Local Athlete Breaks World Kettlebell Record

by Grant LaFleche

It's not likely to make national news, given the relative obscurity of her sport, but St. Catharines⁠-⁠based personal trainer Jennifer Hintenberger became a world kettlebell record holder.

In a cloud of chalk, the St. Catharines kettlebell trainer and competitor smashed a record by hauling a 16⁠-⁠kilogram weight over her head 738 times for 60 minutes straight. She broke the old record held by an Australian athlete who completed 545 repetitions.

 Hintenberger set the new record at a charity competition to raise money for  disaster relief.

“This is such a great feeling,” Hintenberger said. “It's a great sport and allows me to engage my competitive spirit. I cannot play rugby anymore. I've got three screws in my shoulder and had eight concussions. I have had figure skating injuries. So this is something that is a challenge and I can still be competitive.”

 Kettlebells is a sport that mirrors more traditional weightlifting using weights that, despite the name, look more like cannonballs with a fused handle than kettles. The primary difference between the two sports lies in the objective: where weightlifting competitions are won by the person who lifts the heaviest weight,kettlebell competitions are decided by who lifts a particular weight the most times within a time limit.

 Most competitions involve 10⁠-⁠minute events, but this one was called a “long cycle,” or marathon, in which competitors perform a single⁠-⁠arm lift—they can switch hands as often as they like—for an hour without setting the kettlebell down.

 Adapted from “Local Athlete Breaks World Kettlebell Record,” by Grant LaFleche, published in the St. Catharines Standard, October 31, 2011. Reprinted with permission of Sun Media Corporation.

4.At first glance, Aaron's workbench looks like any other, but as he snaps through drawers searching for a mallet, his hands skimming the contents, you realize he knows exactly where everything is. A misplaced tool costs time, and time costs money.

5.This isn't a job of repetition. The garage specializes in imports, and each car has unique issues. For a kid who started by ripping apart lawn mowers, it's a story about the capacity of his memory and his ability to learn, but most of all, about his determination.

6.At age 10, Aaron was pulling apart and rebuilding lawn mowers and other small engines with the guidance of his older brother, Ben. (Ben, now 26, is blind too, born with the same damage to the optic nerve.) “Well, we mostly put back together the stuff we tore apart,” says Aaron with a smile. Soon, they were working on the family cars.

7.For the last 12 years, Aaron has been a student at W. Ross MacDonald School for the Blind in Brantford. Ben was already there, making the challenge a little easier. Aaron shrugs it off, wearing his independence not so much as a badge but like a well⁠-⁠worn pair of jeans.“

8.I try to do it all,” he says. And he does. He's lived off campus for two years now, renting a house with a friend.

9.Frustration peeks out only in that he is passionate about cars, but can't drive. When he is asked, “If you had your sight for 10 minutes, what would you do?” he doesn't hesitate for a moment: “Drive!”

10.Outside the shop, a riding lawn mower sits on a trailer, the motor exposed. Shop owner Bruce Kitchen told his neighbour to bring the broken machine in because he had just the guy to fix it. Aaron reaches into the machinery with one surgically gloved hand, determines where a metal part is eroding a plastic one, and makes the diagnosis.

11.Kitchen disagrees with the suggestion that having Aaron on board as a co⁠-⁠op placement student might slow down the shop. “He has his specialties—brakes and rotors—and unlike a standard garage, the turnaround times are a little more flexible,” Kitchen says. “He's earned his place here. He's a fine mechanic.”

12.The logistics of moving through a dark world does not concern a young man who's known no different. The secret to Aaron's positive attitude is that he simply determines what he can do, rather than what he can't.

9.“In that case, you should consider co⁠-⁠op courses and apply for OYAP, the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program. Even before graduation, you could start accumulating hours to become certified in auto body repair. Why don't you research it?”

10.Olivia clicked her way to the OYAP admission requirements. “I need to be 16 and have 16 credits. That's no problem.”

11.She delved deeper. “Look at all the potential apprenticeships—carpentry, welding, early childhood education, horse grooming!”

12.“To get my electrician certification, I need 9000 hours of on⁠-⁠the⁠-⁠job and in⁠-⁠class training,”said Anton. “What does auto body repair require?”

13.“It says 7200. I'd better get started. Where do I sign up?”