Athletes Receive a Powerful Lift in Self-Esteem

Before a cheering crowd, Ron Wood stepped onto the stage, stooped over and grimaced as he slowly hoisted the 303-pound barbell to waist level.

On a signal from a judge, the 177-pound power lifter from Santa Paula lowered the weight to the ground without a thud. Cheers went up as Wood, 26, thrust his left fist into the air in victory.

Wood, born with Down’s syndrome, was one of 80 athletes who participated this weekend in the sixth annual Ventura County Special Olympics Powerlifting Invitational.

The lifters, all clad in thigh-length bodysuits according to their team’s color, came mostly from Los Angeles, Riverside and Kern counties. The 20 or so lifters from Ventura County were hosts of the event, which was held at the Santa Paula Community Center.

“It’s a big event in their lives,” said Carol Newsham, area director for the Ventura County Special Olympics. “It gives them a lot of self-esteem.”

In Sunday’s dead lift competition, participants were required to raise the barbells to waist level while making sure their knees and back were straight.

Parents and coaches alternately yelled encouragement and waited in anticipation as the competition progressed to higher weights.

Of the eight females who competed, Mia McCormick, 20, stood in a class by herself. The bubbly Ojai woman, with blond-streaked hair in a ponytail, lifted 297 1/2 pounds--just shy of her personal best of 300 pounds.

And on Saturday, McCormick, who has a learning disability, took home a gold medal in the bench press competition.

“It makes me feel good inside,” she said, fishing out her medal on a ribbon.

Coach Sandy Ohlsen said McCormick’s training regimen and her dedication have earned her a reputation throughout the state. The woman works out four times a week.

“I call her the power princess because she is so strong,” Ohlsen said. “I don’t think there’s anybody that even comes close to her.”