No, REALLY.
My older brother Joshua participated in the Arkansas State Special Olympics on May 25th, 2013. He has been competing for years but over the past handful of years, he has gotten really into powerlifting. A few years ago, he even got to travel to Ames, IA to compete in the National Special Olympics games as part of the Arkansas team. They did a whole big thing for all of the athletes and the AR team got to fly there on private planes. It was legit. My family opted to drive....but that's a whole other story in itself.
Back to May 25th...
Joshua competed in the bench press, dead-lift, and a combination category. He weighed in at only 116 lbs (which is low, even for him) so I was nervous. I knew my dad had been taking him to the gym and working with him on his weights, but usually Joshua weighs in the 120-range so I wasn't sure what to expect. There were only two people in his weight group. Joshua successfully completed all of his presses and lifts. It is amazing to watch all of those athletes compete. By just looking at some of them, you might think, "Never in a million years could that person be athletic." but you would be SO WRONG. Some can barely walk, some can barely see, some don't look like they have a clue where they are or what is going on, and some, like Joshua, are tiny. I think Joshua's final bench press was 155 lbs and his deadlift was 195 lbs. AREYOUKIDDINGME?! One hundred and ninety five pounds. Did I mention he weighed in at 116 lbs?
all of the athletes competing in the powerlifting division
saw this awesome shirt! :)
LOOK AT THAT FACE!
completing his last lift of 195 lbs!
running start...
time for a....
CELEBRATORY LEAP!
Joshua with Coach Lee
Joshua with his other coach, our dad :)
with Miss AR and Miss Teen AR
with his girlfriend, Jenni
-Holly
