Patrick Gallagher presses for state title

This article appeared in the Tampa Tribune on April 23, 2003.

By DAVID NORRIE

NEW PORT RICHEY - When he was 13 years old, Gulf's Patrick Gallagher found humility in the form of a 50-pound barbell he was unable to muscle off his chest.

The 80-pound eighth-grader couldn't even bench-press a standard 45-pound bar when he first accompanied his father to a Gold's Gym in New Port Richey. He opted to work with a 35-pound curl bar.

Later that year Gallagher became a freshman at Gulf and joined the weightlifting team, at least in spirit. He trained with the team but wasn't strong enough to qualify for meets.

He used that humbling experience to fuel a desire to become stronger. Four years older and nearly 40 pounds heavier, Gallagher stands on the brink of fulfilling his quest to become a state weightlifting champion - and earning the respect he yearned for as a young athlete.

His stage is set. Twenty-six other lifters in his Class 1A 119-pound weight class stand in his way. Saturday is the day when he will find out just how far he's come, competing in the state weightlifting finals at Suwannee High, in Live Oak.

``I don't think people can really tell what I'm capable of,'' Gallagher said. ``When I was younger, I didn't play football, because I wasn't big enough. I couldn't compete on the weightlifting team, because I wasn't strong enough. That made me upset.''

``I would jog a mile to the gym every day and train by myself. I never missed a workout. It came before everything. I've worked really hard to get to this point.''

Gallagher not only reached the level of his peers, but also he surpassed them. Last year, he placed sixth in the state with a 365-pound total. The two-time 119-pound Sunshine Athletic Conference champion went undefeated this season and recently turned in the second-best qualifying lift in the state with a 405-pound total (210 bench press, 195 clean-and-jerk).

``I think he may have gone overlooked this season,'' Gulf coach Keith Newton said. ``I mean, he hasn't been challenged; nobody in the county has come within 80 to 100 pounds of him.''

Newton believes Gallagher is capable of adding another 10 pounds to his 405-pound total.

``It all depends on if he's hot that day. He's been there once before, and that's good, because he knows what to expect and shouldn't be nervous.''

Standing 5-foot-8 with 4 percent body fat, Gallagher has come down from his off-season weight of 130 to weigh in at 118 - one pound lighter than he has to, because in the event of a tie, the lighter lifter is declared the winner. He predicts that a 225-pound bench and a 195-pound clean-and-jerk will be good enough to win.

``I just want to get my two best lifts of the year, and whatever happens happens,'' Gallagher said. ``I'm going all out and hopefully coming back with the state title.''