ORLANDO | It took Bishop Moore High School Coach Michael Geelan two years to make his dream of launching a Girls Weightlifting tournament for Catholic schools in the state a reality. On November 16, 2024 – the feast of St. Gertrude – the Bishop Moore coach’s dream became reality when girls from four Catholic high school teams met for the first time to compete, support one another, and share their love of the sport.

For the inaugural event, all Catholic schools with existing programs participated: Bishop Moore (Orlando), Father Lopez (Daytona Beach), Trinity Catholic (Ocala), and Bishop Verot (Ft. Myers). “Together, our four schools celebrated solidarity in strength, fostering camaraderie and unity through our shared Catholic identity,” Geelan said.

Geelan said a desire to celebrate the growth of girls’ weightlifting within the Catholic school system and to gently encourage other Catholic schools to consider starting their own girls’ weightlifting programs drove him.

“Weightlifting showcases unique benefits to young women,” said Geelan. “I’ve witnessed firsthand how transformative this sport can be. It offers our young women an incredible outlet to demonstrate their strength—not only physically, but also mentally and spiritually.” He also noted it helps reduce injuries in other sports and can serve an athlete their entire life.

And he’s not the only one. Supporting the tournament launch was Father Lopez Coach Leroy Fischer who started the Lopez program in 2014. It was a trial year. When 14 girls out of a student body of 400 joined the team, “everyone was shocked,” he recalled. “We expected the turnout to be a lot smaller.” This year he has the largest team since its inception, 26 athletes.

He attributes the reluctance of schools to begin girls’ weightlifting teams to the misconception that it is not a sport, and to concerns over adding another financial burden for equipment often requiring them to partner with other sports. But the sport is catching on and he described the benefits to young woman as “phenomenal”. “Their self-worth and being able to come in and do things has changed their dedication in other aspects, like academics. We push them. You see them more focused and more determined,” he said.

Parents Michelle and Rafael Vazquez witnessed this firsthand. Michelle acknowledged being scared at first when her daughter, Alejandra, joined the team. One of three Bishop Moore captains, Alejandra is small and slender. “I couldn’t imagine her lifting all that weight over her head,” Michelle admitted. “Now, (Alejandra) seems more confident, even in the way she walks. She stands tall. When she’s in the middle of a crowd, right away she takes a step to be that leader or guide for other girls. That spirituality and dedication to Christ in all things that are Christ-like makes her be able to be a light wherever she goes.”

Alejandra’s father Rafael also noticed a maturity in his daughter. “She’s always been confident, but it has increased over the years. She’s going to do great things,” Rafael said.

Alejandra joined girls’ weightlifting after her friend and fellow captain Nicole Tirado convinced her. The two were terrified at first. Tirado worried she would “gain muscle and look like a guy.” But the opposite occurred. “The community we’ve all built together and the confidence I’ve gotten from the sport—the way I look and hold myself, the way I think about myself was all unexpected. I used to be super insecure, anxious and shy,” she said.

Her spirituality grew over time as well. When she went through a rough patch last year as a junior, Alejandra helped her connect with her faith. “I was able to connect it to every aspect of my life and it made things so much better. It made me so much happier and confident. Life was at my feet,” Tirado said. She joined campus ministry and began volunteering.

Rounding out the Bishop Moore captain trio is Celena Torres. Petit, but powerful, Torres said she likes having a scripture linked to the tournament theme. “God has armed me with strength,” from Ps. 18:32 is on the back of every teammate shirt. “I look to it everyday when I put on my shirt. I read it and it reminds me of why I’m here. I love it,” Torres said.

Assistant Bishop Moore Coach Annelise Gavillan appreciates how girls’ weightlifting empowers young women and as a female coach, that is important to her. “It gives them a sense of belonging, and allows them to see not only are they strong mentally, but physically as well! My hope is that this sport continues to grow and give other young women the chance to embrace their femininity as well as physical strength. Knowing they can push their bodies to do hard things and still be the women that God has created them to be is wonderful.”

Trinity Catholic Coach Denise Trabing agrees. Her daughter, Emma Simms is on the girls’ weightlifting team and she noticed the changes too. “(The athletes’) confidence level gets a boost,” she said. “They don’t realize how strong they are, mentally and physically. I think this challenges them. They’re constantly setting new goals for themselves and achieving them. It causes them to have an overall confidence level that shoots through the roof. I’ve seen a lot of these girls come from being real quiet and shy to completely coming out of their shell because their confidence has increased.”

She and her husband, Bert, have coached the Trinity Catholic team since it began two years ago. He noticed when the young women first came in, hardly any of them could do a push-up. “They lacked confidence, belief in themselves, and didn’t understand their bodily function,” he said.

He welcomed the invitational tournament noting it brings unity to the program. “We’re able to pray with one another, which we don’t find in this world very often,” he said. “The fact we’re able to pray and give thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ is the most important thing for this young generation. It helps them become better leaders, to better understand the Word of God, better understand God’s will and purpose for their life.” He said seeing the love of Christ poured over them by their elder leaders, “embracing them”, helps the athletes as individuals. “Just having fun together as a school and as a whole, encouraging one another, and praising one another is a beautiful thing,” he said.

Coach Kyle Harding from Bishop Verot High School in Ft. Myers said the trek to Orlando was worth it. “It’s important for Catholic schools to come together to build their faith while also showing they can compete their hearts out.  This sport shows if you put the hard work in, it will pay off in the end,” he said.

“If you want to stand on that podium, it starts at home, in the gym. The same can be said in any area of one’s life: if you work hard, it will pay off. Whether it’s getting a promotion, volunteering in your church to help those less fortunate, or practicing your sport 2-3 hours a day.”

The competition itself was incredibly close, with only six points separating the four teams—a testament to how evenly matched the programs are. The final team scores were: 1st Place: Bishop Verot in the Olympic category and Father Lopez in the Traditional, each with 41 points; 2nd Place: Father Lopez – 39 points;  and tied for 3rd Place: Bishop Moore and Trinity Catholic – 35 points each.

Coach Geelan said, despite not securing first place as a team, Bishop Moore had an impressive showing on the individual level, claiming first place honors in four of the 10 weight classes. “Leading the charge were senior captains Celena Torres and Nicole Tirado, along with standout junior Victoria M., whose performances showcased the strength, determination, and spirit of our program,” Geelan said.

GLENDA MEEKINS
of the Florida Catholic staff