Inside of the Foglia Foundation Recreation Center’s fitness room, music blared under an eager round of applause as eager onlookers cheered on the competitors of Building M’s second annual bench press competition. Supporters gathered as the competition got to its tail end, and the crowd never grew dull.
Emcee and event organizer Laura Crisman said there were plans to have the inaugural competition in March 2020, but it was ultimately canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The idea stuck around despite the initial delay, and now — after this second event held on Nov. 8 — it’s the biggest competition regularly held at the Rec Center.
Student Nicolas Katcharov was a competitor of the first bench press event, and returned this year to take the overall top spot in the men’s category.
“I had a couple of doubts whether I wanted to do it or not,” Katcharov said. “But last night off of a whim, I was like, ‘You know what? May as well give it a second shot.’”
Other winners in the men’s category were divided by weight class:
- Daniel Branigan (148 & under)
- Matthew Medrano (149-165)
- Fortis Variano (166-182)
- Paul Habiak (183-199)
- Dominik Szopa (200-216)
- Jerico Deleon (217 & up)
This year there were a few changes. Crisman stated that for the first time, women were competing, though there were only two entrants. One would win overall, the other the victor of her weight class.
Overall women’s winner was Macy Misner and winner of her weight class was Amelie Pineda (150 & up).
Other changes were cleanliness, crowd control and streamlining the information process, which made for a smoother, tighter competition that ended an hour earlier than anticipated.
The spotters and Crisman kept the energy high throughout the duration of the competition. Harper trainer Derrick Samuel called the competition, and was a constant presence throughout, trying to push the competitors to their best. He smiled after every successful lift, and rushed to action when the weight was too extreme.
Crisman riled up the crowd, and maintained interest through engaging audience members in conversation. However, Crisman says her favorite part is being able to watch everyone compete, and to have a space where everyone is able to do so. There were seventeen participants overall. Crisman was pleased with the turnout, and recognized some faces from last year, one of which being Katcharov.
“I guess the main thing is if you’re thinking about it, just go ahead and do it,” Katcharov panted, holding his trophy close to his chest. “Whenever you have doubt, think it through, weigh the pros and cons, and honestly? Do it for the experience, for the fun and for the atmosphere. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.”
