Lucio Eugenio trains under Angel San Nicolas and HD Weightlifting Academy CNMI at GetFitCNMI gym.
Jannie Manglona trains under Angel San Nicolas and HD Weightlifting Academy CNMI at GetFitCNMI gym.
HD Weightlifting Academy CNMI is raising funds to send four youth weightlifters to a competition on Guam.
“Weightlifting is a high budget sport,” said weightlifter and trainer Angel San Nicolas, who is the academy’s CNMI coordinator.
“We are doing our best to have funds for our kids to compete and get equipment for them to use,” he added. “I’m sure if the rest of the community sees what our youth athletes can do, they can appreciate the hard work that these weightlifters put in.”
The weightlifters who are hoping to compete on Guam are Lucio Eugenio, Jannie Manglona, Jaden Andrew and Aiden Gimed.
“These athletes lift more than the minimum. I won’t say much. Their performance will show why,” San Nicolas said.
“Youth athletes are the future. I’m the first to not only push for the youth to train in weightlifting, but to also compete. They will keep this sport alive. From a worldwide perspective, no one in the CNMI right now can be competitive with the rest of the world. That’s a fact. That’s because everyone started as adults.”
San Nicolas added, “I just firmly believe that if any of our youth athletes continue to pursue this sport and set personal and professional goals, they can go far…. I choose to focus on the youth because no one pays attention to our youth as much, especially in an ‘unpopular’ sport like weightlifting. Our youth are the best examples to spread awareness of the sport.”
San Nicolas said she is also focused on helping train female weightlifters.
“It would open the eyes of people who have strong opposition towards females lifting weights especially at a young age. I want to dispel the myth that lifting weights is bad for young kids because it will make them short, or lifting weights is bad for young girls. Most of the other sports are well established with their youth programs, and I plan to do that with weightlifting. Even if I have to do it alone, I will,” he added.
San Nicolas at the same time said he would like to thank GetFit CNMI for supporting weightlifting. “They will add depth to our weightlifting talent in the years to come. This I can guarantee,” he added.
Not a walk in the park
Nina Manglona, the mother of Lucio Eugenio and Jannie Manglona, said, “When Angel told me that he wanted to bring in Lucio to start lifting, I agreed because I needed [my son] to have an outlet outside of school and family. I’m glad I made that decision. Now he is more open to trying different sports and of course with that he has made new friends.”
Several months later, Jannie wanted to try weightlifting, too, Nina said.
“With her, I was a bit more hesitant, because of the stereotypes of being a girl. But again, I am glad I didn’t let that stop me from stopping her. They both enjoy weightlifting now and it’s something they share.” Nina said.
“It’s not a walk in the park, for sure. They have their days when they don’t feel like going, but it’s those very days that I push them to show up for themselves, because they have committed to it already. I try to instill in them that they can’t just give up because they don’t feel like it. No matter what, they need to push their limits. It will benefit them both physically and mentally. And it sure has.”
For Nina, weightlifting is more than just a physical sport. “It’s also mental. If your head space is not in the right place, it will show in how you lift. So, I believe that this sport teaches more than just muscle building. I see it in my kids. It builds determination, patience, resiliency, and confidence. I am glad that more youth are getting into weightlifting. They are not just building a network for themselves but also a support group. When the kids train together, they hype each other, and they push each other. It’s really nice to see. In the end, it benefits the longevity of their life. So why not?”
If you want to help the CNMI’s young weightlifters compete on Guam, call Nina at (670) 789-8280.
