2025 NYS Championships: THANK YOU!

It’s hard to believe that our annual celebration of New York Weightlifting has come and gone. This year’s event was so much fun and ran smoothly from start to finish. We saw athletes rising to the occasion and deliver outstanding performances, coaches quickly crunching numbers while offering unwavering support and motivation, and teammates lifting each other up during pivotal moments of every session. We also saw countless individuals come together to lend a helping hand and make this year’s event truly special. The 2025 NYS Championships was a great success, and the WSO Committee is deeply thankful for our incredible community.

Athletes and Coaches

Thank you to all the athletes and coaches who supported the NYS Championships. It’s been wonderful to see the progression of athletes who return year after year, a true testament to their hard work and to the high level of coaching we have across the state. If this was your first time competing, we hope you enjoyed the experience and look forward to seeing you again at the next one. Welcome to our New York weightlifting community!

Each athlete and coach are the reason the WSO Committee works year-round to plan this event. Our goal is always to provide a world-class experience that continually improves, offers opportunities, and showcases the sport we love in New York. Thank you again for your continued support.

Technical Officials and Volunteers

The lifeblood of any competition is its volunteers, the people who dedicate countless hours before, during, and after the event. In New York, we’re especially fortunate to have so many highly skilled technical officials who generously donate their time, along with others working their way up through the ranks learning more every day. Every volunteer deserves recognition and appreciation, so let’s take a moment to spotlight those who helped bring this year’s event to life.

Competition Secretary: Sara Soto was instrumental in helping to build our session schedule, troubleshoot software issues, and address countless questions on the rules of the sport in the months leading up to the event. On Friday she worked from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm to set up the competition venue then worked through Saturday, and deep into Sunday doing weigh-ins and processing paperwork into the computer. The NY WSO is lucky to have Sara on our team and in our community. Oh, and the very next weekend after states, she's running ANOTHER weightlifting meet!

Marshals: Beth Terranova, Travis Tirado, Haley Maisonet, Lola Lopez Guardone, Michelle Woogen, Jean Raymond Fakhoury, and Miguel Porter.

Referees: Gregg Decker, Jeff Scott, Chris Smith, Jerry Dunne, Beth Terranova, Kyle Stillwell, Jim Storch, Melissa Molnar, Robin Dhillon, Dena Smith, Miguel Porter, Haley Maisonet, Jean Raymond Fakhoury, Katy Marginson, Lauren Liotta, Erica Caso, Rachel Larkin, Joe Triolo, Mary Storch, and Brian DeGennaro.

Speakers: Jerry Dunne, Jeff Scott, Joe Triolo, and Michelle Woogen.

Loaders: Jennifer Howell-Clark, Melissa Adams, Kyle Stillwell, Alyssa Garrison, Keron Lewis, Jenna Wieland, Larry Mintz, Chris Wen, Brian DeGennaro, Haley Maisonet, Rachel Larkin, Andrew Hagar, Robin Dhillon, Jeff Fair, and Adam Sagun.

Weigh-In: Sara Soto, Michelle Woogen, Dena Smith, Frank Ford, Jeff Scott, Chris Smith, Owen Putman, and Jim Storch.

Set-Up & Breakdown: James McDermott, Haley Maisonet, Miguel Porter, Shaaf Syed, Alex Isin, Chris Wen, Jennifer Howell-Clark, Caitlin Corbett, Emma Blankenship, Frank Ford, Andrew Hagar, Claire Ryan-Hagar, Ignacio Acevedo, Jeff Fair, Jerry Dunne, Jeff Scott, Chris Smith, Michelle Woogen, Alyssa Garrison, Samuel Axten, Owen Putman, Jean Raymond Fakhoury, Nathan Jue, Gregg Decker, Mary Storch, Jim Storch, Joe Rodriguez, Erica Caso, Sara Soto, the Iron Forged Weightlifting crew, Rachel Larkin, Kyle Stillwell, Julie Rodriguez, Michael Rodriguez, and Mason Hollingworth.

If we missed anyone, please let us know, we did our best to remember everyone!

Livestream: Thank you to Michael Rodriguez of CuppaJoe Broadcasting for running the livestream station. He’s the genius behind all the instant replays and sponsor information on the stream. Each year, his production improves, and we’re grateful to have him on the team once again.

Photography: Thank you to Julie Rodriguez of JMJ Photos and Matthew Gibson of 6/6 Media for offering photography services to athletes.

Click here to follow Julie Rodriguez.

Click here to follow 6/6 Media.

Medical Team: We’re so grateful to have had Dr. Katherine Whitman return again this year to help athletes with their performance before, during, and after their lifting. In addition to Katherine, a group of Physical Therapy students from Binghamton University joined the event. As a Doctor of Physical Therapy herself, Katherine mentored these students and gave them a one-of-a-kind learning experience they’ll never forget. We’re truly lucky to have her on our State Championships team.

Click here to follow Dr. Katherine Whitman.

Equipment: Frank Ford & SONA Weightlifting outfitted the entire red competition platform, and Joe Rodriguez & Cuppa Joe Weightlifting did the same for the blue platform. Frank and Joe also provided additional plate sets and barbells.

Warm-up room contributions came from: James McDermott & Albany CrossFit Barbell Club, Sam Axten & Aevitas Weightlifting, Chris Smith & Long Island Weightlifting, Jerry Dunne, Jim Storch, Nathan Jue & Iron Forged Weightlifting, Bryant Illenberg and Amiee Lazar & Gryphon Strength Barbell, Erica Caso & Buff City Barbell, Michelle Woogen, and Kyle Stillwell. If you brought equipment and were missed, please let us know so we can update the post.

A special shoutout goes to Andrew Hagar of SONA Weightlifting, who generously used his truck to transport all the platform wood and equipment from our storage unit to the venue. He went above and beyond during setup and breakdown, working roughly seven hours on Friday and from the end of the competition on Sunday until 7:00 PM. On top of that, he loaded on Saturday, then hit a new 115 kg snatch PR and took third place in his weight class on Sunday. We’re immensely grateful for Andrew’s dedication and effort.

Erica Caso also provided speakers and music throughout the meet, thank you for keeping the energy high!

The Board: Thank you to Alyssa Garrison, Brian DeGennaro, Chris Smith, Erica Caso, Frank Ford, James McDermott, Michelle Woogen, Joe Rodriguez, and Jerry Dunne for their contributions to planning, discussion, and coordination in meetings and countless emails since January to make this year’s event possible.

Every single volunteer listed above deserves endless thanks for helping make this year’s event truly special. You’ll notice many wore multiple hats throughout the weekend, some even competed! It’s a testament to how much love and passion they have for our sport, and we’re proud to have them as part of the New York Weightlifting community.

THANK YOU AGAIN, EVERYONE!