About
Drakkar Weightlifting Club
Motto: 'Skill & Strength'
Drakkar Weightlifting is a USA Weightlifting registered club.
We are a weightlifting club specializing in Olympic weightlifting and kettlebell endurance training, offering both remote and in-person coaching in Colorado, USA.
Why Drakkar?
A Drakkar, or 'dragon ship', is a type of longship famously used by the Vikings, designed primarily for warfare and exploration. These ships were long, narrow, and fast, often decorated with a dragon or serpent carving on the prow, giving them a fierce and intimidating appearance, which is how they got their name. The hulls were shallow, allowing the ships to navigate both open seas and shallow rivers, making them versatile for raiding and exploring new territories.
Drakkars, Viking ships, relied on the combined power of sails and oars, enabling warriors to travel swiftly and with stealth. In the same way, the Drakkar symbolizes the spirit of our weightlifting club. Though we may compete individually or train for personal milestones, reaching our goals requires teamwork. Just as a Drakkar cannot be sailed by one person alone, achieving challenging goals demands a crew to support the journey.
Coach Nico Rithner
Certified USAW Coach since 2007. Certified Safe Sport
I have been coaching since 2007, the same year I became certified by USA Weightlifting. However, my journey as an Olympic Weightlifting coach truly began in 2012 when I had the opportunity to shadow Coach Zygmunt Smalcerz at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, where we had a dedicated weightlifting space in Building 7.
In addition to working with Coach Z, I also trained under Vasily Polovnikov during that time, learning nuanced techniques from his experience as an athlete with the Russian national team. From him, I absorbed practical solutions to common coaching challenges and, most importantly, developed a mindset that distinguishes getting strong purely for strength's sake from training strength specifically for Olympic Weightlifting.
