Brookside resident David Hill has been powerlifting for more than 20 years and has competed at the highest levels of Special Olympics competition as well as many non-Special Olympics meets.
Last Saturday at the powerlifting competition that was part of the Special Olympics Delaware Summer Games, the 5-foot-9, 315-pound gargantuan of a man lifted more weight than he ever had before when he bench-pressed 450 pounds during the morning session and then closed out the day with a deadlift of 635 pounds.
“It felt great,” Hill said of his performance. “I was thinking that morning that I was confident I could break my personal best lifts in both events, and I accomplished that.”
Hill finished the day with gold medals in both events and the combined division for a total of three first-place finishes. He’s proud of all three, but especially his favorite event.
“My favorite is deadlift,” he said. “I like it so I can get my legs stronger.”
Hill lifts twice a week at the Training Center in New Castle, and although he chose to take Monday off, he planned to get right back to work in the weight room on Wednesday, already preparing for next year’s Summer Games.
“Lifting weights builds not only my strength, but my confidence,” he proudly said.
Newark Charter conference all-stars
Congratulations to the following Newark Charter High School student-athletes for being selected to Diamond State Athletic Conference all-star teams.
Volleyball first team selections are Michael Zerenner and Brady DuPhily. Dhruv Patel made the second team, and Mehul Gopalani and Ian Leary honorable mention.
Softball first team selections include Sydney Macknis (catcher) and Bryn O’Connor (shortstop). Second team selections are Cassidy Lawhorn (3B), Charlotte Seiler (OF) and Jules Sturgis (2B). Lily Basher (P) was named honorable mention.
In my opinion only …
The trend of women’s sports becoming more and more popular continues as an average of 1.3 million people are tuning into WNBA games and more than half of them are sold out. So yes, that means it’s not just all about Caitlin Clark. … Speaking of perhaps the most popular female athlete in the country, my guess is Clark is relieved that she was not selected to play on the Olympic team in Paris. She would probably never admit that she is relieved, but she’s had a “rough” start during the first half of her rookie season in the WNBA and might relish the opportunity to not only rest and cheer on the team from her couch but also not be in the spotlight. She will probably play in at least two more Olympics, if not more, and when she does, will go to those games with a lot more excitement than I think she would have this year. … Dan Hurley was smart to turn down the Lakers coaching job, even though it was worth a reported $70 million for six years. That’s great money for any assistant coach, which is what he would have been as long as LeBron James is on the roster. And I’m pretty sure none of the players would have responded well to one of Hurley’s sideline tirades.
Wrapping it up
The annual DFRC Blue-Gold All-Star football game is June 21 at Delaware Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. as the top seniors in the state play in their last high school football game, and for many, their last competitive tackle football game ever. Tickets start at $12 and are available at www.dfrc.org or can be purchased at the gate. … Rickia DeRamus is the new football cheer head coach at Glasgow High School. She has worked in various capacities at the school and has more than 20 years of coaching experience. … Delaware football is ranked No. 19 in the Hero Sports FCS Preseason Top 25 poll but is not listed in the Analyst FCS poll.
Until next time … have a great sports week!
Have a sports tidbit to share? Email JonBuzby@hotmail.com and follow on “X” @JonBuzby.
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