Like mother, like daughter. Kimberley Laskey and Mairen Hoch have similar pre-lift form and facial expression before successfully setting state records. Courtesy Photo
When you think of a pair of state record-setting Olympic weightlifters, someone who looks like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, or maybe Arnold Schwarzenegger might come to mind. To shatter that stereotype, the mother-daughter duo of Kimberly Laskey and Mairen Hoch are the current record holders in New Mexico for the Olympic Weightlifting movements called the clean and jerk, and the snatch.
A short weightlifting primer – during the clean movement, the lifter moves the barbell from the floor to a racked position across the deltoids, without resting fully on the clavicles. During the jerk movement, the lifter raises the barbell to a stationary position above the head, finishing with straight arms and legs, and the feet in the same plane as the torso and barbell.
Hoch set the state record for her age and weight class with a 25 kg (55 lb) clean and jerk in her first ever competition at the New Mexico games in July of 2017, and then broke another state record with a 30 kg (66 lb) lift at the John Davis Memorial Weightlifting meet in Santa Fe on January 20th.
When asked about how it feels to set state records, Hoch answered, “It’s really cool.”
“I usually lift better in the evenings than in the morning,” Hoch said about her preferred weightlifting time and strategy.
“I’m usually thinking about my form and not dropping the weight on my head,” Hoch half joked about her thought process during a lift.
Unlike kids her age – or even her two brothers – rather than pizza, burgers, or tacos, Hoch prefers to eat seafood or flank steak.
When she’s not training for weightlifting, you can find Hoch practicing and competing in gymnastics. The two sports really complement each other, building strength, balance, and confidence. Hoch competes in all four gymnastics events, but she prefers the vault to uneven bars, balance beam, or floor exercise.
By setting the New Mexico state record, Hoch has qualified to compete in the Youth National Weightlifting Pre-Olympic Trials in Grand Rapids, MI this June. “It’s a little nerve-wracking because I’ve never been to a meet like that,” Hoch said about her opportunity to compete on a large national stage.
Although it’s a daunting task, don’t count Hoch out. “It’s also really exciting because I haven’t done something like this before. It’s a new experience.”
When asked how an 11-year old girl got interested in Olympic weightlifting, Hoch gave praise to a very special role model. “I started going to CrossFit with my mom and I really liked it.”
Kimberley Laskey has also set a few state records herself, both at the New Mexico games and at the John Davis Memorial meet. Laskey’s state record in the clean and jerk is 77 kg (170 lb). Her personal best is 80 kg (176 lb).
Laskey also owns the state record in the snatch, a lift that requires the athlete to lift the barbell from the ground to overhead in one continuous motion. Laskey’s record of 56 kg (123 lb) is just shy of her personal record of 59 kg (130 lb).
Laskey began taking classes at CrossFit Los Alamos (CFLA) two and a half years ago, and has been competing in various weightlifting competitions for the past year. “[CFLA] has classes specific to weightlifting [and] I became a regular in those classes. Albuquerque and Santa Fe have a lot of local meets and a coach suggested I try one,” Laskey said about getting into competitive weightlifting.
“It was kind of scary because I didn’t have a coach and went by myself,” Laskey said about her first competition. “There’s a lot of strategy with the meet that I didn’t know before. You don’t just go and lift, you have to plan out where you are and what numbers you want to use, or if people miss their lifts, so it was a learning experience, but it was fun.”
Laskey has qualified to compete at the National Weightlifting Championships in Buffalo, NY this April, and also qualified to compete in World Championships in Barcelona, Spain in August.
Much like her daughter, Laskey complements her skill with an athletic art. “I teach a class at Dance Arts Los Alamos,” Laskey answered when asked what she did with her free time. Between work and three kids with different interests, weightlifting, and DALA, Laskey admits she doesn’t have much free time. “I’ll be heading to Arizona this weekend for a gymnastics competition.” That’ll give Laskey and Hoch a little mother/daughter time over the weekend.
To help Hoch get to the Youth Pre-Olympic Trials, she has begun fundraising. The now 12-year-old athlete is a Red Cross certified babysitter; she also pet sits, and does light yard work around Los Alamos and White Rock, and comes with very good reviews from locals on Facebook.
A GoFundMe page also has been set up to help get Hoch to Grand Rapids, MI. You find that page at gf.me/u/gkjwau
Then 11-year-old Mairen Hoch stays cool under the pressure of heavy weights. Courtesy Photo
Kimberley Laskey mentally prepares to lift on her way to setting state records. Courtesy Photo