Clean fund-raising lift for Breakers

There was one major change made to the format of the annual

lift-a-thon staged by the Laguna Beach High football program, but the

main cause of the event remained the same: it’s fund-raising nature.

More than 20 players from the football program took part in the

recent event and raised money for the program which will benefit the

varsity and frosh/soph teams.

The lift-a-thon included a team meeting and barbecue held on the

school’s baseball field.

“We had a really nice time and the kids did a great job of raising

money for the program,” Laguna Beach football coach Dave Holland

said. “We made a few changes to the lift-a-thon format this year and

I was really impressed with how well the kids adjusted.”

In previous lift-a-thons, Holland said, the squat was the lift

used by players.

This year’s lift, however, was the clean-and-jerk, a movement

where the competitor takes the bar in one movement from the floor to

the shoulders, then a lift overhead.

“I was really, really impressed with how well the kids did the

movement,” Holland said. “They had a few weeks to practice the lift

before the lift-a-thon and they worked hard on their form.

“I think this is the way we are going to start lifting now, using

quick lifts like the clean-and-jerk.”

Players raised money by seeking sponsorship from the public, and

were either paid a flat fee or per pound, Holland said.

The top clean-and-jerk lift recorded by a player at each grade

level were as follows:

Senior -- Brett O’Connor, 235-pounds

Junior -- Jon Huerta and Lewie Duker, 215-pounds

Sophomore -- Jody Stevens, 173 pounds

Freshmen -- Sean Lavery 133-pounds; Steve Covern, 126 pounds

The top money raised by a player at each grade level were as

follows:

Senior -- Jake Wheeler, $351.66

Junior -- Elliot Whalen, $314.20

Sophomore -- Jody Stevens, $344.20

Freshman -- Sean Lavery, $346.66