TJB's USA Weightlifting National Aspirations

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Team Juanatas-Bowens (TJB) participates in USA Weightlifting because it is the clearest, most respected pathway for Kern County athletes to compete under standardized rules, verified results, and nationally recognized qualifying systems. USAW gives our youth and adult athletes a real championship ladder—local meets → qualifying totals → national platforms—where athletes learn discipline, accountability, and how to perform under pressure. That pipeline has already produced national-level opportunities for TJB athletes, including trips to USAW Masters Nationals, USAW Nationals Week, USAW Virus Series 2, and USAW Virus Finals and continued growth toward national events year after year. (KERO 23 ABC News Bakersfield)

TJB is building a true “homegrown” Kern County pathway so athletes do not have to leave the area just to get legitimate competition experience. When lifters want to qualify for a USA Weightlifting national event while staying in Kern County, TJB is the hub helping make that possible through sanctioned opportunities, coaching, and meet-day experience. TJB trains at Awesome Fitness, 4800 New Horizon Blvd., Suite A, Bakersfield, CA 93313, giving local athletes a consistent training base and a program they can trust. (Awesome Fitness) TJB is staffed with experienced USAW leadership—two USA Weightlifting Level 2 Coaches and a Level 1 Coach—and the program continues to grow its officiating capacity with one USA Weightlifting National Referee and two more officials preparing to test in June 2026.

Most importantly, TJB’s USAW involvement is producing athletes who are learning how to compete at the highest youth stages, adult athletes, and even athletes who are grandparents. Public USAW event documents show Team Juanatas-Bowens athletes—including Coach Michelle Bowens, Allana Smith, David Hernandez, Luke Ardinez, Hayden Eades, Mikaella Bowens, Brianna Bowens, Liliana Layman, and Analea Garity—listed for national-level competitions in Colorado Springs in 2025, demonstrating that Kern County athletes are reaching the national start line through this pathway. TJB is not just a club—TJB is Kern County’s on-ramp to USA Weightlifting. If you live in Kern County and want a structured route to qualifying, competing, and progressing in Weightlifting, TJB invites you to train with a program that hosts, develops, and prepares athletes for the national stage—right here at home.