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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 2018)
Wednesday, August 8, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 25 The Nugget Newspaper Crossword By Jacqueline E. Mathews, Tribune News Service PHOTO PROVIDED Anne Geser, 65, uushes her limits — and loves it. Sisters woman sets powerlifting record By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief Powerlifting is hard. And that’s just what Anne Geser wants. “I’ve discovered that hard makes you grow,” she told The Nugget. “Hard empowers you.” Last weekend, the 65-year- old Sisters woman traveled to Portland and smashed the International Powerlifting League deadlift world record for her age and weight class (65-69, 132 pounds). The record was 82.5kg/181 pounds. Geser beat that mark. Three times. Her first lift was 85kg/187 pounds, her sec- ond 90kg/198 pounds, and she closed out at 95kg/209 pounds. Geser declined a fourth lift. She said her form had been good on all three lifts and she didn’t want to push it and get injured. That’s part of what she’s learned in a multi-year fitness and strength training journey: to listen to her body and take care of it. Geser was proud of her deadlift accomplishment – and noted that there’s some stiff competition. “There are obviously some strong women out there, because I couldn’t break a bench (press) or a squat (record),” she said. Geser has been seriously pursuing fitness and strength training for the past seven years. For the past four, she’s been training with Ryan Hud- son at Level 5 Barbell Club, focusing on powerlifting for the past two years. All of this is coming at a time in life when a lot of people are becom- ing less active due to nagging injuries and fallibilities or a lack of physical initiative. “I’ve kind of given up excuses,” Geser said. “They don’t get you anywhere. They keep you prisoner.” Geser said she enjoys the fundamental challenge of weightlifting — the opportu- nity to face a challenge and overcome it. “All of my thinking in my head is, ‘I’m going to do this. I can do this,’” she said. She finds that that mind- set translates into the rest of her life, in many different ways. On the practical level, it’s made her much more con- scious of nutrition and the need for people of her age to con- sume enough protein to retain muscle. Meeting and beat- ing the demands of weight- lifting has helped her apply the same principles of small steps and incremental gains to other challenges in life. And, she notes, “I think I was an ADD kid, but they didn’t have labels (in her youth),” she said. “This helps me with my focus.” Geser recommends that people of her age find some- thing that ignites a passion, something that challenges them and offers the chance to fail — and the opportunity to achieve. “It’s not that I would rec- ommend this (in particular) — but I would recommend something that takes you out of your box, that inspires you, that gives you some little pieces of success,” she said. — Last Week’s Puzzle Solved — This Week’s Crossword Sponsors Greg Wieland L.Ac. Practicing since 1989 352 E. Hood Ave., Ste. E Sisters Acupuncture Center 541-549-1523 When the going gets tough, even the tough call us. Banr Enterprises, llc Consult | Construct | Complete Earthwork • Utilities • Grading • Rock Walls • Snow Removal Residential and Commercial Contractor CCB: 165122 www.banr.net | 541-549-6977 PHOTO PROVIDED A record lift for Anne Geser of Sisters.
