[Q&A]


ALL IN THE FAMILY


The Cohen Family of Savannah, Ga., was made to lift. Grandfather Howard is the namesake of the Savannah-based Paul An- derson Howard Cohen Weightlifting Cen- ter; father Michael made the 1980 Olympic Team; mother Sheryl is a former athlete and current coach; and kids Mikey, 16, Will, 14, Carolyn, 11, and Samuel, 8, got their first toy barbells when they were 9-months-old. USA Weightlifting caught up with Michael


and Sheryl to learn about life in the Cohen household and how a family that lifts to- gether stays together.


USAW: When did everyone start lifting? SC: “(Michael) has been lifting practically since berth. I started lifting in 1990 with him. When I first started lifting, he was actually my teacher in high school, which is kind of funny. I started lifting at the high school and figured out I was pretty good at it. I hadn’t competed in anything before weightlifting, so it kind of took me by surprise that I was good at it, which is probably why I chose to stick with it.” MC: “I’ve got pictures of me in the crib with bars and weights—plastic stuff. My boys trained on the same equipment that I trained on when I was 1. They’ve got the same bar, same plastic weights, same thing. We’ve got them in the house now for their kids. It was in the family.”


Does anyone in the family not lift? SC: “All of them lift. They all kind of started playing when they were probably 3 and 4. We have a little plastic barbell that Michael actually used when he was a kid. They would play around with that and just do squats, and they would kind of mimic what they see in the gym. They are basically in the gym ev- ery day. Whether they’re working out or not, they’re in the gym every day. It’s kind of a social thing for them.” MC: “I’ve got pictures of them playing with weights at nine-months-old, just playing. Technique, (they were) 6-years-old. They had a piece of PVC pipe and would play


6 >> WEIGHTLIFTING.TEAMUSA.ORG


about 15 minutes, a couple times a week. That’s it, nothing else. Then you gradually build it up and up. They dictate to us how much they want to do. We’re not the kind that pushes them. Our little girl who is 11 is incredibly gifted in weightlifting, but she’s more interested in playing basketball and volleyball, so be it. The coach can’t want it more than athletes; the athletes have to want it more than their coach. It’s the same thing with the kids. They have to want to do it more than their father does.”


Any unique accomplishments or experiences? SC: “Our youngest, Samuel, who is 8, quali- fied for the Junior Olympics at age 5; he was the youngest to ever qualify and compete. They did a newspaper story on him.” MC: “(Mikey and Will) went to the Olympics in 2000. We stayed in Canberra (Australia) for two weeks at a training camp before we went on to Sydney, so they’ve traveled quite a bit. The weightlifting facility in Savannah is named after my father. It’s a great tribute to my father. He started the weightlifting program in Savannah, and it’s grown ever since.”


How much does your family train each week? SC: “We’re in the gym every single day; my husband and I both work at the gym. We’re


here every day. When I pick up the kids from school, we come to the gym. Whether we work out or not, we’re at the gym. I don’t think they feel the pressure that they have to lift when they’re here, although I would like for them to sometimes, but they pretty much live in the gym. Now, they play other sports. My daughter has played basketball and volleyball, so she has other things. Both of my oldest sons have played football. They have other things, but I think the gym is kind of a social thing as well.”


Cheryl, what is it like having your husband coach you? SC: “I think because he was my coach be- fore we got married, I’m still able to draw the line. I don’t take anything personally. He’s still my coach. I think a lot of people have a difficulty with it because they take things personally. He and I have never had any kind of issue with it except for when I make weight; I did tell him one time that I refuse to make weight anymore.”


Speaking of family coaching family, is it true that Howard coaches his grandson? MC: “My daddy coaches my oldest boy (Mikey). I felt that it was very, very important that my dad get that one last ride to pro- duce an Olympian. At his age, he’s not go- ing to come in contact with any more elite athletes to get them to that level.


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