2026 NYS Championships: THANK YOU for another great year in Binghamton!

The DoubleTree by Hilton Binghamton really does feel like our annual home away from home, and it was wonderful to see so many familiar faces for our annual celebration of New York Weightlifting. This year flew by almost as fast as Christian Tsakanikas a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it snatch attempt! All weekend we saw athletes duke it out for podium spots with outstanding performances, coaches doing calculus at the marshals’ table, and teammates supporting each other every step of the way. It was so much fun and it's hard to believe it's over. The 2027 NYS Championships were a great success, and the WSO Committee can’t thank our New York community enough.

Athletes and Coaches

Thank you to all the athletes and coaches who supported and participated in the NYS Championships. It’s been fantastic 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 is 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. Computer-related issues aside, we’re very happy with this year’s event and look forward to improving even more for the next one. Thank you again for your continued support.

Technical Officials and Volunteers

The lifeblood of our competition is its volunteers, 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 and 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.

A major shoutout and thank you goes to Sara Soto, who went above and beyond to help set up the electronics, prepare paperwork, and put out fires even before they started. Sara is always supportive, there to help, and make the event run smoothly - she's the ultimate Competition Wingwoman!

A special thank you as well to Sam Axten of Aevitas Weightlifting, who along with Sara, helped troubleshoot our Sunday software woes. Thank you as well to OWLCMS creator Jean-François Lamy, along with competition software expert Scott Gonzalez, for helping us solve our issues and get the competition back online.

Marshals: Rachel Larkin, Alice Hui, Kyle Harms, Lauren Liotta, Emily Dove, JP Nicoletta, Gene Rendino, Jeff Scott, Griselda Velado, Sara Soto.

Referees: Gregg Decker, Chris Smith, Kyle Harms, JP Nicoletta, Jim Storch, Gene Rendino, Miguel Porter, Jeff Scott, Dan Boland, Shaaf Syed, Jerry Dunne, Chris Wen, Mary Storch, Alice Hui, Lauren Liotta, Catherine Ridella, Alyssa Garrison.

Speakers: Joe Triolo, Jerry Dunne, Lauren Liotta (shadowed Jerry to learn), Jeff Scott, JP Nicoletta.

Loaders: Andrew Gillie, Claire Ryan-Hagar, Owen Putman, Griselda Velado, Alice Hui, Chris Wen, Andrew Hagar, Shaaf Syed, Jim Storch, Victoria Leyburn, Coty Brennen, Richard Seibert, Rachel Larkin, Brian Dorn.

Weigh-In: Alice Hui, Alyssa Garrison, Frank Ford, Sara Soto, Jeff Scott, Owen Putman, Jim Storch.

Set-Up & Breakdown: James McDermott, Sara Soto, Frank Ford, Andrew Hagar, Claire Ryan-Hagar, Jim Storch, Mary Storch, JP Nicoletta, Erica Caso, Nathan Jue, Angela Grupe, Jeff Scott, Dan Boland, Jerry Dunne, Joe Triolo, Alyssa Garrison, Sam Axten, Rachel Larkin, Kyle Harms, Coty Brennen, Chris Wen, Shaaf Syed, Nate, Chung, Alex Isin, Emma Blankenship, Lauren Liotta, Chris Smith, Emily Dove, Griselda Velado, Gene Rendino, Owen Putman, Andrew Gillie, Wyatt Mechalke, Peter Cole, Mike Barton, Gregg Decker. If we missed anyone, please let us know. We did our best to remember everyone!

A special shoutout goes to Andrew Hagar of SONA Weightlifting, who generously used his truck to transport equipment and pull a uHaul trailer filled with EVEN MORE equipment to the hotel. Before the competition, Andrew had a great idea for the WSO to get our own carts to store and transport the lumber needed for platforms, and it came together in the end true to his vision! He and Claire-Ryan Hagar went above and beyond helping during setup and breakdown, along with loading several sessions on Saturday. Andrew, Claire, Frank Ford, and Rachel Larkin were there to take everything out of the storage unit and in the end it was the same team to put everything back in. We’re immensely grateful for Andrew, Claire, Frank, and Rachel's dedication and effort. This meet couldn't have happened without their help.

Medical Team: We’re so grateful to have had Dr. Kim Keeling this year to help athletes with their performance before, during, and after their lifting. In addition to Dr. Kim, a group of physical therapy students from Binghamton University joined the event. It was great to see Dr. Kim mentor these students and give them a one-of-a-kind learning experience during our event. We’re truly lucky to have her on our State Championships team.

Click here to follow Dr. Kim Keeling.

Photography: Thank you to Nate Chung of Olyweightnate, who also helped tremndously during set-up, and Justin Barber of Altered State Media for offering photography services to athletes.

Click here to follow Nate Chung.

Click here to follow Justin Barber.

Equipment: Frank Ford and SONA Weightlifting outfitted both the red and blue competition platforms, along with providing additional plate sets and barbells to the warm-up room.

Warm-up room contributions came from: James McDermott & Albany CrossFit Barbell Club, Sam Axten & Aevitas Weightlifting, Chris Smith & Long Island Weightlifting, Erica Caso & Buff City Barbell, Jerry Dunne, Jim Storch, Nathan Jue & Ithaca Weightlifting, Jemel Kaiser & Ascension Athletes (thank you for bringing it Rachel Larkin!), Bryant Illenberg and Amiee Lazar & Gryphon Strength Barbell. If you brought equipment and were missed, please let us know so we can update the post.

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

The Committee: Thank you to Alyssa Garrison, Brian DeGennaro, Chris Smith, Erica Caso, Frank Ford, James McDermott, Michelle Woogen, Jemel Kaiser, 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!