‘Real Florida Magazine’ was invited to spend the day on Thursday, March 1, 2018 with Coach Lee Richards and the Vernon, Florida High School Weight Lifting Team, and the experience was eye-opening, as seen in these photos by Real Florida Media, a subsidiary of The Goulding Agency in Chipley, Florida.
Starting with a pancake breakfast at 7AM, sponsored by Washington County Commission Chairman Tray Hawkins, with the assistance of fellow Commissioners Todd Abbott and Alan Bush, as well as other Vernon faithful, the day just kept getting better, as athletes arrived from all over the region to compete in Vernon’s first multi-school boy’s weight-lifting tournament.
Teams from Blountstown, Mosley, Holmes County, Sneads, Graceville, Chipley, Deane Bozeman, Arnold, Vernon and other regional high schools participated in today’s inaugural event and with today’s obvious success, there are sure to be more similar events in the future.
Lat year, Richards escorted four Vernon High School weightlifters to Kissimmee, Florida to compete in the FHSAA State Weight Lifting Finals.
Christian Alderman, Ryan Malloy, Johnshae Works and Damion Stephens all won honors at the Regional Weight Meet at Godby in 2017, bringing Vernon it’s first-ever State Weightlifting championship.
‘We are very proud of our program, which has grown exponentially in the past year’, said Lee Richards, surrounded by over a hundred bulky athletes on Thursday morning in the VHS gymnasium.
‘This program is very important to our entire sports effort’, said VHS Athletic Director Gerald Tranquille at Thursday’s event. ‘The health benefit of weight-lifting for all our athletes is important, and our other programs, such as our football efforts, benefit greatly from the activities initiated by Lee Richards’.
‘Lee has served us well and done us proud’, echoed Vernon High School Principal Brian Riviere, who helped serve pancakes, sausage, milk and juice, all provided by Tray Hawkins, who labored over the grill in the back parking lot.
‘We never miss an opportunity to help out my old alma mater’, said Hawkins in between flipping pancakes, ‘and with the tense climate in the schools across the nation these days, we are pleased to be able to enjoy these lighter moments when possible’.
Hawkins, just the day before meeting with Florida Governor Rick Scott and local Sheriff Department officials, is optimistic about the course of action being prescribed and funded by Florida’s top politician.
‘Rick Scott has put his money where his mouth is’, said Hawkins, ‘and there are some good things to come for Washington County’s school children as a result’.
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