Oakland Roots Pro Soccer Team to ‘Sign’ OUSD 8th Grader, Seth Evans, Who is a Weightlifting National Champion with Olympic Dreams
Oakland – 14-year old Seth Evans, who took the Bay Area by storm last summer when he became a national champion weightlifter, is making news again. He’s being “signed” by a professional sports team. The Oakland Roots Sports Club, the Town’s professional soccer team, has announced it is “signing” the Madison Park Academy 8th grader, who has world-class weightlifting talent. The symbolic contract represents a commitment from Roots to sponsor Seth’s dream of becoming an Olympic athlete through a monthly stipend and provision of equipment, along with other support.
Seth, who trains at the Speed Power & Strength (SPS) Gym in Jingletown, leaves on Tuesday, March 1 to compete in a national weightlifting competition in Ohio where he will attempt to qualify to represent Team USA at the Olympics – making him the first student from Oakland ever to do this.
Here is a file containing video of Seth making record breaking lifts at the Bar Wars competition in January. There, he succeeded in the clean and jerk event with a lift of 103 kilograms or 227 pounds, and a snatch of 82 kilos or 180 pounds. Following the 103kg clean and jerk, the meet’s announcer reported that in the 50+ year history of the Pacific Weightlifting Association, no competitor younger than 15 years old had ever completed a 100kg lift. At the time, Seth was still 13 years old.
On Monday February 28, the day before he leaves for the Ohio competition, Roots has invited Seth – who is a big fan of the team – and his family to tour their Training Facility in Alameda (the former Oakland Raiders Training Facility), go behind the scenes of the club’s 2022 jersey photoshoot, sign his symbolic contract and receive a full set of Roots training gear which he will use to represent his city. Media are invited to attend Seth’s signing and to speak with Seth and members of the Oakland Roots organization.
WHAT: OUSD Weightlifting Phenom “Signing” Ceremony with Oakland Roots
WHEN: 10:00 a.m., Monday, February 28
WHERE: Oakland Roots Training Facility (former Oakland Raiders Facility) 1220 Harbor Bay Parkway, Alameda
ROOTS CONTACT: Tommy Hodul, VP of PR and Communications, [email protected] (510) 708-1797
About The Oakland Roots
Oakland Roots Sports Club is the first, Purpose-driven professional sports team in the United States. The club’s Purpose is “to harness the magic of Oakland and the power of sport as a force for social good” and has established itself as one of the fastest-growing brands in American sports through its community-centric approach and leadership in tackling social issues. The club’s strategy is to create more opportunities for local Oakland talent whether they are soccer players, artists, fashion designers, or skateboarders.
About the Oakland Unified School District
In California’s most diverse city, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is dedicated to creating a learning environment where “Every Student Thrives!” More than half of our students speak a non-English language at home. And each of our 80 schools is staffed with talented individuals uniting around a common set of values: Students First, Equity, Excellence, Integrity, Cultural Responsiveness and Joy. We are committed to preparing all students for college, career and community success.
To learn more about OUSD’s Full Service Community District focused on academic achievement while serving the whole child in safe schools, please visit ousd.org and follow us @OUSDnews.