Photo By Hookgrip 

Mattie Rogers

By: Lauryn Lax 
 

One week in counting before the Soul Open 4 happens—a last chance qualifier for the American Open in South Miami.

 

Registered athletes are focused this week—making last minute tweaks to their form and technique, gaining a ballpark idea of just how much weight they can lift, and de-loading for the big show.

 

19-year-old Mattie Rogers is one of those athletes.

 

Rogers, from Florida and the South East Region, supercedes competitor Lauren Fisher of Southern California, as one of the ‘youngest’ weightlifting athletes on the floor, but she has grown accustomed to this status.

 

“There are plenty of youth lifters in the youth division, which I used to compete in, but now, as far as elite lifters, I am definitely one of the youngest out there. I did move up a weight class this year though,” Rogers said, ecstatically.

 

Rogers initially discovered the sport of weightlifting about two years ago through her participation in CrossFit at her box Altamonte CrossFit & Sports Performance in South Florida. Her own strength was quickly brought to her attention by her coaches, and she was encouraged to begin competing. One of her first competitions was actually the CrossFit Kids’ hosted Teen Gauntlet at the CrossFit Games in 2013. Since that time, Mattie jumped head first into her training and competing to be ‘the best’ in the world.  

 

While this year’s Soul Open 4 will be Rogers’ first appearance in the annual competition, she is no stranger to the weightlifting platform. In fact, she made Team USA this past year, and next weekend, will be her sixth weightlifting meet since last January.  

 

“This year has been extremely busy for me, from Junior Nationals (place: 3rd total, 1st snatch, 3rd clean and jerk), the Hassle Free Open, Junior Pan American championships (3rd total, 3rd snatch), Junior World championships in Russia (9th overall) and University Nationals (2nd total, 1st snatch & clean and jerk), I’ve been all over!” Rogers said.

 

Rogers boasts numbers such as her Clean & Jerk at 210 lbs. and Snatch at 180 lbs.

 

“I have one more year as a Junior Lifter and I WILL break a Junior American Record even if it kills me! I've hit them in training, now I just need to perform them and decide which weight class is best for me (I'm Floating between 63 and 69),” Rogers said.

 

Maybe that record will be broken during the Soul Open 4. All eyes on Rogers.

Watch the 2014 Soul Open LIVE on FloElite.com 

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