A local powerlifter is heading abroad to represent Canada.
Melissa Stone (Garron) will travel to Sweden at the end of the month to compete in the International Powerlifting Federation’s Master Powerlifting Championships.
When Stone got into powerlifting, she was a stay at home mom of three looking for something to get her out of the house.
“I enjoyed it right away. I got the owner of Jones Gym to do me up a program, show me the ropes on the basics of the lifts,” says Stone. “I went at it. I built strength fairly quickly. I didn’t think it would be my thing but I was immediately hooked as soon as I tried it.”
Stone will also be competing at the National Championships in St. Johns next spring.
Because she is now in Master 1 class, for ages 40 to 49, Stone is only eligible for the lowest tier of grants and has been fundraising in the community.
“It’s nice to bring some attention to that and to bring some attention to the sport on this local level,” says Stone. “I think that there’s a lot of strong people in the area, if I can encourage anyone to get out there and get into a gym, it’s great for mental health and physical health, it’s just a great thing to do.”
Hear the full interview with Melissa Stone this Sunday morning on The Weekender.
Breakdown of competitions attended by Stone.
