Minnesota High School Weightlifting: Searching for Zach Krych

(Photo Of Zach Krych winning University World Championships Ahead of Adrian Zeilinski(2012 Olympic Champion)

It's kind of surprising when I think about it, even though I went to high school in Northeast Iowa, I was a Minnesota High School weightlifter. After all this is weightlifting, and like weightlifters from Bulgaria migrating to Qatar or Azerbaijan, or Turkey, I didn't care where I did my lifting, I just wanted to lift, and compete. Just how did I end up lifting in Minnesota High school weightlifting competitions? Well, I was in Northeast Iowa at the time and the nearest weightlifting in Iowa had to be in Carroll, a good four hour drive away. Red Wing Minnesota on the other hand was two and a half hours away and if I represented them, then I was eligible to compete in Minnesota. Not everyone was on board with an Iowa boy representing a Minnesota High school club, sometimes I was counted as an "extra lifter", but for the most part I was greeted with open arms. High School Weightlifting? I sure like the sound of that. If only every state had a similar program to what Minnesota is doing. They have a weightlifting "season" in Minnesota. It starts in the fall and culminates with the High School State weightlifting championships in the winter. Many of these high school lifters quit weightlifting after they graduate but not all. Zach Krych came out of the Minnesota High School Weightlifting program, I believe he went on to Medal at the World University Championships, I personally saw him snatch 150+ at one of the American Opens, and he ended his career with a 195kg clean and jerk. He always competed in the 85kg class, although as a little inside information, I saw him lift as a 77kg lifter in my first competition ever in Armstrong, MN. All those high school meets were at some random Minneapolis suburb town. It was either Armstrong, or Robinsdale, or Rosemount, I forget some of the other ones. Separate from the high school meets, sometimes there would be competitions in Northern Minnesota like Brainerd or Nisswa. I remember miles and miles of trees when driving up there and big statues of Paul Bunion. The Nisswa competition was actually an outdoor competition held during the town festival, "Nisswa Crazy Days" they called it. The platform was set in the middle of town in the turtle racing circle and bystanders would walk by and observe the lifting as Roger Sadecki announced and converted kilos to pounds over the loud speaker. Zach Krych was at that meet as well if I remember right, he is the hero of Minnesota Weightlifting, the best of the best to come out of the High School system. What else about Minnesota Weightlifting? I'm deviated from the simple subject of High School lifting now. Well, I remember the Star of The North Games alternated locations each year between Rochester and St. Cloud. I always liked when it was in Rochester because it was only an hour and a half away from my home town in Northeast Iowa. How about how did I even get into weightlifting? Well, I can remember being pretty young, young enough that I was sitting on the floor instead of the couch watching TV and it must have been the 1996 Olympic. I remember watching someone trying to snatch a big weight and it was mind boggling, maybe that's not the right word for it, lets just say I was amazed. I often forget about this key moment, watching weightlifting on television as a young lad but I remember it now and it played a part. Then in my freshman year of high school I got the fever to go out for sports. I tried wrestling and I tried football but nothing really clicked except we got to use the weight room and that's where I began my journey. After a couple years of doing somewhat bodybuilding, somewhat powerlifting, I watched a video of Naim Suleymanoglu clean and jerking 190kgs in the 1988 Olympics on the internet and that was it, I made the call to the Red Wing coach and got involved with Minnesota High School Weightlifting the winter of my Sophmore year. I encourage anyone near the State of Minnesota to get involved with High School Weightlifting there because it is a great and memorable experience that you will never forget and perhaps you can be the next Zach Krych. It's kind of like that chess movie "searching for bobby fischer" only in Minnesota it's "Searching for Zach Krych".