Olympic Weightlifting Pathway to the Platform 2026-2027
Description
Support our athletes on our journey to their first Olympic Weightlifting Competitions! From October 2026 through June 2027, we aim to send over 30 athletes to various Olympic Weightlifting competitions; with a dozen of our athletes representing UCLA on a national stage against over 135 universities from around the country.
Group picture from our annual Team Banquet celebration in May 2026.
Our UCLA Club Olympic Weightlifting Team is a group of over 40 athletes from a range of athletic backgrounds and experience levels. Our athletes train 4-6 times a week, for 6-12 hours with specialized coaching and programming in the snatch and clean & jerk by our passionate student coaches, while maintaining rigorous academic schedules.
Two of our student coaches, Jada & Salena, teaching our new members the clean & jerk.
As a UCLA Club Sport, we compete at the local, national, and international level. Our fully student-run team comprises weightlifters with a wide range of experience: from a month to a decade, and from barbell beginners to National Champions.
One of our members, Dallas Tada, won third place at USAW Open Nationals in the 79kg weight class.
This year, our team has significantly grown in size, therefore greatly increasing costs in all aspects of our club. Your contributions will directly benefit our athletes at all levels, by providing training equipment, competition attire, meet registration fees, and of course, travel costs.
Our previous cohort of athletes who competed at the 2026 USAW National University Championships.
With your support last year, we raised over $5000 and were able to send 11 athletes to the USAW National University Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah, in our second year as a club sport team. Our Women's Team placed in the Top 10 in the nation, and our Co-Ed Team placed 13th. This year, we aim to support all our athletes at competition. We want all athletes, those competing at their first or twentieth, to have the opportunity to experience the feeling of lifting on a competition platform.
Our team vice president, Joseph Castillo, performing the snatch lift at a local competition meet.
Now, we once again need your support to bring our athletes to the platform. We aim to reach our potential within the growing sport of Olympic Weightlifting and inspire our fellow students both at UCLA and beyond. Every donation helps us along on our journey as our weightlifters chase their goals.
Our athletes Haley Trinh and Elle Hatamiya won first and third place at the USAW U25 Nationals in the 63kg weight class.
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Should this fund reach the campus minimum required for the establishment of an endowment or quasi-endowment, The UCLA Foundation reserves the right to convert this fund to an endowment or quasi-endowment. Please click here to learn more about how the UCLA Foundation invests and manages its endowments.
$25
Blue & Gold Pin Set
Show your Bruin spirit during the UCLA Blue & Gold Challenge! Gifts made this week (10/26 - 10/31) count towards the challenge goal. To show our appreciation, we will send you a Limited Collector's Edition Enamel Pin Set. (tax-deductible gift of $19).
$50
Change Plate Contributor
Hitting PRs can be really challenging if we’re unable to go up in small increments, this will allow us to progress faster! (fully tax-deductible)
$100
Singlet Supporter
In Olympic Weightlifting competitions, we have a very specific (and expensive) uniform we have to compete in. Buy a singlet for our athletes! (fully tax-deductible)
$150
Competition Fee Provider
When entering competitions, we need to pay a hefty entry fee. Help us with getting registered for competitions. (fully tax-deductible)
$180
ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP
Calling all alumni! Interested in sponsoring an athlete? Pay for an athlete's University Nationals registration fee, and we will reach out to coordinate a scholarship with you!
$200
Lifting Shoes Benefactor
When getting started in weightlifting, having lifting shoes helps us maintain balance. Buy a pair of shoes for our athletes! (fully tax-deductible)
$400
Flight Sponsor
For our competitions that are national, getting to them is quite a distance. Help cover the cost of one athlete’s flight to nationals. (fully tax-deductible)
$650
Full Travel Package
Cover one athlete’s entire journey to Nationals, from registration fees and competition gear to flights and travel expenses. Your generosity takes one athlete all the way to the national platform! (fully tax-deductible)