Weightlifting Wise - Coach and Athlete Education
Ursula Garza Papandrea : Coach educator, coach and athlete
Coach educator: USA Weightlifting Level 1 and 2 Certification Course Instructor since 2009. Certified Trainer (Instructor) for IWF Level 1 and 2 since 2019. Member (Instructor) for CrossFit Weightlifting Certification Staff since 2009-2015. Mentor and coach to other high profile international coaches.
Coach Experience:
USAW Level 5 Senior International Coach since 2003. Personal coach to countless athletes since 1993 who have competed at and won national championships at the junior, collegiate, senior, and master levels , and Olympic Trials, several others have represented Team USA at the Junior World Championships, University World Championships, Senior World Championships, and Pan Am Games, and have broken both junior and senior American records. Official team USA Coach at international events 2004-2009 (2009, elected to USA Weightlfiting Board of Directors)
Texas Barbell Club, Head Coach 2013-2020 (2014 USA Weightlifting Championships Men's Team Champions)
Athletic career
Senior National and International: Two-time senior national champion, two-time Olympic Festival champion, 7 time American Open Champion, 5 time world team member (1992-1996), and former record holder in both snatch (masters) and clean and jerk (seniors and masters) Two time NACACI Champion (North American Central American Caribbean Island)
Masters: National Champion and Grand Master (Overall Best Lifter) 2009, National Champion and Age Group Best Lifter in 2010 and 2014 2014
Formal Education and experience:
Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise and Sports Science,1998
Master's Degree in Political Science 2004
Professor at Austin Community College Kinesiology 1994-2013 and Government (2004-2019)
Other Weightlifting Contributions and accomplishments:
USA Weightlifting Board of Directors 2009-2020, President 2016-2020
International Weightlfiting Federation: Vice President and Women’s Commission Chair 2017-2020 and Interim President 2020
USA Weightlifting International Relations Director (2021-)
Recipient of Mabel Rader(2008) and Gordon-Andrews 2021) Awards for Contribution to Women’s and Men’s Weightlifting
USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame (2022)