Menu
Heavy lifters to raise funds for RFL
A group of heavy lifters will get together for a competition to help raise money for the local Relay for Life.
Dylan Marlow, director of security at the Southeast Kansas Regional Correctional Center, has been organizing bench-press competitions for several years, and on Feb. 4, a competition will be held to raise funds for the local cancer support organization.
Marlow said the idea for the event was a suggestion from Marty DeWitt, pastor ofMissionary Baptist Church in Uniontown, who had attended a benefit competition in March for Jimmy Nichols, the former SEKRCC administrator who passed away earlier this year. Marlow said while DeWitt is not a lifter himself, he came as a spectator and enjoyed the atmosphere. DeWitt approached Marlow about hosting the event and he was happy to help.
"(DeWitt) tries to do things every year for the Relay for Life ... He's actually been to a couple of the meets," Marlow said. "It's a lot of fun, a lot of adrenaline, a lot of weight being pushed, a lot of loud music ... He asked me if I would be willing to do something like that to help him out for the Relay for Life."
Marlow said the competition will be limited to bench-press only because it is easier to organize and is the most popular event. He said that a full meet, which would also include the dead-lift and squats, would require more than one day of competition. He said the popularity of weight lifting competitions is growing in the area and is now attracting participants from across the region.
"Every time we do one it's becoming pretty intense and pretty popular," Marlow said.
The Feb. 4 contest will be held at Fort Scott High School, as opposed to the previous meets which were held at Uniontown High School. Marlow said he anticipates 40 participants coming from Bourbon County, Iola, Pittsburg, Nevada, Mo., Joplin, Mo., and the Kansas City area. He said with such a large draw, Fort Scott would be a more central location.
Weigh-in will be held from 8-10 a.m. with the lifting to begin between 10:30 and 11 a.m. Marlow said the registration fee for adults is $35 and for high school students is $20.
Trophies will be awarded to first, second and third place finishers in each division. A top lifter award will also be presented and a T-shirt will be provided for all participants, Marlow said.
With the help of Larry Lamb, George Wilkinson and Miccah Foley, Marlow said, the trophies, T-shirts, concessions and tattoo and piercing raffle prized will all be donated to ensure a larger contribution to Relay for Life.
"I hope, if everything goes as planned, to make a couple thousand dollars that day," he said. "That's pretty good wages for six or seven hours, that would be a good benefit for Relay for Life."
For those who wish to watch the competition, Marlow said there is no charge for spectators because not only are they raising money but they also want to show the community what power-lifting is like.
"It's going to be a blast, I want to get a lot of people in the community to show up," he said.
For more information on the contest or to register to participate, contact Marlow at the SEKRCC at (620) 223-2380 or at (620) 768-9399. Marlow said preregistration is recommended but not required.