Gene Flynn strengthens youth thru Olympic lifting

Coach Gene Flynn has youth going international through the Olympic lifting program he started in 2004 - OBX Weightlifting team.

Flynn's protege Jimmy Grier has just made the news. This NC high school senior is invited to lift in the Pan American Under 17 Championships in Ecuador.

From the quotes below from Heavy Lifting by Owen A. Hassell, Flynn is a fine ambassador to the sport and an asset to local youth.

Outer Banks Sentinel -- “When people ask about being a weightlifter, they say, ‘Oh, what do you bench?'” Flynn said. “Well, we don't bench, we do snatch and clean and jerk, and they think ‘What's that?' It's a shame because it's an Olympic sport, most people should know what the heck it is.

As far as what both can bench? Neither one can really remember. They bench maybe once a month. For competition, the snatch and clean and jerk is what counts. A lifter gets three attempts at each lift, and must increase weight after each one. It is a better account of sport, Flynn added.

“It's not good for your shoulders actually (to bench), and the lifts we do will actually increase mobility,” Flynn said. “When you're doing this you're moving the hips, moving the arms and that's more dynamic for sport.”

About the program

“What we're hoping to do is build character in the youth of Dare County, and they need to work hard to achieve things in life,” Flynn said. “By building healthy bodies we're also building healthy minds, and it gives them something to do.”

The non-profit club had gone from one member to more than 40, male and female, and put on fundraisers to attend national championships from Michigan, Alabama, Florida and other points.