Maine powerlifters take world awards

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When you have a club whose members range in age from 12 to 86, it’s difficult to find many common bonds. However, it’s not so difficult to find at least one among Stork’s Powerlifting team; it’s pretty easy. It’s all about the love of competition.

“We don’t do this for money or recognition or awards. We do it for love of the sport,” said head coach and trainer Al Stork. “The only requirements are to come in at least twice a week and you have to compete in the meets, which are maybe four or five a year.”

Neither requirement is much to ask for the 18 members of Stork’s Newport-based club, especially the one about meet competition.

“I was nervous about it, but once I did my first competition I was fine,” said Karen Campbell of Winterport. “I still get really nervous at each competition. Al usually makes me go sit in a corner and calm down.”

That nervousness doesn’t seem to hurt Campbell much. The part-time mail carrier has excelled since joining Stork’s team when it re-formed in 2005.

Actually, excelled might be an understatement. Campbell, already the club’s biggest success story, is fresh off one of her best-ever performances. In fact, Stork’s team had its best performance at the World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters World Championships in Anaheim, Calif., Nov. 15-20.

“This is as well as we’ve done in our club history at Worlds,” said Stork.

Campbell broke two world records. One was her own in the women’s open, 198-pound division (open to women weighing 181.5 to 198 pounds) with a bench press of 380 pounds and the other in women’s masters (ages 41-over) 198 with a 400-pound bench.

“She benched the 380 in open and beat her old mark by 40 pounds on Thursday. And even though she could have used that for master’s as well without benching it again, she chose to lift, meaning she started all over,” Stork said.

That decision didn’t look too wise after she fouled on her first two attempts, leaving her just one more chance.

Whether it was a case of nerves or not, Campbell overcame it and benched 300 on her final try for her 12th world record in five years of competition.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, Campbell broke both records while using new and unfamiliar equipment after her equipment bag was lost somewhere between the airport and the hotel in Anaheim.

“It was pretty traumatic. I had my lifting gear in a carry-on on the plane and it was right with us all the time,” Campbell recalled. “When we got outside the airport, my husband put the bag on the shuttle. We didn’t realize we didn’t have it until after we checked in.”

The bag and the Titan lifting gear worth $1,400 inside it were never found.

“Luckily, they had a Titan representative at the competition, so we were able to get new gear, but I lost a custom-made lifting shirt,” Campbell said. “I guess [husband] Peter’s got a couple items to add to his Christmas list.”

The 5-foot-4 Campbell is already eyeing more marks. She has dropped her weight down to 188 pounds and is aiming at another mark next year.

“I’m only seven pounds shy of the next weight class, and the record in 181 [175-181] is only about half of what I’m lifting now,” she said.

She has come a long way in a fairly short amount of time.

“She’s been lifting for 12 years overall, but she was benching just 135 when she started competition five years ago,” Stork said.

Not bad for a former softball player and gymnast who started lifting only to have something to do together with her son and daughter.

“I like feeling strong without looking like muscle-bound, and it’s helped build my self-esteem,” she said. “I’ve also lost 30 pounds in the last year and a half without losing strength.”

Pulling their weight

Campbell was the standard-bearer, but she wasn’t the only Stork team member to come away with some hardware.

Greg Guernsey of Bangor won a world title in the men’s Class 1 super heavyweight (308 pounds and over) division with a bench press of 502 pounds and was third in the masters division with the same mark.

“I’ve been on Al’s team for two years, but this was my first Worlds,” Guernsey said. “I could have lifted a lot more, but I was a little nerved up. I missed my opening bench because I was so nervous.

“I’ll definitely put up better numbers next year.”

Guernsey said one of the personal highlights for him was the first day, even though he didn’t compete.

“I really enjoyed watching it. It was a great experience,” said Guernsey, one of four brothers, three of whom lift.

Other members who did well were Ben Smith of Sangerville, who was third in the junior men’s 242-pound division with a dead lift of 462 pounds and fourth with a bench of 385; Bangor’s Michael Bazinet was second in men’s master’s 198-pound division with a 452 bench; and Caleb O’Donald of Newburgh, who was third in teen’s 220-pound division with a 342 bench.

“Mike hadn’t reached 300 when he started here, and now he’s at 500. Greg has the potential to get to 600,” said Stork.

Of Stork’s 18 team members, eight qualified for Worlds and five competed. Stork, who tore a triceps muscle eight years ago, missed the competition after having two reconnective surgeries two years ago to repair the damage. The 54-year-old construction company owner has broken two world records (530-pound bench 2004 and 500-pound bench in 2003).

“I’m training to dead lift now, primarily,” the Bar Harbor native said. “My goal is to bench 600.”

Making a clean restart

Stork opened Stork’s Gym and Fitness Center in Newport in 1995, but he closed it in 2003.

“Business was OK, but it’s really tough to deal with the public only because some people want results without putting in the work,” Stork said.

He reopened as a club in 2005. He also made another switch, going from American Powerlifting Association meets to WABDL meets.

“I grew disappointed with the APA because of their record-keeping and because it wasn’t drug-tested,” he said. “It wasn’t as up-to-date as it should have been, and I really wanted to get in what I call a clean organization. They test in every WABDL event.”

The club is supported through business sponsorships such as O’Donald’s Concrete and Bazinet’s Creative Digital Imaging. The Guernseys also help with sponsorship.

“The more recognition we get, the more people get interested in lifting,” Stork said. “We’ve added more members each year since we started up.”

“We have people from Bar Harbor, Bangor, Winterport, Newport, Newburgh, Dresden and York,” he added. “And as far as ages go, we’ve got teens and people in their 30s and 40s plus 50s, 60s and 80s.

“You don’t have to be experienced. I’ve never really started with anyone who’s a lifter before starting here – and definitely never anyone who’s an accomplished lifter.”

The club is open Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 8:30 a.m.