Putting on more weight

By Steven Lienert
The Phanatic Magazine

For Pennridge freshman powerlifter Bev Crawford, ignorance truly is bliss.

At the USAPL National Powerlifting Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan last weekend, Crawford won the 148-pound weight class national championship after setting a new American record in her age group.

Had she known how much she lifted before going out on stage, however, there was a good chance of the weight getting in her head.

"I ask my coach not to tell me how much I’m lifting because if it’s too much, I kind of psych myself out," Crawford said. "I don’t want to know how much I’m lifting. A lot of the time, it sounds like a lot of weight."

To most people, 745 pounds is a lot of weight, but that’s what Crawford lifted in Kalamazoo. She squatted 286 pounds, deadlifted 319 ½ pounds and benched 137 ½ pounds for the combined total. She outlifted her closest competitor by 5 ½ pounds.

"It was an unbelievable feat she did," Pennridge coach Steve Pattison said. "The competition that was there was the best in the country. She’s very good at what she does. As far as winning it, though, I didn’t expect that at this age."

Crawford got into powerlifting after her dad met Pattison at the gym two years ago. She started lifting with him and really got into it.

"I like the environment, I like being in the weight room," Crawford said. "The program was great and Coach Pattison is a great coach. He’s like a second father to me."

According to Pattison, this is only the tip of the iceberg for Crawford.

"She’s going to a lifter to be reckoned with," Pattison said. "She’ll be unbelievable soon. She’s just going to be unbeatable."

That’s because Pattison will push Crawford to be better. Without knowing how much weight was out there for her to lift, Crawford surpassed her personal bests in the bench and deadlift by 10 pounds each.

That means Pattison has some room with which to play.

"He’s seen me do it, which means the weights in the gym will go up," Crawford said. "We have a whole year to get ready for, so he’s probably going to push a lot harder now."

Knowing how good Crawford could be, Pattison certainly will begin escalating the weights.

"I take it slow, but I’ll be putting more weight on," Pattison said. "She pushes herself, but I know when to put the weight on. There’s no stopping her now."


Rams place second overall


Following the meet, Pattison thought Pennridge was coming back to Pennsylvania as National Champions. Instead, the Rams fell three points short.

A team from Tennessee had two more lifters than Pennridge brought, and their points put them over the top.

"I actually thought we won," Pattison said. "Next year we’ll come with a full squad."

Still, finishing second from a group that included 20 teams and 800 lifters from 17 states isn’t half bad.

"What our team did there was a phenomenal thing," Pattison said. "We competed against kids that were sponsored -- we do it all on our own."

16-year old Matt Pattison placed second in 220-pound weight class and broke the national deadlift record of 565 pounds, and, according to Steve Pattison, Heather Puzinas lifted more than four times her body weight en route to placing third in her age group. Freshman Jenna Anderson also placed third in the 132-pound weight class.