LADY FINS CONTINUE WEIGHTLIFTING DOMINATION

Mikkel Ross chalks up her hands before attempting a personal best clean and jerk. Ross went on to win Top Lifter of the meet. Photos by RILEY MCDONALD/Contributed

Coral Shores traveled to Marathon on Dec. 14 to compete in the final weightlifting meet of 2022. Mikkel Ross was the overall top lifter – calculated with a formula that takes into account each athlete’s weight class and top lifts – in both Olympic and Traditional scoring. Her total lifts of 250 pounds also won her the top spot in the 129 pound weight class. Teammate Justice Lee Isom’s 295 pound total was second among all lifters by the formula and first in her 183 pound class. Coral Shores’ Rachel Rusch won the 110 pound class with 190 total pounds lifted, earning third place among all lifters. 

Marathon won the meet, scoring 100 points to Coral Shores’ 53 in Traditional scoring, which totals a lifter’s bench press along with the clean and jerk lift. The ’Canes narrowed the gap in Olympic scoring but still fell short to the Fins 91-58. Olympic scoring totals a lifter’s best clean and jerk attempt with her best snatch lift. 

Both teams will measure their gains from the holiday break when they meet again on Wednesday, Jan. 4 at Coral Shores.

Tracy McDonald fled to the Keys from the frozen mountains of Pennsylvania hours after graduating from college and never looked back. She is a second generation coach and educator, and has taught in the public school system for over 25 years. She and her husband met at a beginning teacher meeting in 1997 and have three children born and raised in Monroe County. In her free time, McDonald loves flea markets, historical fiction and long runs in the heat.