Further Personal Information |
| Residence |
Columbus, OH, USA |
Sport Specific Information |
| Club / Team |
United States Olympic Training Centre [USOTC]: Colorado Springs, CO, USA |
Further Personal Information |
| Higher education |
Religious and Theological Studies, Sociology - Ursuline College: Cleveland, OH, USA |
General Interest |
| Famous relatives |
Her brother Nick has played American football for the New York Jets in the National Football League [NFL]. (Athlete, 13 Nov 2014; usatoday.com, 07 Oct 2014) |
| Most influential person in career |
Her family. (sportsillustrated.cnn.com, 04 Mar 2012) |
Sport Specific Information |
| Name of coach |
Mark Cannella [club], USA; Zygmunt Smalcerz [national], POL |
| When and where did you begin this sport? |
She began weightlifting in 2008. Prior to that she had competed in powerlifting. |
Further Personal Information |
| Languages |
English |
General Interest |
| Other information |
TATTOO
In February 2015 she revealed she had got a tattoo of the Olympic rings done on the side of her head. "I know this sounds corny but one of the reasons I got it there was because my mind is what got me to the Olympics [2012 Games in London] and, as soon as I worked on my mental game, the kilos started flying." (nbcsports.com, 20 Feb 2015)
TELEVISION
In 2013 she convinced her coach to allow her to take part in reality TV show 'The Biggest Loser', which helps people lose weight. She thought it would help her get into the best condition for lifting and also promote the sport. "I needed to be smaller so I could train harder." She has also appeared on the MTV show 'True Life'. (espn.go.com, 23 Feb 2015; usatoday.com, 15 Oct 2013) |
| Injuries |
She competed at the 2012 Olympic Games in London with torn ligaments in her right wrist. She did not know the severity of the damage until after she had competed. She had surgery to reconstruct her wrist once the event had finished. (Athlete, 13 Nov 2014; usatoday.com, 15 Oct 2013) |
| Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs |
She listens to the songs 'Yes' by LMFAO and 'Dog Days are Over' by Florence and The Machine prior to competing. (espn.go.com, 01 Dec 2016) |
| Other sports |
She was the first female to play American football in high school in Ohio, United States of America. She was an offensive lineman for Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering. (upi.com, 04 Jun 2012) |
Sport Specific Information |
| Why this sport? |
She did powerlifting at high school to improve her strength because she played American football. She began weightlifting in 2008 as she wanted to compete at a higher level and the Olympic Games. "I knew I couldn't pursue football professionally and powerlifting isn't in the Olympics." |
General Interest |
| Hero / Idol |
USA weightlifter Cheryl Haworth. (espn.go.com, 4 Jun 2012) |
Further Personal Information |
| Occupation |
Athlete |
General Interest |
| Memorable sporting achievement |
Competing at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (Athlete, 13 Nov 2014) |
International Debut |
| Year |
2010 |
| Competing for |
United States |
General Interest |
| Nicknames |
Squish ["I got it because I'm squishy."]. (Athlete, 13 Nov 2014) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Just make it." (Athlete, 13 Nov 2014) |
Further Personal Information |
| Family |
Partner Kitty Lippman |
London
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