By Kyle LoJacono
She strides slowly toward the bench press, gets into position and pauses for just a moment before lifting more than her own weight.
Sunlake High sophomore girls weightlifter Alex Ruiz spends many hours each week in the gym getting stronger, but that pause before each lift is as important to her success. During that brief moment she says a pray and remembers her older sister Brianna, who died in a car accident several years ago.
“Every single time I do something it’s because of her,” Ruiz said. “I think about her at every meet and before every lift in practice. I can feel that she still sees me and I want to make her proud.”
One thing is certain, Ruiz is on track to qualify for states in her first year on the team. She started working out during the summer when she could only bench press and clean and jerk 85 pounds.
Now Ruiz is at 135 pounds in the bench and 125 in the clean and jerk, more than the 110 pounds she weighs. Last year the state champion in the 110-pound weight class put up 135 pounds in the bench and 150 in the clean and jerk.
Ruiz also participates in softball, cheerleading and track and field teams, but never lifted before this season.
“Really I have no idea,” Ruiz said of how she picked up weightlifting. “I just told coach (Denise) Garcia I wanted to. I didn’t expect to end up being good at it.”
Garcia said she knew Ruiz had the mental strength to be competitive at weightlifting, but did not expect she would progress so far in such a short amount of time with the team.
“She’s amazing,” Garcia said of Ruiz. “She’s probably the smallest girl on the team, but she has so much heart.”
Ruiz took first place in the 110-pound at the Sunshine Athletic Conference event Jan. 22, putting up a total of 250 pounds combined in the bench and clean and jerk. She will try to qualify for the state meet, which is Feb. 12 in Kissimmee, Jan. 29 at the district competition.
-All results as recorded by the Florida High School Athletic Association.
