| Kathy Roberts |
|
Back to Archive List |
|
 |
Kathy Roberts, lifetime drugfree world champion
powerlifter is a true inspiration to
all
who know her. This powerlifter not
only makes
a difference in the sport of powerlifting,
but also makes a difference across
the nation.
Kathy speaks to the youth of America
about
the dangers of steroids, other drugs,
alcohol
and nicotine. She speaks to them about
the
importance of staying drug free, motivated,
dedicated and educated. Kathy’s new
non-profit
organization, STAAND , was launched
this
year to teach people to Stand Tall
Against
Alcohol , Nicotine , and Drugs! Kathy
has
been competing in the sport for over
ten
years . She has set several World records,regional
records, American records and State
records
in four different Lifetime Drug Free
weight
classes. In March 2001, Kathy's bench
press
ranked 6th, her deadlift ranked 7th
and her
overall total score ranked 7th in the
United
States in the Powerlifting USA's Women's
Top 20 for 2000 in the 198 pound Division.
Kathy is listed in the American Powerlifting
Association's (APA) Women's Top 20
for 2000.
Kathy is ranked 1st in 198 pound drug-tested
division in the Bench Press with a
265 pound
World Record lift, and she is ranked
1st
in the 198 pound drug-tested division
with
a 430 pound Deadlift, a World Record
lift.
In January 2000, Kathy was named in
Powerlifting
USA's Women's Top 50 All-Time Powerlifters
in the 165 pound weight division. In
March
2000, Kathy's bench press was ranked
sixth
in the world in the 198 pound weight
division.
Kathy has been ranked as Powerlifting
USA’s
top 20 female powerlifters for the
last eight
years. Many of Ms. Roberts' opponents
are
not considered drugfree which makes
her top
twenty ranking an even greater accomplishment.
In September 1997, Kathy was featured
in
the “Faces in the Crowd” section of
Sports
Illustrated. Kathy was chosen 1995
CITGO
Congress of State Games, Female Athlete
of
the Year for the Commonwealth of Virginia
and the 1994 APA Female Powerlifter
of the
Year. She was featured in the Portraits
of
the City Campaign, and has done numerous
local and national radio and television
interviews.
She was selected to serve on Governor
George
Allen’s Commission on Physical Fitness
and
Sport for the Commonwealth of Virginia
for
her accomplishments both on and off
the lifting
platform. Kathy Roberts is a true champion
on and off the powerlifting platform.
Kathy
was recognized with two awards as a
hero
in the September 11, 2001 attack on
the Pentagon.
In her spare time, she works with children
in the community to help keep them
focused
on their goals and out of trouble.
She helps
to keep them motivated and wanting
to stay
physically fit. She was featured as
an unsung
hero on “Faces of Courage” which appeared
on Fox television. This program was
dedicated
to individuals who have made a positive
impact
on the community. Kathy was also featured
as a “Hero” on Heroes television show
on
NBC, and sponsored by McDonald’s for
the
Portraits of the City Campaign which
was
featured in seven different newspapers
in
the District of Columbia honoring unsung
heroes in the community. You can find
out
more about Kathy and her accomplishments
and mission at http://www.GIFTOFSTRENGTH.com. This biographical sketch is to be used only by Midwestchristianbodybuilding.com website in the article featuring Kathy Roberts Copyright ( 2005, Kathy Roberts, All Rights Reserved) |
| What's your favorite Scripture? Proverbs 3:5 --Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Who were your childhood heroes? My childhood hero is my mother because she raised 10 kids. My father died when I was a young girl and my mother stepped up to the plate and raised 10 of us. For me, heroes have to go through trials and tribulations. They have to experience the lows, the highs, and disappointments and be able to rise above it all with strength and grace, all of this while continuing to hold on to your integrity and dignity. If you could meet anyone from the Bible, who would it be and why? You can't say Jesus, we all want to and we prayerfully will one day! Moses, because he was a leader of the people and follower of God. He represented the law. He was chosen by God to receive the tablets engraved with the Ten Commandments, God’s Law. It states in the Ten Commandments that every time evil tries to conquer good, that evil will eventually fail. It says that evil will never conquer good. This is a prime example of situations in everyday life. When you worship another thing in life other than God, you are lost and weakened. When you serve God, you will have trials and tribulations, but a long as you believe and trust, having faith in God will help you to overcome evil. I also like the part where Moses went up on Mount Sinai upon God’s command. When he came back the crowds of people who were waiting to go to the Promised Land had given up on Moses. It showed how quickly people lose faith. This is a prime example of why you should not stop believing. It’s also a prime example of what’s going on in today’s society. We have to believe that things will happen in God’s time, not ours. There are a number of things that I liked about Moses’ life and one of the miracles that I am most fascinated with is when God gave him the command to open the Red Sea. What is a typical day in your life like? I have a full-time job. I graduated in three different Career Study areas within that last year. I am aggressively pursuing my degree in another area, so I spend time studying and going to school. I communicate with my family on a daily basis. I make time to train at the gym and I basically round out my day helping others. I also spend time doing motivational speaking and educating the kids about the dangers of performance enhancers/drugs, alcohol, and nicotine. I also talk to them about the importance of staying in school and getting an education. My priorities tend to shift, but this is where I’m at the moment. What Biblical figure do you most identify with & why? Job, because I am always going trough trials and tribulations. My faith, my strength, my integrity and my patience are always being tested. Life is a constant battle, so I have to wear my armor. If you don’t wear it you are vulnerable. God has shown me a lot throughout the years that if I stick with him, I will prevail. I have prevailed in some very tough areas where people didn’t think that I would because I was an individual pretty much standing up against an army. Because I trusted God, they were defeated. What trait do you like most about yourself? I value my integrity, my strength, and determination. What trait do you least like about yourself? Patience is a virtue. Even though I have patience, I can never have enough. How have you been able to represent God in your sport? First of all, the name of my website speaks for itself—GIFTOFSTRENGTH.com. I sat down and brainstormed to try to find a name that would suit me best. When people come to my site, they come to GIFOFSTRENGTH.com. I’ve been told that it is a unique name. I’ve been asked if it’s about religion and this has given me an opportunity to talk about God and my personal relationship with Him without forcing it upon anyone. I also do motivational speaking at schools across the nation. Some of my most enlightening speeches have been at Christian schools. It’s just a blessing to be able to talk to the students about God and my faith and tie it into my message to them. After all, my strength comes from God, without Him and His gift to me; I wouldn’t be where I am today. When I speak in public schools, I have to be more careful with my words, as far as mentioning Christ. However, I use the word faith, which is a representation of my relationship with Christ. Without faith, I wouldn’t be able to haul up 450 pounds drug free, etc. If you could change one thing in your sport, what would it be? If I could change one thing in powerlifting, it would be to eliminate the drug use, the deceit, and the manipulation. I would also like to get rid of the total unfairness in the sport to genuine and naturally gifted athletes who tend to be overshadowed by drug use in many federations and magazines. I believe that in the long run that will come to a screeching halt as long as people stand firm to the truth and don’t give in to what may be the majority. If you were to die today and go to Heaven, what would you like to hear God say? Welcome to my Kingdom. You don’t have to worry about anything anymore (e.g., sin, corruption, lies, deceit, hate, and grief to name a few). I can only imagine that I’ll have a big smile on my face knowing that I made it to the Promised Land. This article is to be used solely by Midwestchristianbodybuilding.com for an article about Kathy Roberts on their website. |
|
| Thank you Kathy for a wonderful interview! You are an inspiration and definitely someone for the youth to look up to! If you are needing a speaker at your school or organization, Kathy is an excellent choice! | |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|