Livermore Falls – Teens, families and coaches gathered on January 31 Renewal Training Company in Livermore Falls for a day “Teen Lift Off” Designed to showcase progress, build confidence and strengthen community ties among young athletes.
Betsy Mancine, owner of Renovation Training Company.Said it evolved from the gym’s regular practice of testing one-rep max lifts throughout the year, but expanded it into a dedicated competition-style experience for the Teen Barbell Club.
“We test one rep max several times a year for most of our training clients,” Mancine said. “This year we decided to make it a one-day event for the Teen Barbell Club, rather than spread out the lifts over a week.”
Mancine said it also highlighted the mentorship role played by experienced young lifters 17-year-old Emma Mancine and her boyfriend Rush Morrison, both competitive powerlifters.
“Our daughter, Emma, has been powerlifting competitively for the last three years,” Mancine said. “All these kids know Emma and they’ve seen her compete online.”
He said the teen lift off served two primary purposes.
“One: giving our TBCs an exciting new challenge and way to showcase their hard work and strength as family and friends watch, and; two: giving Emma and Rush the opportunity to mentor and inspire these young lifters with what they’ve learned,” Mansin said. “Both are natural coaches and were wonderful.”
Eleven teenagers competed in the main event, including two additional exhibition lifters, age 9. The remaining participants were between 12 and 16 years old.
From a coaching standpoint, Mansin said the results reflect consistent effort from both the participants and their families.
“Dedication, focus, effort on their part and their parents’ part is getting them here,” Mansin said. “These teenagers have been focused and have consistently performed well, taking coaching, building strength, paying attention to good nutrition and sleep. They have practiced commands and accepted every challenge I have given them. And their hard work paid off and was reflected in the comp.”
While personal records and lift totals were important milestones, Mansin said the emotional and social moments define the event.
“Oh my God, all of them,” Mansin said. “It was jumping up and down from her fellow lifters, Emma and Melissa, another mom, leading the warmup room and being big sisters and encouragers to all the kids.”
He said the support network extends beyond the coaches.
Mancine said, “Rush and Travis, a parent, see the kids, with Rush bringing a big ‘Big Bro’ energy to appeal more to teens, especially boys.” “Parents were on their feet screaming. There were tears of joy all around, there were hugs.”
Mancine said the sense of community stood out the most.
“Everyone did their best, but also encouraged and loved everyone else,” he said. “People filled the holes and picked up the slack. It was fantastic.”
He said strength training provides benefits beyond physical development, especially for teens who can’t participate in traditional team sports.
“These kids learned that they are capable of much more than they think,” Mansin said. “They build confidence by working hard. They have to trust me as their coach, which is a responsibility I take extremely seriously, like how I train them, how I push them, I know what they can do.”
Mancine said the game demands accountability and personal development.
“They have to put in the work. You can’t pretend to be lifting heavy weights if you haven’t put in enough effort,” he said. “These are kids who aren’t in team sports. They get a chance to train together and have fun, but at the end of the day, they’re competing against themselves and their previous scores. It’s amazing to see how this effort transforms a child.”
Mansin described the event as one of the most meaningful moments of his coaching career, pointing to both his personal connection to working with the teens and the growth he saw in the participants.
“I love teenagers,” Mansin said. “I think they’re in such a good place because they’re so close to adulthood, seeing who they’re going to become, learning, growing, trying, so it’s awesome to be a part of the management.”
He said the day was a turning point for many participants.
“These kids have proven a lot to themselves, to their family and to their friends,” Mansin said. “It wasn’t just lifting weights. It was overcoming the challenges of training to lift weights while everyone was watching, which can be extremely difficult, especially for our more introverted teens.”
Mansin emphasized that the focus was on participants building confidence in themselves.
She said, “These teenagers are incredible. I think that day, they started to see in themselves what I see in each of them, from the teenagers picking up stuff to the teenagers helping.” “This is about as good as it gets.”
After positive feedback from participants and families, Mansin said Renovation Training plans to continue offering similar youth-focused programming.
“This was a test drive for us to see what our teens and community enjoy,” Mansin said.
Teen Barbell Club for kids ages 11 and up meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-6 p.m. The gym offers drop-in access with a 10-class pass available for $105 or an unlimited monthly membership for $79.
