JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Foundation of Strength held its 3rd annual Special Needs Powerlifting Competition on Saturday.
The competition was to celebrate its Special Olympians' successful 2024 season.
Charlie Taylor, the founder of the organization, talked about what it means to him.
“It’s one of the more proud accomplishments I’ve had in my life,” Taylor said. “It’s just great when I come have a bad week or a bad day and when I get a chance to work out with my athletes and train my athletes, it just uplifts my entire spirit so I get as much out of it as my athletes do.”
Taylor started the organization in 2019 originally doing one-on-one workouts with athletes with special needs.
He said some athletes are training at the YMCAs around town through the foundation and he was able to grow it from there.
“Through that, I got plugged into the Special Olympics powerlifting,” Taylor said. “Clay didn’t have a team for several years and I started the powerlifting team for the Special Olympics and as it grew, I found out that there was a lot of things that we could do to help our athletes train better and get more success.”
Jordan said he’s been training at the Foundation of Fitness since about 2020.
“That’s when my mom ran into Charlie and he let me be an athlete with his foundation,” Jordan said.
He talked about his relationship with Taylor and how he’s benefitted from it.
“Charlie has become a mentor to me, he’s like a family friend,” Jordan said. “He’s someone I can reach out to whenever I need help with anything. It’s so much more than just a coach, he’s more of a mentor to me.”
The competition lifts included squats, bench presses, and deadlifts with traditional powerlifting rules.