By Matt Vines February 25, 2025
SHREVEPORT – The Olympic spirit permeates through the LSUS weightlifting program, attracting athletes and coaches from around the world.
Perhaps the strongest tie is to Japan as four college lifters and two coaches visited earlier this month to participate in weight training and cultural exchange.
The Japanese party visited Shreveport from Feb. 11-18, which marked the 14th joint weightlifting camp and the second consecutive camp since those activities were paused for the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“It’s great to have this tradition get back on track after we had to stop for a few years,” said Dr. Kyle Pierce, leader of the LSUS program and a member of the International Weightlifting Hall of Fame as a coach. “The Japanese Weightlifting Association funds their travel, and there’s a selection process for these lifters to get to come.
“We share all kinds of techniques, but more importantly, there’s a cultural exchange that takes place. The Japanese lifters stay with host families here in Shreveport, and they get to experience a different culture and work on their English skills.”
Among the Japanese lifters was Olympian Rira Suzuki, who finished eighth at the 2024 Olympics in the 49 kilogram class.
Nigerian weightlifter Adijat Olarinoye, who trains at LSUS and participated in the camp, and Suzuki were prominent competitors in the 2021 World Championships.
Suzuki was a silver medalist at 49 kilos while Olarinoye captured silver at 55 kilos.
LSUS’s own Olympian Kendrick Farris was part of the fun as he brought his Linwood Charter Middle School lifters to learn and interact with the Japanese college athletes.
The camps started in 2009 with more than 80 Japanese athletes attending the 14 camps through the years.
“There’s a universal language within each sport, and even though everybody is from different part of the world speaking different languages, they are all doing the same training and compete in the same competitions,” said Pierce, who also serves as director of international relations for USA Weightlifting. “There’s a tendency for Japanese kids to be shy in general at competitions, and coaches feel that perhaps part of this was not being able to communicate with English-speaking lifters.
“This camp helps them to be a little more outgoing. In addition to the more than 80 (Japanese) athletes, this has also been a training ground for coaches. It exemplifies the Olympic spirit.”
One such Japanese lifter turned coach is Seiichiro Takei, who participated in the first joint camp in 2009 and three total as an athlete with many more as a coach.
Takei moved to Shreveport for an LSUS master’s degree in kinesiology and wellness a decade ago and returns to the annual camp as a college coach in Japan.
“This camp is unique in that they train to improve performance, but the cultural exchange is so important,” Takei said during the 2024 camp. “Our athletes stay with host families, and it’s a chance to use their language skills and broaden perspectives in talking to people from different cultures and nations.
“We have a lot of fun. We go shopping, and we always go to Mardi Gras every year.”
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