THE year is 1932. The Winter Olympics open in January, Lake Placid, New York; the Summer Olympics follow in July, Los Angeles. Adolf Hitler wins Nazi leadership, spelling dark days ahead for humanity.... A boy, the first of three (& one sister...) is born into a working-class family located in North London. As a teenager, he becomes involved with bicycle racing, both track & road. By the early 1950’s, as a young man, Rodney Coe saws one of his more expensive bicycles into pieces, throws the remains into the Thames River, claims the insurance & purchases a ticket, by boat, to Australia. Upon arrival into his adopted country, Rodney begins work as a labourer on the Eildon Weir project, joined soon thereafter by younger brother Terry. Nearing the end of the 1950’s, Rodney becomes interested in weight-training, joining an Olympic Weightlifting club run by Paul & Sam Coffa, most probably the Hawthorn Recreation Centre. He gains strength quickly & easily, competing in numerous club & state-level events, garnering several awards/trophies/records. Unsubstantiated claims suggest a possible touch-&-go benchpress of nearly 500lb’s (227.5kg) at a bodyweight of 180lb (82kg...) around this time. Rodney Coe meets & marries Dilys Myra Revell-Dickinson around this period; a son is born in June of 1962, followed by a daughter in January of 1965. The only son, Adam, is somewhat lazy & disinterested in sporting activities, however, begrudgingly joins an Olympic Weightlifting Club run by a teacher at Peninsula Anglican Boys School, Mount Eliza, Victoria in 1976. The teacher/coach, Roger Crabtree, is a former Commonwealth Games record holder & champion in a lightweight division, possibly bantamweight. By 1977, Adam Coe, much like his father Rodney, has made impressive progress, winning or placing at numerous club & state-level events, narrowly missing a then-record clean-&-jerk of 105kg at 15 years of age. By the age of 16, Adam loses interest in weight-training/weightlifting; hotels/pubs, girls & fast cars appear far more important, a decision rued even now..... Upon leaving school in 1980, & working in the (then...) family business, Adam finds himself in-&-out of trouble with local police; by 1983, he makes a decision to join a local gymnasium, Tarzan & Janes, Brunel Road in Seaford to get his life ‘on-track’. The owner, Tom Culic, is a competitive bodybuilder possessing a very impressive physique; with girlfriend Jane Devine, both have won numerous titles/trophies in state-level events. Tom sets Adam a 4-day/week training regime which, almost instantly, produces positive results. Adam joins a group of like-minded individuals, many of whom are interested in strength/conditioning training; Markos & Spiros Markopoulos have, by now, also joined Tarzan & Janes gymnasium – it becomes a well-known & well-respected haunt for competitive athletes from varied sporting circles. The year is now 1984. A bronzed, well-muscled middle-aged devotee wanders into Tarzan & Janes gym. His name is Len Wilson. He befriends, amongst many others, Rodney Coe, who has rekindled his interest in weight-training, again winning a handful of state & national accolades/trophies, now competing in the sport of powerlifting. Len possesses the worst squatting style ever witnessed; our group simply shudders when he asks for assistance on seemingly impossibly heavy weights. In due course, Len convinces Adam to; 1. Commence training with other competition top-notch Victorian powerlifters of the day i.e Charles Coleiro, Barry Murray, Geoff ‘Bear’ Barclay, Dale Leonard, Rod Beckham, Bruce Rigby & others, & 2. Enter a small qualifying powerlifting event, early 1985. The rest is, as they say, history..... Rodney Coe subsequently completes an impressive 30-odd year career in both Olympic Weightlifting & Powerlifting by entering his final competition, the 1991 Australian Masters Games in Brisbane, setting a then-AAPLF Benchpress Record in the O/50 90kg division. Fast-forward to the millennium. In March, a child is born in Glengarry Hospital, Warwick, Perth. She is christened Amie. As a primary student in 2006, she begins technique training with her father, Adam, utilising a broomstick & empty 10kg bar in the squat, benchpress & deadlift. Three years onward, Amie wins several medals in the sport of gymnastics representing Gosnells Police & Community Youth Club, finishing her career with a win at the 2011 State Titles. Following a brief weight-training program undertaken in early 2012, Amie enters the West Australian State Powerlifting Titles as a guest lifter, being too young to officially compete. To raucous applause & cheering, she completes the event with admirable results & receives the ‘encouragement’ award from Henry Day at Musclepit Gymnasium. January 2014, Coventry Village Markets. Courtesy of Dan & Paul Rucci, Performance Training Centre in Perth & with support from the Global Powerlifting Committee, Amie Coe lifts in the Perth Cup, her first official event. She establishes four Australian records in the squat, benchpress, deadlift and total (aggregate of the three best lifts performed...). Shortly thereafter, news circulates of an upcoming World Powerlifting Championships in November, Sydney, Australia, promoted by Wayne Howlett, CAPO Australia & the Global Powerlifting Alliance. Amie enters this competition, November 21st, & finishes her day on the platform with, again, records in the squat, benchpress, deadlift & total......becoming the FIRST EVER Coe family member to not only WIN a bona-fide world championship, also to set WORLD powerlifting records. To the best of my knowledge, & with much respect to the many father-son, mother-daughter & multiple family members who have lifted/competed both in the past & present; furthermore, with approximately 30-odd years of association with the now-defunct AAPLF (Australian Amateur Power Lifting Federation), CAPO (Council of Australian Powerlifting Organisations), GPC (Global Powerlifting Committee) & others, I firmly believe this is the FIRST TIME IN AUSTRALIAN HISTORY a THIRD GENERATION OF THE SAME FAMILY spaced over a period of time NO SHORTER THAN SIX DECADES has successfully given service to/competed in/set or broken local, national or world records/won state, national &/or world titles in the sport of full three-lift powerlifting competition....with the best, potentially, yet to come..... Much congratulations to my father Rodney Coe, today residing quietly in the semi-rural township of Tyabb, Victoria & his grand-daughter, Amie Coe; the ‘book-ends’ to a wonderful & unique piece of Australian sporting folklore. The years forward should, & most probably will, see the Coe family name splashed about many exciting powerlifting events, much to our collective pride &, ultimately, distinction. Well done again, & indeed, the Coe family powerlifters.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 02:23:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015