Pearl Lorentzen
For South Peace News

Champion Fitness Open had 37 powerlifters aged nine to 74 years compete.

“The event was probably the smoothest we’ve had,” says organizer Khalil Mouallem.

“It went great and everyone was happy with it.”

Jad Mouallem, 27, was the only lifter in the competition from Slave Lake. All nine of his lifts were successful. He was one of only six competitors who made all nine lifts.

Jad’s largest squat was 185 kg, his biggest bench press was 145 kg, and his largest deadlift was 240 kg. This brought his total to 570 kg which earned him 74.72 GL points. GL points are used to compare lifters across different weight classes, says Khalil.

Jad defeated three other lifters in the 93 kg Men’s Open category to win first. He also took first place overall in the Open Class based on GL points. This was out of 11 men and women. Out of all 37 competitors, he had the third highest GL points.

Maya Winckers, 23, from Fort McMurray, had the second highest overall with 82.79 GL points. She competed in the 63 kg female junior category.

Another junior lifter, De’lano-j Woodbine, 22, from Fort McMurray, was in the highest weight class 105 kg. He lifted the most weight overall. He lifted 790 kg in total – a 265 kg squat, 195 kg bench press, and 330 kg deadlift. He won Best Overall with 97.93 GL points.

Champions Fitness Open was April 30 at Champions Health and Fitness in Slave Lake. It was an Alberta Powerlifting Union sanctioned event and the sixth powerlifting event Champions has organized in Slave Lake. Champions ran provincials in Slave Lake in 2022 and four other local meets.

“The organizing it took for provincials made this feel like a breeze. Provincials also helped expand the reach of the sport in northern Alberta and allowed us to sell out so fast that all we had to focus on was setup and not registrations,” says Khalil.

Of the 37 lifters, 18 were from northern Alberta.

“The addition of a youth division was huge in Slave Lake, the biggest youth turn out in a Canadian meet yet. I hope this leads to the sport becoming another option for kids like soccer or taekwondo,” says Khalil.

Of the 37 competitors, 15 were male and 22 were female. All of the male competitors were over 18. They competed in the Junior, Ppen or various mature categories. The oldest was Cole Garvin, from Calgary, who is 74 years old.

Of the female athletes, nine were from the South Peace area including three from Girouxville, three from Falher, two from McLennan, and one from Donnelly. Six of these were under 18, one was in the Junior category, and two were in the Open category.

Kaylee Fehr, 9, from Le Crete, was the youngest competitor at the meet and in the lowest weight category, weighing under 35 kg. Fehr was in the Y2 category. The other three Y2 weightlifters were from the South Peace region including Grace Labrecque, 10, from Girouxville, Zoe Dubrule, 11, from McLennan, and Hannah Trudeau, 10, from Girouxville. All four Y2 competitors were girls and were in different weight categories from each other.

Labrecque was in the 43 kg class and lifted 84 kg, for 27.61 GL points. Dubrule was in the 47 kg class. She lifted 120 kg for 33.34 GL points. Trudeau was in the 52 kg class and lifted 120 kg which earned her 32.14 GL points. This is lower than Dubrule’s because of the formula.

The next age category was Y3. All three girls were from the South Peace area and were in different weight classes. From Falher, Zara Chenard, 12, and Brielle Maisonneuve, 13, competed. From McLennan, Dani Paterson, 13, competed. Chenard was in the 47 kg class. She lifted 177.5 kg, for a total of 50.39 GL points. Maisonneuve (52 kg class) lifted 212.5 kg, for 58.42 GL points. Dani Paterson (57 kg class) lifted 185 kg, for 43.63 GL points.

In the Junior Women’s category, Jenna Loewen, 19, from Donnelly, was in the 63 kg class. She lifted 205 kg, for 46.13 GL points. Loewen was third in the 63 kg female junior class.

In the Women’s Open, two South Peace region women competed. Both were second in their class. Janie Simard, 37, from Girouxville, competed in the 63 kg female open class. She lifted 267.5 kg, for 59.27 GL points. Colby Robbins, 34), from Falher, competed in the 69 kg female open class. She lifted 292.5 kg, for 63.29 GL points.