Write-up by Coach Don Woods, photo by Tracy Farr of the MP Tribune

On Saturday January 26, the Tigers and Lady Tigers bowed their necks and fought to defend their home platforms in the 4th Annual Tiger Iron Invitational Meet.

Newly located at the MP Jr. High Main Gym, the Invitational saw a record number of lifters come to compete for the honor of calling themselves Tiger Iron Champions.

The Lady Tigers all saw PR’s (personal records) when the dust settled, collecting 4 medals and an overall 4th place finish out of 17 teams.

Medal winners were:
Martina Ramirez, 2nd place
Aslin Barrientos, 1st place
Shantel Harmon, 2nd place
Camille Cantu, 3rd place

Other lifters with PR’s were:
Ashlyn Brooks, 6th
Paula Flores, 13th
Sophy Turner, 7th

All the Tiger lifters saw PR’s this weekend as well, collecting 7 medals and finishing 4th overall out of 19 teams.

Medal winners were:
David Nava, 5th place in the 132 class with a 740 lb total,
Antonio Landaverde, 5th place in the 148 class with a 855 lb total,
Daniel Bautista, 5th place in the 181 class with a 1080 lb total,
Jonathan Woods, 5th place in the 198 class with a 1135 lb total,
George Lias, 1st place in the 242 class with a 1415 lb total,
Joel Guerrero, 3rd place in the 242 class with a 1305 lb total, and
Ivan Elizando, 4th place in the 275 class with a 1145 lb total.

Other lifters with PR’s were:
Didier Serrano, 8th place in the 132 class with a 570 lb total,
Zane Phillips, 7th in the 148 class with a 850 lb total,
Fernando Martinez, 13th in the 148 class with a 720 lb total,
Alex Vaseleck, 15th in the 148 class with a 705 lb total,
Nicholas Ramirez, 18th in the 148 class with a 605 lb total,
Angel Perez, 14th place in the 181 class with a 770 lb total,
Astin Ledbetter, 13th in the 198 class with a 905 lb total,
Elias Elizando, 10th in the 220 class with a 930 lb total,
Reid Pinckard, 12th in the 220 class with a 790 lb total,
Blake Mays, 11th in the 275 class with a 935 lb total, and
Tyler Welborn, 7th in the SHW class with a 1030 lb total.

Since the first week of competition, the Tigers and Lady Tigers have had staggering increases in their PR’s.

The Tigers have seen an overall total increase of 1130 lbs, for an average of 66 lbs per lifter!

The Lady Tigers have seen an overall total increase of 510 lbs, for an average of 64 lbs per lifter!

The old saying goes, “It’s not how you START, but how you FINISH!

At the midpoint of the season, our teams have made extraordinary gains, but are not satisfied yet.

With 3 weeks left to put themselves Regionally in the top 12 in their individual weight class, they cannot afford to be satisfied.

Make Gains; Defend your house!

EVERY REP MATTERS!