Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 26, 1994 TAG: 9403300010
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-8 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: O{LEAD} RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
OU C By RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
Last week, he returned to Radford to take part in the competition again. This time, though, it was his words that carried the most weight.
He told the young athletes about his previous experience in the Lifting Pounds Against Cancer meet, a competition held annually at Radford High School that raises money for the American Cancer Society from pledges received by the high school competitors.
He also told them that 21/2 years after he took part in the event, he found out he had leukemia.
Stone underwent a bone marrow transplant in November 1989, and has made a full recovery from his illness. He used his experiences as an athlete and as a cancer patient to illustrate that Lifting Pounds Against Cancer is more than just a competition pitting those in the peak of health against one another in a contest of raising money and lifting pounds.
The athletes raise hope as well as money. They lift spirits in addition to pounds.
"I thanked them and said that people like me wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for people like them," said Stone, now a graduate student at the University of Virginia, where he studies environmental engineering and German and chairs the university's Lifting Pounds Against Cancer competition.
"I let them know how important it is for them to come out and do this."
The competitors also heard from former Radford football star Tommy Edwards, who told the story of his uncle - also named Tommy Edwards - who died of cancer in 1973, the year before the younger Tommy was born. Edwards' uncle was also an athletic standout at Radford before going on to play football at Ferrum College.
The younger Edwards, now a running back at Virginia Tech, took part in Lifting Pounds Against Cancer competitions during his days at Radford.
Athletes from seven high schools and middle schools took part in the March 16 event, which has been held in Radford for the last 17 years.
The competitors turned in $2,600 in pledges the night of the competition, with several hundred dollars still to be collected.
Blacksburg High School won the varsity competition for the seventh straight year. The Indians also raised more than $600 as a team, more than any other school.
Individual lifters were ranked according to the amount of weight they lifted in excess of their body weight. Blacksburg's Kip Kenyon, a sophomore, won the competition with a 300-pound bench press, a lift that exceeded his body weight by 114 pounds.
Finishing behind Kenyon in the top 10 were: (in order) Steve Hamlin of Auburn, Matt Tilley of Floyd County, Radford's Lyle Morton and Chris Fleisher, Roger Engelhart and Nick Burroughs of Blacksburg, C.C. Chapman of Radford, Darren Oliver of Blacksburg, and Dwayne Hale of Floyd County.
In the next 10 were: Emilio Martinez of Blacksburg, Carroll County's Joe Dickens, Danny Dickerson of Auburn, Radford's Chris Adams, Blacksburg's Jason Price, Michael Crist, Tucker LaForce, Andy Ankrum and Tim Schnecker, and Radford's Jim Davis.
In the eight-grade competition, Blacksburg's Ken Showman won the total lift category with a bench press of 150 pounds, and Dublin Middle's Nick Yates won the over body weight category with a lift 29 pounds in excess of his body weight.
Some athletes won prizes in a drawing held at the end of the evening. LaForce won a free pizza from Sal's Pizza in Radford, Floyd County's Steven Kinsley won a gift certificate from Ginger's Jewelry, Radford's John Dobbins won $10 in gasoline from Triangle Service Station, and Matt Memitt of Auburn won an Arby's gift certificate.
Jeannine Brinegar, the Radford-Montgomery County area director for the American Cancer Society, said the event may expand next year to include a girls' division. One female athlete took part in the competition this year.
Brinegar, Norman Lineburg, Jack Johnson and Jay Goode served as event chairpersons.
"This is a really neat event and it's one of the longest-running Lifting Pounds Against Cancer competitions around," said Brinegar. "I think we're really making an impact with this. Thanks to these schools, we're winning in this fight against cancer."
by CNB