VOA标准英语2008年-From Garage Gym to Beijing - Weightlifter Casey

American weightlifter Casey Burgener will be making his Olympic debut¹ in Beijing. He edged out four other super heavyweights to clinch² the third and final spot on the U.S. Olympic weightlifting team. Burgener has two U.S. national titles, and last year he won a silver medal at the Pan American Games in Brazil. VOA's Teresa Sullivan has more on this first-time Olympian from southern California.
　
Casey Burgener talks to reporters during media summit (Apr 2008 file photo)

U.S. Olympic weightlifter Casey Burgener more aptly fits the image of a modern renaissance³ man than a stereotypical⁴ strong-man.

True, Burgener is big, and muscular, and very strong. The super heavyweight athlete stands 186 centimeters tall, and weights 125 kilograms. With his shaved head, stubbled beard and intense glare, Burgener indeed looks like he could easily, if not happily, crush, kill, and destroy if he fancied the notion.

But while Burgener acknowledges his weightlifter's physique and "game face" can be intimidating⁵ at times, he shrugs⁶ off the cliché characterization of "brutish gym rat."

"I think I'm probably more laid back than people think," he says. " I know a lot of times when people meet me they think I'm going to tear them to pieces, like right away. But it probably helps the image of being strong, but for me as a person, I don't know, I don't really think it really makes a difference."

Despite his size and strength, Burgener has a somewhat lighter⁷ side. He says he listens to classical or instrumental music when training for a competition because it helps him to remain calm.

Down time includes reading, music

Besides athletics⁹, Casey plays the guitar, has an interest in art, and enjoys reading. He says his favorite novels are the classics 1984 - a cautionary political allegory by British author George Orwell; and Crime and Punishment -19th century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky's tale of moral and existential themes.

Casey recently earned a Bachelor's degree in physics and mathematics from the University of Colorado. The campus is in Colorado Springs, which is home to the Olympic Training Center where Burgener lives and trains.

Wedding bells on the horizon

The center also is where Burgener met the love of his life. He is engaged to fellow Olympic weightlifter, Natalie Woolfolk. The couple is planning a November wedding at Burgener's home in California.

Casey caught Natalie completely by surprise when he proposed after the world championships last year in Thailand. He popped the question (will you marry me?) and presented Woolfolk with an engagement ring as they were riding through the jungle atop an elephant.

Athletics are a family affair in the Burgener household. Casey's father played (American-style) football at Notre Dame¹⁰ University (in the midwest state of Indiana) and is a retired¹¹ high school strength and conditioning coach. His mother played collegiate basketball. Burgener's two younger brothers, Beau and Cody, also are into sports, and his 18-year-old sister, Sage¹², is working to become an elite-level weightlifter.

Casey says his interest in sports started at a young age.

"My father got me involved with weightlifting when I was 12, and it was to basically to help me develop and help me with other sports," Casey explained. "But, I took to it pretty well, and it came kind of naturally, so I just started doing weightlifting by itself after that." From garage to Olympics With his father, Mike, as his coach, Burgener grew up training in his parents' garage. But this was no ordinary garage. A few years after Casey was born, his father converted the family's two-car garage into a Regional Training Center for USA Weightlifting that teaches Olympic-style lifting. Weightlifters come from far and wide to "Mike's Garage" to train for the Olympics and to become better athletes.

With his athletic⁸ talents, university degree and cultural interests, Casey Burgener will no doubt have many choices for a career when he finally retires from international competition. He says he believes his experience as a weightlifter will benefit him in whatever path he chooses in life.

"I think the one thing that weightlifting probably teaches, or has taught me, more than anything else, is hard work and discipline, and I think that applies to any career," he said.

China, Russia pose biggest challenge

Although Burgener believes the U.S. weightlifters are good, he is pragmatic about their chances of gold medal glory in Beijing, particularly against such powerhouse teams as Russia and host China.

"The U.S. really is not a dominating force with weightlifting," he noted¹³. "I know that everyone is going to go and perform to their maximal potential. But in terms of placement, and stuff - I don't know - medals are not really a likely prospect¹⁴, but you never know what is going to happen."

This will be Casey Burgener's first time at the Olympics, but not his first trip to Beijing, China. Early this year, he competed in the "Good Luck Beijing" Olympic test event, and finished in fourth place.

"I was in Beijing in January and I thought it was incredible. The people, and the meet conditions - and everything was great," he said.

With or without a medal from the Beijing Games, life holds many interesting possibilities for Casey Burgener: husband-to-be, physicist¹⁵, math geek, guitar player, and Olympic weightlifter.

 

1 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

2 clinch   

v.敲弯，钉牢；确定；扭住对方 [参]clench

参考例句：

• Clinch the boards together.用钉子把木板钉牢在一起。
• We don't accept us dollars,please Swiss francs to clinch a deal business.我方不收美元，请最好用瑞士法郎来成交生意。

3 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

4 stereotypical   

n.常规

参考例句：

• Personas should be typical and believable, but not stereotypical. 人物角色应该是典型和可信赖的，但不是一成不变的。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Anything could be stereotypical, so I guess it could be criticism. 任何东西都可以变的老套，所以我猜那就是一种批评。 来自互联网

5 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。

6 shrugs   

n.耸肩（以表示冷淡，怀疑等）( shrug的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany shrugs off this criticism. 匈牙利总理久尔恰尼对这个批评不以为然。 来自互联网
• She shrugs expressively and takes a sip of her latte. 她表达地耸肩而且拿她的拿铁的啜饮。 来自互联网

7 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

8 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

9 athletics   

n.运动，体育，田径运动

参考例句：

• When I was at school I was always hopeless at athletics.我上学的时候体育十分糟糕。
• Our team tied with theirs in athletics.在田径比赛中，我们队与他们队旗鼓相当。

10 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

• The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
• If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。

11 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

12 sage   

n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的

参考例句：

• I was grateful for the old man's sage advice.我很感激那位老人贤明的忠告。
• The sage is the instructor of a hundred ages.这位哲人是百代之师。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

14 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

15 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。