Athletes Test Strength at Second Annual ‘No Fear’ Powerlifting Competition

_{by Jodi Linsey}

Kaylin Trivisonno and Brennan Pantleo of Elevated Physique and the soon to be opened new gym, Base Wellness at 321 Silver Street, co-hosted the second annual No Fear Powerlifting Meet at Lake City Armory on Saturday, September 27, in conjunction with Devil Dogg Strength and Conditioning Gym from Pueblo West, Colorado.
Consisting of three rounds each of three lifts, back squats, bench press, and dead lift, the contestants handled progressively heavier weights, pushing themselves, trying

to find the limits they need to push against.
The atmosphere in the Armory was one of support and camaraderie, with amateur and professional lifters coming together to not only lift steel but to lift each other.
This is a non-sanctioned event, meaning that the results cannot be used to qualify for other tournaments, nor do they support rankings in one of the powerlifting associations.
Approximately 75 percent of the competitors attended their first competition, including two from the Lake City area.
The two local competitors were Rachel Moore, Lake City Area Medical Center Director, and Sandy Hines, Hinsdale County Administrator.
Both athletes displayed grace under pressure, showing grit as they faced challenges of weight and the weight of an audience’s gaze, Hines stating “I did not expect so much support from the other contestants! I’ve never experienced something like this.”
Although Moore ended up disqualified because she was unable to nail her bench press, she turned in impressive numbers for both the squat, 171 pounds, and the dead lift, 210 pounds.
Don Wero of Gallup, New Mexico, said that he first started lifting as therapy for a case of long COVID that he just could not get past. Training got him back to work on the road, bringing him to Crested Butte for a job. It was while he was training in a Gunnison gym that he saw the poster for the No Fear event, bringing him to Lake City for his first competition.
Gabi Robbins attended from the Greeley, Colorado, area with her two girls, all sporting fanciful ponytails and big smiles. Robbins said that she came to Lake City last year for her first competition. She works as a special education teacher and has been weight training for just a year and a half.
Trivisonno’s mentor and trainer since she was age 14, Chris Carter of Devil Dogg, co-sponsored the event, bringing in equipment and experienced personnel to run the scoring and recording. Carter competed in his first event since a total right shoulder replacement in January of this year. “Today was outstanding! I could not be prouder of Kaylin,” he said.
Stars of the show were a married couple from Gunnison, Molly O’Rourke and Ben Autrey and their four young children, the youngest of whom attended last year’s competition in his mama’s belly.
O’Rourke is a past world champion lifter, winning a clutch of medals at the 2013 International Powerlifting Competition (IPF), including an overall Silver Medal. O’Rourke seemed to easily out-lift any possible contenders with a squat of 336 pounds, a bench press of 209 pounds, and a dead lift of 364 pounds. She last competed in 2017 and her oldest child was born in 2019. O’Rourke says that she keeps her edge, and her sanity, because “How I start my day – I lift!”
Husband Ben Autrey made the biggest impact of the day with a squat of 507 pounds, a bench press of 342 pounds, and a downright scary dead lift of 600 pounds. Autrey’s gentle touch with his babies was in stark contrast to the sheer power and determination of his lifting. The one thing that he said he really wanted WORLD readers to know: “It’s a pleasure to compete at such a well-run meet.”
A complete list of participants: Molly O’Rourke, Rachel Moore, Sandy Hines, Gabi Robbins, Camila Acosta, John Flaming, David Hess, Joshua Leese,
Richard Acheson, Don Wero, Joseph Ben-Hayon, Adrian Larson, Ethan Franke, Victor Fernandez, Ben Autrey, Brandon McLeod, Juan Carpenter, Blaine Acheson, Chris Carter, Enrique Baca, and Will Crysler.