Roy Begley Challenge takes place March 31 at Frenchtown Mall
By Dennis Oblander
Monroe - As difficult as it might be to lift 650 pounds, raising $10,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association can be even more of a challenge. That's the goal however for this year's Roy Begley Memorial Bench Press Challenge. The fifth annual competition is scheduled for March 31 at the Frenchtown Square Mall. Weigh-ins begin at 9:30 a.m. and lifting starts at 11. If recent years are any indication, the $10,000 goal is within reach. "We raised more than $8,000 last year," organizer Tom Pearch said, "and more than $18,000 since 1997." The challenge is dedicated to Roy Begley, a high school chum and weightlifting partner of Pearch's. Begley died from muscular dystrophy in 1995 at age 24. Proceeds from the bench press challenge benefit the Muscular dystrophy Association.
Appearing at the event will be Karen Cooley, the defending world arm wrestling champ in the 50-kilo division. A Milan resident, Cooley has won 15 state and seven national titles and has appeared on "Live! With Regis and Kathy Lee" and "The Maury Povich Show". Also making guest appearances will be Mary Stack, a disabled lifter from Royal Oak who can bench press 250 pounds. Two world champion bench pressers from the Downriver area also will demonstrate their prowess: 259-pound John Zemmin, who presses 705 pounds, and Clay Brandenburg, a super-heavyweight national and world champion who benches 672 pounds.
"A lot of people see it as a serious competition as well as a way to raise money," local lifter Steve Favreau said. "People are gearing up for it." Favreau, also a friend of Begley, is a longtime supporter of the challenge. Last year, he raised $1,600 in pledges. "I talk to the people I work with and the people I work out with here (at Powerhouse Gym) in the morning," he said of his fund-raising techniques. Last year I collected empty cans and bottles from where I work."
The minimum donation for most weight divisions is a $50 entry fee. New this year is a challenge that will award cash prizes to the top 5 lifters who lift the most over their body weight, Pearch said. The minimum challenge division donation is $75. The top three winners in the women's, teens and men's master (over 40) divisions will receive plaques. The lifts will be "touch and go", that is, the lifter will touch the bar to his chest rather than pause with it there. "Last year we had about 20 people signed up and 42 competed," Pearch said. "This year we have 43 signed up and were still several weeks out." Early entry is not necessary.
Richard Orndorf, whose Powerhouse Gym lends equipment and assistance for the challenge, expects a big turnout. "I think it's going to be out of control this year," he said. "A lot of money, a lot of fun." For additional information, visit www.powerwillmake.itgo.com.