Will McFadden completing a clean Oct. 9th, 2026. Credit: Graham Hovis | Freelance Photographer.
Oftentimes while weightlifting, an individual must overcome physical and mental hurdles to reach their goals.??
At the Olympic Weightlifting Club at Ohio State, the club looks to support each other to achieve goals and push themselves beyond their limits.
Stepping into the Clintonville Crossfit gym, the home of the club’s team practices, sounds consist of plates hitting the platform with echoing voices of teammates and coaches offering pointers.?
Athletes cheer loudly from the sides as another team member begins their lift.?A missed lift doesn’t end when the bar hits the ground, though.
Teammates yell out encouragement and coaches offer adjustments, rebuilding the lifters confidence before they step back up to the bar.?
Sophie Desatnik, co-president of the club team, and a third-year in biology, said the club currently has around 25 members.? The team, Desatnik said, trains three-to-four times a week, and competes against teams from other schools three times a year.?
She said she values how strong the spirit of fellowship is among team members.
“I just love how supportive everyone is,” Desatnik said.?
The weightlifting club has participated in three events this year including the Richmond Classic, which took place on Oct. 3.?
Will McFadden, a club member and fourth-year in finance and economics, took first place in the men’s division with a total of 255 kg. Desatnik placed third with a 155 kg total in the women’s division. The club will travel to Michigan for the Iron Egg, and also participate in the annual Arnold Sports Festival held in downtown Columbus in March.
Desatnik reflected on how at last year’s Arnold Sports Festival, the support from her teammates made an impact on how she performed.
“I remember I had been struggling a bit with my competitions,” Desatnik said. “I had lost a lot of weight on my lifts while training inconsistently. I competed at the Arnold last year, and I just remember having just a good meet and everyone was in my corner.”
During competition, two movements are performed.?
One is called “the snatch,” in which the athlete “picks up the barbell and lifts it above his or her head in one singular motion,” according to Olympics.com.?
The other movement is the “clean and jerk”. According to Olympics.com, the weightlifter first must “pick up the barbell and bring it to his or her chest (clean),” take a brief pause, then “extend his or her arms and legs to lift it above the head (jerk).”
Athletes are then ranked by highest combined weight from the best attempt of “clean and jerk” and “snatch”. Participants are “allowed to increase the weight for his or her next attempt after a successful lift,” and the one “who decides to lift the lowest weight in the first attempt is allowed to go first.”?
But before athletes can compete under these rules, time must be spent perfecting their technique.
During a team practice, Joseph Smith, a second-year in aerospace engineering, stepped up to the bar and missed a snatch several times. Instead of walking away, Smith turned to his coaches and teammates and reviewed the film he was recording with his phone to analyze his motion.?
With that assistance, he tried again and snatched 74 kilograms, setting a personal record.?
Smith described the support as a blessing and said most people have to lift alone and don’t have others to help evaluate film.?
Even some of the most experienced lifters rely on the support around them.?
McFadden has spent five years honing his skills. He said having teammates and coaches around is important, but added that confidence has to come from within when it’s time to lift the weight.?
“A support system around you is very important, but not as important as believing in yourself,” McFadden said.?
