June 1991 - San Francisco Police Officers Association

June, 1991 Notebook Page 23Olympic Weightlifting withSteve Goughby Steve Gough and Dennis BianchiThe below information was submitted bySteve Gough, of Richmond Station, afterI called him up and asked him to fill us inon his successful weightlifting team, a teamcompeting not just locally but all over theworld. Steve sent along the informationand photos, extolling the team membersand the community that supports the club.in his modesty he left out a few importantitems of information, which I would like toadd to the article, along with some observationsgleaned interviewing Steve andfrom my very limited experience with thesport of Olympic Lifting.First, Steve coaches these athletes fromhands-on experience. Steve won't cop outto his awards but I've watched him lift inyears past and he was impressive, if notoutright scary. His involvement with thesport is so intense that he has been electedthe President of the U.S. WeightliftingFederation's Pacific Association. He wasthe head coach of the 1988 Junior Pan-Amteam and the 1989 Olympic Festival teamin Oklahoma, sponsored by the UnitedStates Olympic Committee. Steve, obviously,is the real thing.One of his best students is his son Tom,who snatched 314 pounds and cleanedand jerked 385 pounds while a mere 19years old and weighing only 181 3/4 pounds.Another Department member, LanceLogan, has a son, Tim, successfully competingat Steve's gym.Several years back I attempted to get inshape for these events at The SportsPalace on Valencia Street. With a coachand all the equipment needed at hand,along with a good deal of desire, I went atit. There are only two other times in mylife I have been so completely spent afterworking out and one was after runningtwenty-six miles. Olympic lifting is truly exercisefor the whole body and mind. Withthe proper coach, such as Steve, you willlearn how to become stronger, yourbalance and coordination will improve,your heart and lungs will get a workout andyou will learn to concentrate. Olympiclifters are very well-rounded athletes. Inspite of its demanding nature, Olympic liftingcan be done for years. There is an80-year-old man working out at Steve'sgym, and Steve said many of his morecompetent lifters are in their 59s.Well, check out what Steve has to sayand give some thought to checking out thisform of exercise yourself, perhaps atSteve's gym in Fairfax.I started the Fairfax Olympic WeightliftingClub in the summer of 1985 with agroup of local Mann High School kids fromSan Rafael, Terra Linda, Drake and MainTom Gough engaging in the toughestpart of the lift, mental preparation.Catholic. Since inception, over one hundredboys and girls have trained and competedfor the club. Our alumni includes fourNational Junior Olympic Champions, twoNational Junior Champions, six NationalJunior Squad members and two formerOlympians including Ric Eaton, 1984Olympic Team Sixth Place in theHeavyweight class and 1987 OlympicFestival Gold Medalist and a member ofthe 1987 U.S. Pan American team.Recently two of our Junior Athletes,Tom Gough (19-year-old coach's son), thisyear's National Champion the 82.5 kg.(181 3/4 lb.) class and Jasha Faye, 18 yearsold and a senior at Drake High School, andsecond place finisher at the National JuniorChampionships, were selected for andcompeted in Wolmirstedt, Germany (oldEast Germany) this May in the JuniorWorld Weightlifting Championships,finishing eighth and eleventh placerespectively.Last summer, after a cooperative effortof local Mann political and business personalities,the Mann Weightlifting teammoved into a 4,000 square-foot building onthe campus of Drake High School in arenovated machine shop. The trainingcenter subsequently was named an officialUnited States Weightlifting FederationRegional training center. The center conductsthree to five competitions yearly andcoaching/training clinics. It is open toanyone for a modest donation of $10 permonth. It is located at Saunders andTaylor, the east side of the Drake Highcampus. Telephone 459-9903 if you wantmore information.by Dennis Bianchi1991 may be almost half over but therunning race season is really just beginning.That is not to say we were not runningthis past winter, right? My sources havelet it be known that some of us have beenhard at it this spring. Let's start with LouPerez. In April he ran a 28:50 at theShoreline Park 5-miler, about 5:45 permile. A few weeks later he ran 33:54 at theLodi 10K and won his age group. That'sjust slightly over 5:20 per mile and Lou isjust getting warmed up. On May 18 heloaded his bicycle into his car and droveto Davis for the Davis Double Century.This 200-mile bicycle ride is usually too hotfor such a distance, but this year - what adifference. Rain, wind and freezingtemperatures made the mountainouscourse (2,000 feet gain in altitude) trulypunishing. Lou needed 12 1/2 hours to completethe course and a few days rest torecover.Lou wasn't alone at Davis. Several highqualitychampions were present as well.Our very own Jeff Brosch, known for histoughness, tenacity and endurance, as wellas winning a lion's share of awards, wasgrinding it out, just behind Lou. Jeffpointed out that the first six hours it wasraining and blowing. Jeff doubled up on hisclothing, worked like a mule and still wascold, cold, cold. Jeff was luckier than DavidMoon, S.F. Assistant D.A., and nationallyranked triathlete. David had to contendwith the same elements but adding to hismisery were flat tires and broken spokes,yes plural. All three athletes finished thisheroic trek and should be congratulated,or maybe psychoanalyzed. One otherhighly respected participant in this eventwas Paul Solon. All Paul ever did was winthe Race Across America, which is exactlywhat it sounds like: long, tough and wononly by the elite.NEW LISTINGLARGE FAMILY HOMEIn Central Novato. 3 Bedroom,2 bath, family room, den/study,panoramic view. $299,500This month's tip from the American Runningand Fitness Association: It's never toolate to get in shape. Many studies havedemonstrated that no matter what age youbegin an exercise program, you can expectto improve your physical condition just aseffectively as those younger than yourself.The studies showed that both aerobicfitness and strength can be improvedremarkably by participating in a regular exerciseprogram, even in sedentary groupsof people in their middle and late 60's. Ofcourse, if you have been sedentary andyou're no longer under 30 years old youshould check with a physician and startyour program slowly, but you should start.From The Journal of Applied Physiology:"Regular exercise improves the quality oflife and reduces the impact of diseasessuch as diabetes, high blood pressure,heart and artery problems, and some formsof cancer." What a reward for a few dropsof sweat.Well, for those of us who want to adda race or two to our training, here's what'sup soon. June 15 is the Sequoia Hospital'sRun by the Bay 10K and 5K in RedwoodCity. June 16 is the Macy's - AYH GreatSan Francisco Bike Adventure. June 22 isthe S.F. Giant's Run to Home Plate 5K.June 23 is the City of San FranciscoMarathon. The Fourth of July has raceseverywhere - you pick one and have fun.July 7 is the date for this year's Hook andLadder Race. We hope we are competitivethis year against the S.F. Fire Department.There's time to get in shape, so if you'reinterested let Lou Perez know. 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