Nervous but determined, Aaron Bosket, former graduate assistant at the University of Nebraska and now CHS strength and conditioning coach, steps onto the platform and prepares to do a lift, called a snatch, at his first Olympic-style weightlifting competition. Taking a wide grip, he picks up the bar and catches it overhead, right behind his ears. Careful to lock his elbows, he holds his breath. Three white lights flash at him, and he sighs in relief. He has cleared his first lift.

“I remember being nervous. You get three attempts at each lift and your chances are several minutes apart,” Bosket said. “I just remember saying, ‘I don’t want to miss all of them today, I want to make them all.’ I made all six lifts so I was happy.”

Bosket said while being a graduate assistant strengthening coach for University of Nebraska, one of his colleagues approached him and wanted to start a club to train weightlifters for Olympic-style competitions. There are two main lifting styles, Olympic and powerlifting, both of which focus on explosive power and strength.

According to Bosket, competitors must perform two types of lifts, the snatch and the clean-and-jerk. A competitor is allowed three attempts at each lift.

“There are three judges that judge you and each has a light. If you get a white light, that’s a good lift. If you get a red light, that’s a no lift. You have to get at least two white lights out of three to be cleared,” Bosket said.

Along with his experience at CHS, Bosket has coached for a number of universities, including University of Nebraska, Oregon State University, IUPUI and Butler University, which has helped him improve his coaching at this school .

“You meet a lot of people,” he said. “In that way, you see a lot of different personalities. Sometimes by trial and error, you have to try to find what works for different people. What works for one person and how to motivate them may not work for another.”

Throughout his competition exposure and various coaching settings, Bosket said he saw the universality of will-power.

“(I’ve learned) that no matter how talented you are, there’s always going to be someone out there that’s better than you and you have to keep an edge about you all the time. I saw that stays the same across all levels,” he said. “Enjoy the grime.”