Several local kids excel at powerlifting meet
By: John E. Powers
Angel Harnish didn’t realize what she was getting into when she joined the Hillsborough High School Raiders’ Powerlifting Club.
Now that she has experienced a few months of it and enjoyed some success, the Hillsborough High senior is looking at the sport as a life-time activity. Harnish, a hurdler on the Hillsborough track and field team, heard that a couple of her friends were involved in weightlifting in September, and after coach Jim McFarland suggested she join them, Harnish discovered a new athletic passion.
"Before I looked at (weightlifting) as a fun competition, but now I look at it as an athletic, competitive sport," said Harnish, who will attend the University of Arizona next year and hopes to one day become an athletic trainer. "Since there’s another competition in June, I’m going to train a lot harder and a lot more seriously. It’s a great thing for girls to do because it’s more of a guy sport. Just staying healthy and fit is very important."
Harnish was one of five Raiders to win titles at the second annual New Jersey High School Bench Press Championships held at Hillsborough April 8. The Raiders high school and middle school teams placed first in the team championship race as well. They also took home two silver and three bronze medals.
Harnish won the 18-19 title at 114 pounds, benching 66.1 pounds.
"Hopefully I can bench my own weight before long," said Harnish, one of 10 Raiders to participate in the competition.
Christel Arribe, a Raider tennis player, won the 148-pound title in the same age group with a 93.7 lift. Cassie Sperber, a cheerleader, was first in the 14-15-year-old 165-pound weight class with a 104.7 pound title. Joe Kaine, a lacrosse player, won the 18-19 title at 181 pounds and Chris Rossi, a 15-year-old and middle school football and baseball player, won the 14-15 title at 242 pounds with a 198.4 pound lift.
Hillsborough’s David Schwartz was second in the 165-pound class for 18-19 year olds at 165 pounds; Giovanni Cintorrino, a football player, was second in the 15-16 class at 198 pounds and lifter Quinn Molesko (18-19) was third at 220 pounds, football standout Paul Mychalczuk (16-17) was third at 198 and Steve Montano (14-15) took third at 198 pounds.
Rossi, an eighth-grader, played offensive and defensive tackle for the Junior Raider football team last fall, and is now is catching for the Hillsborough Recreation baseball team. He said that weightlifting affords him the chance to compete and help improve his strength.
The winners, who set state records, will be honored at a meet in Rockaway Township next month. Rossi, who works out twice a week for two hours, started lifting when he was in the fifth grade.
"I liked it (weightlifting) because it was something new," Rossi said. "I’m finding that I have more power at the plate and in football I feel stronger than the other kids."
The words bring a smile to McFarland, who said that weightlifting is a key part of being physically fit. He said that an advanced goal for high school athletes is to learn a safe weightlifting technique. Among the goals for high school athletes is to squat one and a half times their body weight and bench close their weight.
"We’re still working and educating Ö there’s a lot of misconceptions and myths about (weightlifting) it," said McFarland, who has been directing the program for nine years and added that May is National Fitness Month. "Kids are training year round. If you are going to be involved in collision and contact sports, weightlifting is very important."
But he also pointed out that weightlifting is critical to the development of athletes in other sports like track and field or tennis. Any Raider athlete available is welcome.
The Raiders will host the New Jersey State High School Power lifting Championships Saturday, June 17. The contest will include the three lifts Ö squat, bench and deadlift.
Registration forms can be found at www.strengthcondition.com or from McFarland at the high school. He and Mark Salandra, the meet director for the USA Powerlifting meet, has assisted McFarland in developing the Raiders into a special program.
"I’m amazed at the progress each of these children have made over the past year in their strength training," said Salandra, a nationally-ranked power lifter for more than 20 years. "Coach McFarland does a great job in motivating and encouraging each of these children to work hard and achieve their potential in a safe and fun environment."

