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Valley lifters net gold, records

With a chance to return to the IPL World Championships slated for November in Las Vegas, 10 members of the Sonoma “Ikaika Ho’omau” Powerlifting team seized the opportunity with a series of strong performances at last month’s USPA National Championships in Los Angeles.

The three-day Costa Mesa national tournament featured powerlifters from across the United States competing in events which included the Full Powerlifting Competiton – squat, bench press and deadlift – along with the National Bench Press Championships and the National Deadlift Championships.

At the USPA Nationals, the Sonoma “Ikaika Ho’omau” (which means persevere with strength) team – founded by trainer/coach Wayne Jandoc, and trains out of Sonoma Valley Fitness, owned by sponsor Juan Zaragosa – established 34 American records, 21 world records and 34 state records, in addition to garnering 16 gold medals.

Highlighting the event for Sonoma was the crowning of Shawn Buckley as the pound-for-pound “Best Lifter” in the country for this USPA federation.

Competing in the open division, Buckley captured first-place and set American and state records with an eye-opening 705-pound squat and 712-pound deadlift in the 198-pound weight-class.

Also sparking the record-setting, gold-medal-winning effort by the Valley lifters were six women, including Gayle Arrowood, Karen Parnow, Martha King, Betsy Spaan, Valerie Walter and Patsy Wynne.

Arrowood lifted in the 50-to-54-years-old masters division and was a full-meet first-place finisher, while setting four American and state records, as well as one world record, highlighted by a 255-pound squat.

Parnow also competed in the 50-to-54 masters division and set an American and state record, while earning first-place finishes in bench-only and deadlift-only, highlighted by her 303-pound deadlift.

King lifted in the 45-to-49 masters division and was a full-meet first-place finisher, who set five American and state records, highlighted by a 259-pound deadlift.

Spaan competed in the open division and earned a full-meet first-place, highlighted by a 292-pound deadlift. She also lifted in the 50-to-54 masters division and set six American and state records, along with two world records, with full-meet, bench-only and deadlift-only first-place finishes.

Walter, in the 60-to-64 masters division, claimed a raw-category, full-meet first-place finish, highlighted by a 171-pound deadlift, while setting four world and four American and state records.

Wynne lifted in the 65-to-69 masters division and set four world and four American and state records while earning a raw-category, full-meet first-place finish, highlighted by a 171-pound deadlift.

Along with Buckley, the Sonoma men who competed included Jandoc, Bob Kinsey and Ryan Cordano.

Kinsey lifted in the 70-to-74 masters division and captured full-meet, bench-only and deadlift-only first-place finishes, highlighted by a 370-pound deadlift in the 198-pound weight-class, while setting five world and five American and state records.

Cordano competed in the 20-to-23 junior division and claimed a raw-category, full-meet first-place finish, highlighted by a 570-pound deadlift in the 181-pound weight-class, while setting one world record and one American and state record.

Jandoc lifted in the 50-to-54 masters division and earned a full-meet first-place finish, highlighted by a 650-pound squat, while setting three world and three American and state records.

For more information, or to join, the Sonoma “Ikaika Ho’omau” powerlifting team, contact Jandoc at 815-0116, or at wjandoc@comcast.net.