Sacramento State has had an Olympic weightlifting club for quite some time, but since the 2004 Olympics, the numbers dwindled down to no more than 10.

“It kinda died off again after the Olympics, and now it’s growing nicely again,” coach Katherine Redcher-Bowling said.

The three coaches on the team, Paul Bowling, Katherine and Jackie Mah, have all had experience competing at one point in their athletic careers.

Bowling, a member of the club since 1998, is the only male coach, but has since retired from competing and is a full-time club coach.

“I like lifting a little more, but I’m retired now, (so) coaching is the next best thing,” Bowling said.

He joined the team for a number of reasons, such as exercising, increasing his muscle mass, releasing stress and comradery, while keeping his competitive sprit alive.

“Those were the main reasons why I was on the team, and I want to provide that for other students,” Bowling said.

Redcher-Bowling joined the club in 1997 after she found out she was unable to join the Sac State gymnastics team due to NCAA regulations.

She loved the conditioning part of gymnastics, and the weightlifting club offered a similar workout.

“I loved the conditioning. Most girls don’t like to do conditioning, but I loved it,” she said.

The comradery is an important factor to Redcher-Bowling, but she also loves to compete and to be a part of the small weightlifting community.

“Since (the weightlifting community) is so tiny, you meet these people that you want to stay with and since it’s so small, I want to help get it going,” she said.

Sac State now has some new blood heading to the Collegiate National Championships on April 14 and 15 in Reno.

Sophomore Ben Claridad took second place in the 105 kilograms class at the Sacramento High Junior Open March 4 to advance to the Nationals. Claridad recorded a personal best of lifting 204 kilograms.

“It’s my first big meet,” Claridad said. “I want to do well and represent the school. It will be a good benchmark (for me, which has been) two years in the making.”

Claridad joined the club in the fall of his freshman year when he saw inspiring pictures in the weight room.

“I love it,” he said “It’s a nice way to meet people.”

John Redito joined freshmen Dominic and Donte Morris on the team last fall.

Redito wrestled at South San Francisco High School and wanted to go to school in the east, but said his parents wanted him close.

He said he looked for a school that had kinesiology programs first and then schools that had wrestling programs. Sac State gave Redito the opportunity to study kinesiology, but didn’t have a wrestling team.

UC Davis, which is 21 miles west of Sac State, did offer wrestling, but didn’t have a kinesiology program.

“Davis, and any other UC for that matter, didn’t have kinesiology programs.” he said. “That’s why I chose Sac State.”

He picked up a brochure for rec sports and saw the weightlifting club and joined right away.

Redito took fifth place in the 85 kilograms class, lifting 165 kilograms at the Pacific Weightlifting Association Championships on Feb.11 in San Francisco.

The club’s president, Fernando Rodriquez, takes care of recruiting and getting the word out about the sport on campus.

Rodriquez also competes and took sixth place in the 85 kilograms class, lifting 150 kilograms in the Pacific Weightlifting Association Championships.

Redcher-Bowling snagged the top spot during the women’s competition in the 69 kilograms class, lifting 146 kilograms in the Pacific Weightlifting Association Championships. Both Claridad and Mah competed as well.

Freshman Donte Morris said he likes to do the clean and jerk because it’s a little easier.

All three coaches have been to the Nationals and know what it takes to bring trophies back to Sac State.

Redcher-Bowling said the club men’s team won the 1996, 1997 and 1998 collegiate nationals.

The women won in 1990, placed second at the 1998 collegiate Nationals, took fourth at the 2002 American Open and took third in the nation at the U.S. National Championships in 2003.

Karyn Gilbert can be reached at [email protected]