Meet and Greet: Coach Mark Sampson – USABA Powerlifting Coordinator

Coach and coordinator Mark Sampson is new to USABA– but hardly a newcomer when it comes to the sport of powerlifting.

Sampson immersed himself within many angles of the sport for more than 30 years – as a lifter, a coach and as a referee.

As a lifter, Sampson won more than 100 awards and championships. Some of his proudest achievements include: winning the Colorado State Powerlifting Championship title eight different times, including his current title which Sampson clinched at 51 years old; becoming a two-time U.S. Army Europe Champion and All Army runner up; and winning the 2005 and 2007 State Games of America.

Sampson's personal best records are: 705.25 lb. squat; 442 lb. bench; and 635 lb. deadlift.

As a coach, he conducted strength and conditioning clinics and seminars for lifters and his fellow coaches across Colorado .

As a leader, Sampson is a vocational/technical instructor and a football coach at Harrison High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

As a family member, the coach enjoys spending time with his daughter, Athena, and “man's best friend” – his dog, Maggie.

If you're interested in learning more about powerlifting, Coach Sampson would love to hear from you.

Welcome Coach Sampson!

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USABA athletes will compete in the Emerging Athletes Camp at the 2008 State Games, an inaugural event that hosts up to 8,000 blind and sighted athletes in 29 sports. The games will be held from July 22 – 29 in Colorado Springs , Colo. For more information, please visit USABA's website at www.usaba.org .

The United States Association of Blind Athletes, a member organization of the U.S. Olympic Committee, is a non-profit organization that provides training for blind and visually impaired athletes for competition in nine sports. USABA members range from blind children developing sports skills to elite athletes who train for competitions such as the Paralympic Games, which continually draws more than 4,000 disabled athletes.