By Mike McCombs The old saying goes “success breeds success.” When it comes to Coach Ray Jones and the Team Beaufort Olympic Weightlifting program, it couldn’t hold more true. During a week that saw Beaufort natives and standbys C.J. Cummings and Dade Stanley claim USA Weightlifting National Championships in Detroit, two more Team Beaufort (Team… Keep Reading
19 year old sweeps golds in 89-kg weight class at USA Weightlifting Junior Nationals By Mike McCombs When Dade Stanley left Beaufort to start his freshman year at Clemson University last fall, weightlifting was put on the back burner. But don’t think for a second that he’s not still cooking. Stanley, 19, swept the Snatch… Keep Reading
By Mike McCombsPhoto by Bob Sofaly As far as national championships go, it was about as ho hum as it gets for Beaufort’s C.J. Cummings on Friday afternoon. Cummings went 6-for-6 in his lifts and wasn’t challenged, winning gold medals in the Snatch, Clean & Jerk and Overall in the 73-kilogram weight class at the… Keep Reading
By Mike McCombsPhoto by Bob Sofaly It was a forgone conclusion but now it’s official: C.J. Cummings is Tokyo-bound. When USA Weightlifting announced its eight-person team for the 2021 Summer Olympic Games (July 23-Aug. 8, Tokyo) on Wednesday, Cummings name was on the list. The youngest member of Team USA, Cummings, 20, was a favorite… Keep Reading
By Mike McCombs “THIS JUST IN, CJ NOW HAS A YEAR AND FOUR MONTHS TO MAKE HIMSELF THAT MUCH BETTER!” That was the text message Team Beaufort coach Ray Jones sent to The Island News at 9:09 a.m. on Monday, March 30. Jones had just learned that the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo had… Keep Reading