From cheerleader to lifter

On the surface, one would be hard-pressed to find the relationship between 22-year-old IU grad student Michelle Amsden and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Perhaps they would guess that "Ah-nold" is her uncle or second cousin. Or maybe they would assume that the two had a small scene together in the movie "Jingle All the Way." \nNeither scenario is the case. The thing that Amsden has in common with Schwarzenegger is her ability to pump iron -- and lots of it. So much, in fact, that the former IU cheerleader is a national champion in the sport of powerlifting.\n"I never intended to compete in powerlifting," Amsden said. "But I realized that I had a knack for it."\nAmsden's did not fully realize this until after high school, as she had participated in several different athletic disciplines while growing up. Amsden began tumbling at the age of two, and remained an active gymnast throughout her childhood. Amsden was also involved with volleyball, diving and cheerleading throughout high school.\nThough she began lifting weights on the side at the age of 13, Amsden never really saw weightlifting as something that she could do competitively. But three knee surgeries, two of which being reconstructive, effectively hobbled her. \n"I never anticipated her doing this kind of activity with her knees (in bad shape)," Michelle's mother, Cindy Amsden, said.\nBut rather than giving up on athletics, Amsden simply went full-fledge into her new passion, powerlifting. After cheerleading her freshman year at IU, she transferred to Ball State University and became involved with their powerlifting club.\n"I didn't realize that there was such a big powerlifting community here," Amsden said. She has come back to Bloomington to earn her masters degree.\nPowerlifting competitions consist of three events (in order): squat, bench press and dead lift. Each competitor gets three attempts in each event, and the person who is able to lift the highest combined total is the winner. Two judges must validate each lift by turning on a white light (similar in fashion to the light used to indicate a goal in a hockey game).\n"Michelle has a well balanced attack in all three lifts," her coach, Greg Simmons said. "Many lifters seem to neglect one lift thinking it will be there come competition day. At the international level, you have to possess strength in all three disciplines to succeed."\nThough she has only been powerlifting competitively for four years, Amsden's resume reads like the banners hanging from the rafters in Assembly Hall. \nIn 1999, Amsden was the collegiate national runner-up. The next year she won the collegiate nationals and earned a spot on the junior world team, which placed sixth. 2001 was a powerlifting odyssey for Amsden, who scored a trifecta by winning the collegiate nationals, in addition to the junior and open national championships. She also earned a spot on the women's world team, which placed seventh.\n"I had no idea what she was doing," Cindy Amsden said of her daughter's weightlifting prowess. "I was shocked the first time I saw her at a meet."\nAmsden's personal records are impressive -- in fact; all of them were national records until they were surpassed recently. Her best scores include 198.25 lbs. in bench press, 319.5 lbs. in squat and 363.75 lbs. in the dead lift.\n"She is the best female lifter I have ever worked with," Simmons said. "The best male lifter I coach is a six-time National Champion and placed second at this year's World Championships. I expect Michelle to achieve the same success."\nAs the saying goes, practice makes perfect. A disciple of that theory, Amsden trains for two to three hours a day, four to five days a week.\n"It helps that I train with good friends that support me and keep me motivated every day," she said.\nAmsden said her goal is to be a good influence on females, and to show that it is acceptable to be a strong feminine athlete.\n"I want to disprove the myth that lifting makes you really big," Amsden said.\nHer next opportunity to build that influence will be Feb. 9 at the women's nationals in Chicago. After that, she will be making a trip to Russia in April for an international competition. \nMeanwhile, Amsden will look for sponsors in the community to help foot the bill, which ranges from $1500 to $2000 for international competitions.\n"If you have a passion about something, don't be afraid to chase it," Amsden said.