It was all so simple for Lake Gibson High School weightlifters.Those who competed from the national meet were only planning on lifting what they attempted in Colorado Springs and of course, with a mindset to do better. The day the Braves landed they all went back into the weight room, which really pushed the others in the weight room. Lake Gibson head weightlifting coach Daniel Hargrove in AAU meets allows his squad to manage their attempts and numbers, which he said he sees as a chance for them to understand the importance of weight jumps and attempts.
So, each lifter created their own plan and set their own goals for the meet, and that proved to work.
“I will always and forever be proud of anytime my lifters perform,” Hargrove said. “The fact that the lifters from Colorado came back and not only lifted better than they did at Colorado, but even get some serious personal records, was a feat in itself. I also feel that there is a drastic impact on those guys going off to Colorado and finding that success, then coming back and finding more success has drastically influenced the drive for success in other lifters on the team. I always say that iron sharpens iron. When you have competition in the weight room, you will see growth in the weight room.”
The following Lake Gibson lifters placed at the 2026 AAU Florida Weightlifting Summer Series at Lake Gibson High School over the weekend: Joshua Lopez (119 pounds) hit a 120-pound personal record on clean and jerk for fourth; national and state placer Zachary Griffin (132) absolutely smoked his numbers, racking up 240 pounds on clean and jerk – the same weight he hit at nationals — with little to no effort, winning the meet.Michah Pointer (169) hit 245 on clean and jerk, which really isn’t a personal record for him but rather a number he has been stuck at for months, which placed him second in Olympic. And Kolton Clark hit a personal record and took sixth.Lake Gibson’s Dylan Terry (183) was fifth in Olympic; Jacob Sutton (199) took third place to win his first medal. Landyn Conrad (unlimited) hit 215 on snatch, which is more than the record he hit at nationals: In Colorado he hit 91KG at nationals and 97 Saturday, placing him second in Olympic.Dominic Penner-Ramirez took third in traditional at AAU.“Weightlifting is one of the few sports where you can see and feel the growth easily. It shows that hard work does pay off because you can see and feel the results. And you have not just growth and strength, but also in maturity, accountability and character,” Hargrove said. “I think AAU is the greatest thing to happen to Florida weightlifting. Coach (Gilbert) Jones does a great job in promoting it and making sure these kids have a venue to perform and opportunities to show their growth in a healthy environment. The majority of the lifters that were competing in Colorado Springs and nationals were from Florida. … The team that won most divisions was from Florida. Florida’s version of lifting with Olympic and traditional is what’s helping with the growth of Olympic weightlifting.”Winter Haven did a solid job as well.
The following Winter Haven lifters placed at AAU over the weekend: Skylar Taylor (101 pounds, fourth in Olympic and second in traditional), Kamauni Hendrix (119, first in Olympic and traditional); Rylee Miller (129, first in both categories); Jaoris Gonzalex (154, first in Olympic and second in traditional); Graycee Conklin (154, second in Olympic and third in traditional); Yaretzi Aguilar (154, fourth in traditional).
“Overall, I’m very happy with the way all our lifters performed,” Winter Haven head weightlifting coach Renard Ellis said. “There’s always room for growth, but the main thing for me is that these young men and women are having fun and enjoying the whole process. You know weightlifting teaches you so much more than … physical strength. There’s a mental aspect as well and (it) just teaches you so much more to benefit you to prepare for life.”
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: How Polk County lifters fared at latest AAU series meet at Lake Gibson
Reporting by Robert Magobet, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
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By Robert Magobet, Lakeland Ledger | USA TODAY Network
