by Jill Cousins
how she got started
Alison James has always been the type of person who likes to stay busy. So during her sophomore year at Lake Mary High School, after competing on the cross-country team in the fall, she knew she wanted to find a winter sport. One of her cross-country teammates who happened to be on the Rams’ weightlifting team talked Alison into giving the sport a try. Always up to a new challenge, Alison signed up for weightlifting, figuring it would get her in good shape for track season in the spring.
setting records
Instead, Alison ended up finding the sport that would become her calling. “I enjoyed it right away,” says Alison, 21, now a junior at Yale University. “I realized I had an inclination to develop muscle, and it was a lot of fun. I was hooked!” Not only did Alison enjoy weightlifting, she excelled. At Lake Mary High, the 5-foot-2 powerhouse was state runner-up in the 110-pound class during her senior year, setting a state record in the clean-and-jerk with a 160-pound lift.
Upon high school graduation in 2008, Alison began the transition from high-school weightlifting, in which competitors do the bench press and clean-and-jerk lifts, to Olympic weightlifting, in which competitors do the snatch (where the barbell is lifted from the ground to an overhead position) instead of the bench press.
Alison joined Team Florida Altamonte and began training with the team’s head coach, Danny Camargo, a 1995 Lake Mary graduate who was a member of the U.S. National Team. Danny, an international-level coach, began preparing Alison for the rigors of national competition.
winning national titles
Alison won her first national title a year ago, during her freshman year at Yale, taking first place at Junior Nationals in San Francisco. The next month, she won Collegiate Nationals in Shreveport, Louisiana, and was runner-up at the same meet last April in Marquette, Michigan. In 2009, Alison was also named to the U.S. Junior Team.
This past December, Alison posted her most impressive victory to date. She took the gold medal in the 48kg weight class (105.6 pounds) at the American Open in Cincinnati with personal records in the snatch (57kg or 125.4 pounds), clean-and-jerk (74kg or 162.8 pounds) and total weight (131kg or 288.2 pounds). Alison was bronze medalist at the American Open – which includes competitors of all ages – at the previous year’s event.
other interests, too
What makes Alison’s accomplishments in weightlifting even more remarkable is that fact that her schedule is filled with so many other things. In addition to being a student at an Ivy League university, Alison is also an accomplished musician and singer. She has played piano since age six, and also plays the violin, guitar, bass, and drums.
Alison, who is majoring in Italian, is also “worship leader” for Yale Students for Christ, leading the music portion of weekly services.
Alison’s competitive nature was fueled by her relationship with older brother Taylor, a former football and baseball star at Lake Mary. She said they would “compete in pretty much any activity,” from card games to sports to academic achievements. Alison made straight A’s through high school and graduated from Lake Mary as salutatorian. “I just really don’t like sitting still,” Alison says. “I thrive on trying new things and advancing in the things I’m doing. I get the most enjoyment out of pushing myself and seeing how far I can go.”
planning for the Olympics
Alison will take a break from weightlifting competition this semester, while she studies abroad in Italy. She plans to get back into serious lifting in 2012, as she aims for both the World University Games and the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. “I believe she has the ability to qualify and compete in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials,” says Danny, who continues to coach Alison at her meets. “She’s still considered a baby [by Olympic standards], but going to the Olympic Trials would give her great experience. I think [making the Olympic team in] 2016 is a strong possibility for her.”
Alison definitely has the talent to succeed in all of her endeavors. But with so much on her plate these days, she’s just taking things one day at a time. “I’ll just take it as far as I can,” Alison says. “It’s hard to project past 2012, because I don’t know where I’ll be. But I love weightlifting. It’s taken a lot of sacrifice to continue to do this, but it’s definitely been worth it.”
Jill Cousins is a writer for Lake Mary Life. This article was originally published in the March/April 2011 issue.
Lake Mary Life Magazine is the premier lifestyle publication in the Lake Mary area, dedicated to publishing positive and uplifting stories about our community. Lake Mary Life is a partner of GalTime Orlando.
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