Osceola’s ‘Z’ earns lifting championship

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Osceola’s ‘Z’ earns lifting championship

Sports

Wednesday, 16 February 2011 12:38

News-Gazette Photos/Andrew Sullivan

Osceola High’s Zanquina Ellison is all smiles after a successful lift in the bench press Saturday at the girls state weightlifting meet at the Kissimmee Civic Center.

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor
Osceola’s Zanquina “Z” Ellison was disappointed Saturday that she didn’t break a state record, but she earned a pretty good consolation prize — the 129-pound girls state weightlifting championship.
Ellison, who powered up lifts of 175 pounds in the bench press and 155 pounds in the clean and jerk, easily won her second state title with a total lift of 330 pounds at the Kissimmee Civic Center.
“I guess I’m happy, but I could have done better,” Ellison said. “It’s nice to win a championship.”
Ellison won at 119 pounds as a sophomore two years ago. She also went to the state meet as a freshman at St. Cloud High, when she finished fourth. As a junior last season, she led all lifters at 129 pounds at the state tournament after the bench press, but she was unable to complete a clean and jerk because of a wrist injury and did not place.
“She was determined to get back and win it her senior year,” Osceola Coach Eric Pinellas said. “She could have clean and jerked 175 pounds (Saturday), which would have tied her record, but she didn’t want to do that. She said if she couldn’t break the record, what was the point? That’s why she was upset with herself.”

Harmony’s Melissa Albert, here competing in the bench press, placed third at 139 pounds at the state weightlifting meet Saturday at the Kissimmee Civic Center.

Two more Osceola County weightlifters turned in outstanding efforts Saturday and placed in their respective weight classes.
Poinciana’s Kandra Anderson lifted 170-165—335 to finish second at 183 pounds, and Harmony’s Melissa Albert lifted 155-165—320 and finished third at 135 pounds.
Anderson, the Orange Belt Conference and sectional champion, expected to do well at the state meet, she said.
“This year I was pretty confident because I was here last year, and that experience helped me,” she said.
Poinciana Coach Joel Campbell said that state experience, plus a lot of work in the weightroom over the past year, was the difference.
“She started working on her technique in the clean and jerk, and because of that she was able to get up 165, which is a record for her,” Campbell said.
Albert squeezed a bottle of honey into her mouth before each lift, and the eventual outcome proved to be just as sweet for her.
“I guess it gives me a little extra boost,” she said.
Albert, the OBC champion, said she thought she would do well at the state meet and she did, hitting personal records on all of her lifts.
“I had high goals, even though it was the first state meet for me,” she said. “I try to stay calm, because if you get nervous, you can’t perform.”
Even though Albert, a dual enrollment student at Harmony who has competed at rodeos, seemed to easily lift the last clean and jerk, she said she had performed as well as she could.
“I might have been able to get a little more over my head, but you have to clean it first and I couldn’t have gone any higher,” she said.
Spruce Creek won the team championship.
St. Cloud’s Iliana Bonilla lifted 105-120-225 at 101 pounds, and Annie Barberi cleared 120-120-240 at 110 pounds, but neither placed among the top six.
Osceola’s 119-pounder Tynia Gaither did not make weight.
The boys state weightlifting tournament will come to the Civic Center in April.