Saturday, July 14, 2001
Yamauchis Two of Hawaii's top weightlifters weren't molded in a sterile fitness facility with neat racks of free-weights lining the walls and music booming over a sound system.
produce records
The brothers are off to the
Olympic Training Center elite
weightlifting campBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comKyle and Bryce Yamauchi instead train in their uncle's produce warehouse in Kakaako, where the ringing of barbells slamming against the concrete floor is all that breaks the silence.
Pallets stacked high with bundles of onions greet them on their way to their makeshift training area. And the only exercise machine to be found is a forklift they use to do pull-ups and stretch out after another four-hour lifting session.
Their father, John Yamauchi, came up with the idea to turn his brother's business into an after-hours gym and he believes the training environment fosters the focus necessary to excel in Olympic-style weightlifting.
"Over here, it's bare-bones stuff and it forces them to concentrate," John Yamauchi said. "So when they're in a meet situation or even training at the (YMCA), it becomes a special occasion and easier to get motivated. Over here, they really have to concentrate extra hard to get themselves up. It's good for the discipline."
And the spartan conditions have helped the Yamauchis build an impressive trophy case.
Kyle, 18, won a silver medal at the Junior Pan American Championships in Mexico City this spring, while Bryce, 16, won his weight-class title at the Young Louis Cyr Under-16 Junior USA/Canada Tournament in Huntingdon, Quebec. Between them they hold several state and national records.
The brothers are training in relative luxury this week at the Olympic Training Center camp in Colorado Springs, Colo. They left last night and will spend two weeks working on their technique in the clean-and-jerk and snatch.
Explosiveness and strength in the legs, hips and back are the keys to executing the Olympic lifts. Blink once and the lifter jerks the weight from the floor to his waist or chest. Blink again and he already has it overhead, only to drop it to the floor."There's a misconception that weightlifters are just big and bulky and slow," John Yamauchi said. "But when you get to the international level, those guys are really quick."
The brothers train at Yamauchi Produce, a company founded by their grandfather and now run by their uncle, Ronald. They started working out at the Nuuanu YMCA, but their father wanted more privacy and flexibility in their training regimen and asked Ronald to use the warehouse.
After the store workers punch out for the night, the Yamauchis drag out their bar, plates and homemade squat rack. They train for four hours every other night, often heading home after 11 p.m.
"When school's in session there's not much free time," Bryce said. "It's either lifting or studying.
"You set goals for yourself and when you don't want to train you think about those goals."
Lifting hasn't gotten in the way off studying as both brothers are honor students. Kyle recently graduated from Punahou School and is now preparing for his freshman year at the University of Hawaii. Bryce is entering his junior year at Punahou.
John Yamauchi grew up next door to National Weightlifting Hall of Famer Emerick Ishikawa and finished fifth in his weight class in the 1975 Pan-American Games in Mexico City. He got his sons involved in the sport when Kyle was 12 and Bryce was 10.
And before long they were competing in national meets.
"I'm totally convinced that if they want to improve and get to a higher caliber, they need to be exposed to the mainland kids and mainland competition," John said.
"I think it's an important piece of the puzzle, for them to compete with those guys."
They have since earned a place among the nation's brightest prospects.
Bryce, who just moved up to 123 pounds, won his class at the Junior USA/Canada Tournament with a snatch of 158.4 pounds and a clean-and-jerk of 198 pounds.
He also holds three national records. He set records at the National Junior Olympics in Shreveport, La., in February 2000 in the 103-pound weight class with a snatch of 133 pounds and a total weight of 302.5 pounds. He also set the national mark in the 112-pound class with a clean-and-jerk of 215.6 pounds last December at the American Open in Buffalo, NY.
Kyle, who competes at 136 pounds, won a gold medal in the snatch at the Junior Pan American Games. He also reached a milestone recently by lifting twice his body weight in the clean-and-jerk.
He and Bryce hope their labor in the warehouse will continue to produce sweet rewards.
"Trying to make a world or Olympic team, that's my ultimate goal," Kyle said. "It'll take a lot of work, but I think it's possible."