Recently several students have been kicked out of the UConn Rec Center for Olympic weightlifting, and told if they were caught again they would be banned from the gym.

This is a gym that was bought and payed for by student money, that we are still being charged for per semester. Students should not be denied access to the UConn Rec Center that they are paying for.

The students who are performing these lifts are doing so safely and with the equipment (bumper plates and Olympic barbells) that was intended for the use in Olympic weightlifting. This is like owning a lawnmower and not being allowed to cut that grass with it. This being said Olympic weightlifting is no less dangerous than any other movement performed at the UConn Rec Center.

There are also several national level Olympic lifters that attend the UConn Rec Center. Denying the access to the Center is denying them the opportunity to train for the sport in which they compete. This is like having a baseball team and not allowing them to practice with the bats and balls that the need to play with.