Westerly Barbell Club

A documentary photography project about Westerly Barbell Club olympic style weightlifters as they train for and compete in the 2023 National Masters weightlifting competition.

I first walked down the steps into Westerly Barbell Club in September of 2022. My wife and I had recently settled into our new home in Westerly, RI and I was walking through our new downtown introducing myself to business owners. This is a great way to get the pulse of any town or city. 

I had no idea what a barbell club was, but I gave it a shot. Jared Coon, owner, operator and (supremely) successful weightlifter was finishing up a coaching session with another athlete. After I had a chance to introduce myself Jared recommended I photograph the upcoming Westerly Barbell Open, a weightlifting competition his gym was hosting in January, 2023. I put the date in my calendar and set out to learn a bit about the world of Olympic weightlifting. 

The Open

I walked back into that gym on the morning of the competition and was absolutely blown away.

Olympic weightlifting is, simply put, an incredible sport. Athletes pursue two lifts; the snatch and the clean and jerk. The explosion of power that is needed to pull off these moves, combined with the strength and agility needed to do it properly calls upon every muscle in a persons body. 

One of the coolest things about olympic weightlifting is anyone can do it and compete. Literally anyone. It doesn’t matter their size, weight, strength, age or gender; there is a class for everyone. I spent a marathon 13 hours photographing that competition and left Westerly Barbell tired, sore and half deaf. But I was obsessed. 

The movements make for incredible photography. The drama of making or missing lifts makes for incredible photography. The camaraderie between the lifters and the support of the crowd makes for incredible photography. 

Training Ground

In a follow up hangout session at the gym, I learned that six Westerly Barbell Club members were embarking upon a nine week training regiment in preparation for the National Masters weightlifting competition set to take place in March of 2023 at Valley Forge Casino in Pennsylvania. Masters athletes are over the age of 35 and qualify for Nationals by successfully lighting combined weight totals at sanctioned competitions. 

An idea started brewing for a documentary photography project about the Westerly Barbell Club with an emphasis on the athletes that were preparing for Nationals. 

These athletes lift 3-5 times a week and Sundays are usually their go-big days. There are a lot of athletes hanging out at the gym on Sundays, too. I started spending my Sunday mornings at Westerly Barbell documenting the lifts, the misses, the support, the frustration and the redemptions. This is a tight crew of people. You can see how they push each other, too. Especially during the difficult days.

I used this time to learn a lot about them, their sport and ways to photograph it. Pushing yourself to photograph the same thing in a new way is always a useful creative exercise. These were some genuinely incredible days.

National Masters

I booked a room at Valley Forge and set out to join the team at National Masters in Pennsylvania. The competition took place over a number of days and I couldn’t afford to be there the whole time, but I managed to catch three sessions featuring Westerly Barbell athletes; Jennifer Riley, Jared Coon and Erin Blette. 

Jennifer Riley

This was Jenn’s first National competition and second ever competition after the Barbell Open. She hit some milestone lifts. The energy on the competition platform and behind the scenes was truly inspiring.

Jared Coon

Jared had to shed a few pounds the night before his session so I hung out while he went through his method for cutting weight. Super hot baths, lots of water and as many layers of clothes as he could tolerate. He made weight though! 

Jared Smash

He smashed the competition, too, taking home another handful of gold medals for the collection.

Erin Blette

Erin had a tough session. A couple of Erin’s early lifts were disqualified by the judges. She kept pushing though. During her second to last lift, Erin suffered a catastrophic shoulder blow out. It’s amazing the bar didn’t fall directly on her. Lucky as that was, the damage had been done. 

I stayed in photojournalist mode and documented the aftermath. It felt terrible, but I’m glad I did because everyone on the team and her other competitors rallied to help. It was a true representation of what it means to be a part of Westerly Barbell Club. 

Erin left Valley Forge in an ambulance and I drove Jared to the hospital so we could be with her in the E.R. Once settled, I made the quiet drive back to Rhode Island while trying to come to grips with the injury and how the project ended. It was a reminder of what can happen in a truly dangerous sport. 

Redemption

Erin fought her way back to recovery. She rebuilt her body and was ready for the Westerly Christmas Open by December of 2023, 9 months after her injury. I was at Westerly Barbell for that competition, too and documented her first competitive lift since the injury. She went on to take gold in her class. Truly inspiring stuff.