By Ryan Hunter—
Muncie, IN—On June 26th, local Delta Middle School student, Caleb Hunter, competed at the Nike 2021 National Youth Weightlifting Championship in Detroit. Caleb is a member of the Muncie Weightlifting Club and Youth Sports Performance Program at Muncie CrossFit at the Arsenal. He earned a spot at the national competition by lifting a qualifying total weight in the Snatch and Clean & Jerk in early May. These two lifts can be seen at the Tokyo Olympics this summer, and both require speed, timing, technique, and strength.
“Every young athlete starts the same way in our program,” says Eric Van Matre, Head Coach at the Arsenal, “with bodyweight and light dumbbell movements to make sure they are moving properly and safely. Our coaches ensure that every athlete is competent with these basic movements before moving on to more advanced, sport-specific exercises. Caleb decided that he would like to pursue Olympic lifting as a secondary sport, and we have been focusing on that for the last year before his first competition.”
Coach Eric Van Matre guiding Caleb through a warm-up before his lifts.
Caleb competed with other 11- & 12-year-old athletes across the country on the 26th and achieved an all-time personal best in the Clean & Jerk and his overall Total. He also made a name for himself in the warmup area by solving Rubik’s cubes. His dad stated that solving the cubes provided an outlet for his nervous energy prior to each lift.
For more information about the Youth Sport Performance Program and other fitness options at the Arsenal visit https://munciecrossfit.com/programs/.
