAUL FILAIltilLPONlwSdi Lida Tribune Shelby Smith and Jessi Butterfield won medals at a recent meet Weightlifters from left Maegan Snodgrass 336 kilos (741 pounds) and leapt ahead of her competition when she heaved up 375 kilos (827) in the cleanan- tics" she said adding that her age could also be a determining factor Murray's Smith is tall and thin for her age "People think she's either a ballerina or a cheerleader" said Katie Smith Shelby's mother Smith weighed in at nationals at d-jerk Smith is also a multisport athlete She is a competitive swimmer and only recently ended her career in gymnastics While weightlifting isn't necessarily thought of as a feminine sport at least not as much as gymnas tics her mother was thrilled by Smith's decision to focus on weights and swimming "I was ecstatic She broke her arm 0t1 State Am: Thurman hurt by poor finish Continued from D1 State Am scores d Scores Wednesday's Zach Johnson Jake Ellison 68 — Mike Branca 69 Todd Miller Tommy Sharp Matt 67 Stalsberg 70 — Pete Stone Clay Bingham DTI'OalEIG i7I1 6----'''''- Michael McRae Ken Ebalo Derek Squire Scott Clark Greg Hale Brandt Hoffman 71 — Sterling Clark Jeff Powars 72 — Shad Thomas Kilt SiddensTroy Creer Alan Tolman Casey Beck Ben Smuin Richard Dibblee Elnff10 ELD Eric Knighton Robbie Fillmore 73 — Herb Lyons Tony Rnau Jason Lund Carl Jensen Corey Matthews Randy Brighton High's Mike Branca Hicken Ben Painter Steven Broker Nate Herzog 68 He's the carded a bogey-fre0J Ainsworth Dennis Shafer Jason Hargett son of club pro Ron Lance Richards 74 Gregg Oliphant Blair Bingham Robert Branca but for State Am purMcRae Gipper Rnau Curtis Cook Michael ' poses can cite ties to his uncle a Bingham Nick Carter Doug Fowles Marty Jacks e winner of the event Dana Nelson Men Simkins Levi Smuin Milo Todd Miller Ellison's Cougar Lines Garrett Folu Annie Thurman Bill Probst teammate and the youngest of Craig Woodward Chris Larsen Lynn Buckway Kull Jamison Justin Copier Johnny Miller's four sons joined 75 — Nick Micek Kid( Bowler Clad( Rustand Sharp and Matt Stalsberg at 69 Casey Fowles Jon Morgan Steve Poulson And yet another Cougar Clay Derek Penman Jesse Clark Mike Jorgensen Chris Graham Steele DeWald Chris Gresh Bingham is in a group at 70 Daniels Greg Buckway Nate Erickson Until the last two holes where Dwayne Paul Klug she missed the greens left and 76 — Kelly Petersen John Owen Dustin then right and was faced with Pimm Lady Hale Brett Black Bryan difficult pitches Thurman liked Summerhays Tom Spiers Robed Halladay Tadd Cox Steve Borget Todd Barker 71— Rick Lloyd the way she held her game toRyan Pugsley Bob Mitchell Phil Hansen Doug While not the ball hitting gether Bybee Kent Christopher Clay Ogden Matt particularly well she made three Lupinacci Jim Burckle Craig Crosland 78 —Jordan Fowles Kent Winegar Pat - birdies and three bogeys through Waldram Scott Hurst Paul Winterowd Dave 16 holes Hedderman Jon Wheeler Dan Homer Taylor Wearing her Edwards Kelly Bishop Brandon Wagstaff 79 — uniform from last month's CurRory Mortensen Scott Brady Ron Stuart David tis Cup Thurman said she was Schoepp James Woodall Rey Butcher Troy more nervous on the first tee Crosland — Dirt Thompson 80 Kash Ryan Job Mike Holm than when she played against Craig Ridd Karl Kennedy Avant Steve Watts Rick Great Britain & Ireland "Once I Groendyke Austin Green Jared Brader 81 — got that first tee ball cif I was Trevin Wiles Greg Larsen Josh Jensen Brad Lancaster 82 — Nathan Pehrson Bill Naughton fme" she said Brandon Braodhead Matt Monsen 83 — Blaine Thurman floated the ball Talley Josh White Travis Hilton Graydon :down the middle of the first fair- Pearson Men Peacock Mike O'Keefe Steve - way and was on her way She Newren Jeff Chambers 84 — Matt Magee Travis Howlett Brett Wilson Ted Parkin Brett Gamer drove comparably to Sharp 85 — Ari Goott Eric Baertsch 86 —Justin short-hittinwhose style made Bateman David Odeldt Blair Smith 87 — Detlef :last Julys victory intriguing Schwurack 89 — Troy Parsons100 — Tom was not necessarily hurt by Christensen 102 — Curtis Sampson NC —Jay length Her Crouch :Jeremy's 7100-yarfrom mismore came :mistakes judging the wind which will be Ellison also finished in style less of a factor when she plays in the afternoon hitting a this morning approach to within two feet for a "She hit a couple of squirrely birdie at No 18 where the back-shel- f shots I hadn't seen her hit behole location had troubled fore" said Sharp who played players all day two practice rounds with That was Ellison's sixth birdThurman ie setting him up for his third Thurman was not dwelling on trip to match play in the State her gender breakthrough saying Am With a 67 in the books he she was competing as she would can afford the kind of inconsisIn any tournament "It's golf" tency that bothered him in the she said college season Johnson who has steadily Playing as a freshman for the improved since his Cottonwood Cougars after transferring from High days has posted several Georgia Tech and serving an lop-fiv- e finishes on the amateur LDS Church mission Ellison 'sircult this season Of course helped them tie for ninth place in he's not the only Zach Johnson the NCAA Championship Yet he frequently mentioned in the seemed to have one horrible newspaper which has resulted round in every postseason tourin inquiries from family friends nament while otherwise playing "I'm going to start taking the solidly credit here pretty soon" he said "I don't know what the deal Johnson started his morning is" he said "For some reason I round on the back nine and finwould just have one bad day" on Nos 8 and ished birdie-eagl- e That trend would certainly 9 He had not birdied any of his hurt him once match play begins but Friday As of today Just getting previous three par-5- s to five feet to to that point is all that Thurman knocked an ::Vose with the eagle after making and a bunch of other golfers are at the par-- No 8 concerned about :?FrUIC e well-know- n 0 two-tim- -- g '05uritvic siootutilere Enjoy all of the action and drama of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in stunning high definition Between 7104 and 83104 —A A when you purchase a select Panasonic HDTV or HDTV 0 04 - Monitor and activate digital cable with high definition from participating cable providers you'll receive by mail two $50 checks towards your cable service d ' 3 1 It's the best way to watch the games In HD DLP' Projection Plosms TV TV LCD Projection TV Projection TV With HDTV channels from your cable company you'll see sports movies big events and more come to life with stunning resolution and sound Plus cable gives you more of the big events in HD as well as local and prime time programs too — without long-tercontracts or expensive equipment Altogether that makes cable look better than ever m kgpmcas 7CM I : ti-i11:11-f1:"I1- :q 44 1 rp 4 RIiafhtM S4TLmC:tack lionrione Pyrwipti mope loilmnepoodommEmi LU WOE MAGNOLIA A1)01001010E0 CSIES Ciumi (ire "me Tkcgvi |