Bench pressing involves more than just lifting a weighted bar.
It also involves a state of mind and lifestyle, technical rules and controversial attire.
Just ask Butte's Luke Blaskovich or Susan Nyquist. Both competed at the 17th annual Winternational/John Tomich Memorial Bench Press Championships at the Butte YMCA earlier this month.
Blaskovich is a 26-year-old science teacher at Butte High. He has lifted weights and competed since attending Butte High.
"I got into lifting for football and it kind of came natural to me — a short, stocky guy — and I just stuck with it," Blaskovich said.
Blaskovich has competed in about 25 events in the region during the last nine years, and he usually wins his division, he said.
Nyquist, 37, is similarly hooked on lifting. The Philippines native who has lived in Butte for about 10 years has trained for 20 years, she said, and has competed in about seven events in Butte.
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A single mother of two, Nyquist is on her way to becoming a physical therapist and lifts weights mostly to stay healthy but also to enjoy the people at the gym.
"People need to take care of their bodies and enjoy their life," she said.
Blaskovich and Nyquist competed with about 40 other lifters at the bench press contest. The youngest lifter was 15-year-old River Neuman, who hoisted 138 pounds in the boys' class. The oldest was 69-year-old Harold Smith, who rivaled the best with a 331-pound lift.
The event was named after Tomich about three years ago. Before he died, "he was a fixture at the ‘Y'," said his daughter, Lisa Tomich.
Lisa Tomich was never involved much with her father's weightlifting before he died, she said. Now she volunteers at the event where her father once competed and announced.
"It's fun because you get to hear all the stories about him," she said.
This year the Tomich Memorial Bench Press became the first Montana single-lift event certified by USA Powerlifting, according to referee Jim Lukens of Salmon, Idaho.
Lukens has competed and judged all over the country, and he was impressed with the Butte event.
"For a bench press meet this is a good one, a real good one. There are a lot of good lifters in this area," he said. "These folks have had this meet for 17 years and it has encouraged them to train."
Competitors at the Tomich Memorial Bench Press were the first to set state records, because the event was the first single-lift event in Montana to be certified by USAPL, according to organizers. Certification also enables lifters to advance to regional competitions.
But not everyone at the Butte event supports USAPL certification and everything that comes with it. One complaint is that it encourages the use of "bench shirts," which are elastic shirts that protect users' bodies and enables them to lift around 30 extra pounds.
Blaskovich chooses not to wear a bench shirt because it doesn't feel natural and "it's an assisted lift." Instead he lifts "raw," or without the help of a bench shirt.
Another gripe about USAPL certification is that the rules are too strict. Lifters are scrutinized by three referees who ensure they pause the bar on their chests, keep the bar even and don't lift their behinds, among other rules.
Each referee controls a red light. If one sees a violation they turn the light on. If a lifter has more than one red light, they are "red lighted" and the lift doesn't count.
Nyquist cringes at the stringent rules. She lifted her behind slightly on her final lift, she said, and it didn't count. "We are in Butte. We are not in the Olympics," she said.
When the event was over, Blaskovich's lifted 386 pounds to win the best overall raw bench in the men's open division. Nyquist benched 143 pounds and took second among four competitors in the women's open field.
Kevin Coombs lifted the most weight overall at 419 pounds. Blaskovich has dreams of competing at the regional or national level. Nyquist will probably just continue lifting locally while pursuing her physical therapy career.
But both will continue enjoying the lifestyle.
"I just love staying in shape," Blaskovich said. "There is something to look forward to every day."
Reporter Thad Kelling may be reached via e-mail at thad.kelling@lee.net or by phone at 496-5511.
