Clean moves

Mike Sciacca

Josh Coleman entered the 2004 American Open weightlifting competition

at Shreveport, La., just looking to “total.”

The Huntington Beach High junior got much more than he had hoped

for.

Not only did the 17-year-old “total,” but he ended up with a

third-place finish and bronze medal in a 69 kilo class (150 pounds

and under) that didn’t have an age limit.

Coleman successfully completed the two required moves -- the

“Snatch,” and, “Clean-and-Jerk.” He was the youngest competitor in a

division whose oldest entrant was 36 years old.

“I was really happy with my third-place finish,” said the

5-foot-7, 150-pound Coleman. “I was going up against some guys much

older than I am. Even though I just wanted to total, I went there on

a mission.”

Weightlifting consists of two lifts: the “snatch” and the “clean

and jerk”.

The snatch is performed in a continuous movement with the arms

held straight. The clean and jerk involves two separate efforts: the

weight is lifted from the platform to the shoulders in one motion,

and the jerk follows with the bar thrust into a position overhead.

Then, feet are brought together to complete the lift.

There are three tries in each lift. The best score in each event

is combined for a “total.”

Coleman’s “totals” included lifting 225-pounds on the snatch, and

275-pounds on the clean-and-jerk.

His strength training coach, Stephanie Ciarelli, who also is the

strength coach at Huntington Beach High, accompanied Coleman on the

trip.

“We didn’t go to Shreveport expecting anything,” she said. “We

just wanted to total, which would put Josh on the national scene. His

finishing in third-place was just icing on the cake.”

Coleman began lifting weights while in middle school at Huntington

Christian. He would walk everyday after schoolto the Huntington Beach

High weight room, to lift, he said.

“My dad actually got me started lifting, and when I started to go

to the high school ... Stephanie just had me working out with a PVC

pipe to get my form and technique down correctly.

“I’m not totally sure why I liked lifting, though. It’s just one

of those things that I’m good at, and I stuck with it.”

Coleman competed at the Junior Nationals at Charleston, Ill., as a

seventh-grader, where he won his first bronze medal in his first

major competition.

As an eighth-grader, he jumped up two weight classes from the

previous year and finished sixth, overall.

He played football his first two years at Huntington Beach High,

then gave up the sport following his sophomore year to focus on

lifting.

Ciarelli has tutored Coleman through the sport from the beginning.

“She’s been there all the time for me,” added Coleman, who next

will compete at April’s Junior Nationals in Minnesota before heading

to Cleveland in May for the Senior Nationals. “It’s fun to train, and

I really enjoy it. If you want to lift, she will take you as far as

you want to go. She’s really helped me out in many ways.”