Four powerlifters from Port Alberni will be headed to a competition in Nanaimo later this month.
Ashley Schmitz, who works as a personal trainer and coach out of Activate Athletic Studio on 10th Avenue, will be headed to the Kraken Open powerlifting and bench press competition in Nanaimo from May 25-26. She has put together a team of three other athletes: Chantelle Siermacheski, Mitch Coté and Allie Pontbriand.
The competition will be held at the Cedar Community Hall in Nanaimo, and each athlete will be competing in three different lifts: bench press, squat and deadlift.
Schmitz says the powerlifters meet at Activate Athletic every Saturday and Thursday.
“We’ve been preparing [for the competition] for weeks now,” she said. “We get together and do mock competitions, where we lift as much as we can.”
Schmitz encourages people to give powerlifting a try if they’re looking for a new workout. It’s an all ages sport—Schmitz says she has trained everyone from teenagers to powerlifters who are 60 years old. It’s a very “inclusive” sport, she added.
“I like that it’s focused on how much you can lift and how strong you are,” she said. “People surprise themselves with what they can do. And I like the fact that powerlifting can carry into our day to day life.”
Activate Athletic Studio opened in 2018 and offers inclusive fitness training with a number of certified personal trainers.
