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Chapter Two: Introduction to Burwood Weightlifting Club & Head Coach Luke

I still vividly remember the day I first walked down the dingy stairs into the gym at the Burwood PCYC, in Sydney’s Inner West. It was a Friday afternoon in April 1998 and I was 27 years old. This was the day I first met Luke Borreggine.

For months a friend called Craig had been trying to convince me to give Olympic Weightlifting a try since he’d heard that “Womens Weightlifting” was going to be in the Olympics for the first time ever – at the Sydney 2000 Games. My then fiancé, Steve, was working with Craig at the time, as a bouncer (sorry “Doorman”) at a pub in Bankstown. To pass the nights away Steve and Craig would have numerous conversations, some of them intelligent and some not so intelligent, (in between keeping the patrons in line) and during one of these conversations Steve had bragged to Craig about my Powerlifting accomplishments and mentioned the fact I used to teach aerobics. Craig had done Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting in his younger years, so he thought I would make a good Olympic Weightlifter and gave me Luke’s telephone number.

When I finally plucked up the courage to ring Luke and introduce myself I discovered that Craig had already spoken to him about me. Luke told me to come in to the gym where he was based and he would put me through some “tests” for about 10 minutes to see if I had what it took to be a weightlifter.

So there I was, with Steve for moral support, on a Friday afternoon at 6pm having come straight from work. The gym at Burwood PCYC was down at the back of the basketball hall and it smelt sweaty and dusty. The carpet was torn, the paint was peeling from the walls and there was weightlifting memorabilia, photographs and newspaper articles pinned up everywhere. I instantly liked it – it had a ‘real’ atmosphere, although I felt a little out of place in my suit and high heels.

I was terrified when I first met Luke. He is a very tall man with a loud voice and I immediately felt frightened of him. After I got changed into my training gear, he started to put me through a series of ‘tests’. He used a broom-stick to nudge me into the correct position as he taught me the Snatch technique. I kept thinking he was going to hit me with it!

The 10 minutes ended up being over an hour, as he got me into the Snatch and Clean & Jerk positions to determine my co-ordination and flexibility, and he taught me from basics how to do these lifts. I was embarrassed and didn’t admit it at the time but I didn’t even know the difference between the 2 lifts. Great for someone with a secret ambition of making the Olympics! With sheer brut strength and an appalling technique I managed that evening to snatch around 30kg and power-clean & push-press 60kg.

Afterwards I told Luke I wanted to make the Olympic team for the 2000 Olympics, which was just two years away. Luke didn’t exactly laugh at me, but he did say it would be a very difficult task as 2 years wasn’t a long time for a weightlifter. He said although I had talent, there was only a small possibility of making it for the Olympics and he could not guarantee it. He said he thought 2002 Commonwealth Games would be a more realistic target to aim for.

Luke told me up front what would be involved – membership fees, the cost of weightlifting boots, how much training I would be expected to do, how things worked in this gym and most of all how he would be totally in charge. All I had to do was turn up on time, do what I was told and lift weights. I was also told no more aerobics or Powerlifting as it could interfere with the Olympic weightlifting training.

I had the weekend to think about it. I talked it over with Steve and decided, with Steve’s backing, I wanted to start on Monday.

I recall thinking at the time that I knew Luke didn’t really believe I could make it to the Olympics but I said to myself “I’ll show him, I’ll prove him wrong”. I also decided then that I wouldn’t mention my goal again until I was closer to it. If Luke thought it was a long shot then surely others would think so too, and I didn’t want people laughing at me and thinking I was an idiot.

I soon learned! What I didn’t realise at that time was just how technical the sport of Olympic weightlifting is. It doesn’t matter how strong you are, you might be able to use your strength to shift the weight but you need speed to get the weight above your head and most of all you need technique to get it to stay there!

As a Powerlifter I had come a long way in only 3 years. Powerlifting is a competitive sport with three lifts: Squat, Benchpress and Deadlift. I had won silver medals 2 years in a row at the 1995 and 1996 World Championships and had broken numerous records – so I just assumed it would be the same in Olympic Weightlifting and that I would be able to make the team easily. I already had a good strength base from the powerlifting plus I was coordinated and reasonably flexible from all the aerobics. I looked up the current Australian records which didn’t seem that high. I figured since I could benchpress 100kg, and squat around 160kg, I should be able to clean and jerk the current record of 83kg. I didn’t see at the time what the problem would be?

So I trained eagerly tying to master this technique, frustrating as it was, but yet enjoyable at the same time. I always liked a challenge and was willing to put in the hard work to give me the best chance of making the Olympics.

Little did I know, just what frustration lay ahead!

Coming up next – Chapter 3: Training and competing in the early days