'Wonder Woman'

Next time you think you have a busy, full, life consider that of Melanie Roach for some perspective. She's the mother of three small children under the age of six, one of whom is autistic, owner/operator of a not-so-small business (gymnastics training facility) with over 500 students, wife of fourth term incumbent Washington State House of Representatives legislator, Sunday school teacher AND one of the strongest women on the planet. Focused, determined, organized and extremely time-efficient are just the tip of the iceberg of Melanie Roach.

Melanie Roach sample media links:

July '08 - Olympian Roach is PUMPED over new sponsor - Hat Trick Beverages

	ABC World News Person of the Week	watch the video	read it here...
	Finding Inner Strength - 05/08 Preparation Pay Off - 8/08	watch the video read the story read the story
	Mother of Three Returns to Weight Lifting, Olympics	listen to the audio read the story
	Top 100 Global Athletes to Watch	read the story
	Olympic Athlete Business Owner	read it here
	Mother Load - Aug 08 Who's Hot / Who's Not - May 08	read it here read it here
	8/5/08 - Weightlifter Pushed Through... 5/20/08 - USA Today Athlete of the Week	read the story read the story
	NBC's profile of Melanie Roach	watch the video
	CNN Profile - June 8, 2008	watch the video
	Mother of Three Revives Her Olympic Dreams	watch the video
	Meet 11 Olympic Contenders and Their Favorite Workouts	read the story
	Muscle & Fitness HERS Magazine	read the story view the photos
	Tribute to Melanie Roach's coach - John Thrush	watch the video
	Roach on Brink of Beijing	read the story

• Video - Watch Melanie's emotional address to her hometown during and Pre-Olympic Pep Rally - June 17, 2008
  
  

• Video - Melanie is named to Evening Magazine Top 25 Most Beautiful People

Melanie's Story - As an aspiring young gymnast, Melanie's commitment to excellence took her all the way to the Washington State High School Championships but an injury sidelined her from the competition. Rehab included her introduction to free weights and soon thereafter a future, and powerful, star was in the making.

Shattering the stereotypical body image of weightlifters, the petite former gymnast quickly made it clear that strong things come in small packages - really strong things! Her first competition, the 1994 American Open, also brought her first trip to the medals podium with a third place finish. In 1996 Melanie made the personal commitment to pursue her potential in weightlifting to the fullest and set her sights on the 2000 Olympic games. She soon thereafter stunned the weightlifting world by exceeding the world standard in the clean and jerk at the 1998 US National Championships. She had become the #1 ranked US weightlifter and the first one in history to clean and jerk more the twice her body weight.  She was poised for a 2000 Olympic debut.

Devastatingly, weeks before the Olympic Trials competition Melanie suffered a serious back injury.  Her Olympic dreams, along with any future in the sport appeared to be suddenly over.

With her athletic career in shambles and apparently behind her, Melanie picked herself up and moved on.  She she opened a business and started a family.  She put her energy into assisting her husband, Dan, in his election to the Washington State House of Representatives while opening her own business - Roach Gymnastics, Inc. Her husband is now in the midst of his fourth term, her gymnastics school serves over 500 students and together they have three young children. All the while Melanie still yearned to compete.

In the summer of 2005, Melanie decided it's never too late to chase your dreams. She returned to weightlifting but was quickly hampered by recurring back problems. In October of 2006, she underwent state of the art back surgery, known as microdiscectomy, performed by Dr. Robert Bray at LA's D.I.S.C. Spine and Sports Center.  The result was her 7th US National Championship (2007) and the first time since 2000 that she clean/jerked twice her own body weight. She was back!

In August of 2007 Melanie went on to win a bronze medal at the Pam Am Games in Brazil, officially marking her return to the highest levels of international weightlifting.

Melanie's Weightlifting Records:

• 2008 Olympic Games - 6th Place - New American Record - 193 kg
• First US woman to clean and jerk over double her own body weight. She is currently the only US woman that can do so.
• Set new world standard in the clean and jerk in the 53kgs (117lbs) weight class - lifted 113 kgs. (250lbs.).
• Holds the longest standing American records in the clean and jerk (113 kgs.), and snatch/clean and jerk total (192.5kgs.).

  

Personal Info:

• Date of Birth: December 15, 1974
• Height/Weight: 5'2" / 117lbs.
• Hometown: Bonney Lake, Washington
• Married with three children ages 2, 5, and 6. Son Drew is autistic.
• Owner of Roach Gymnastics Inc., located in Sumner, WA.
• Husband Dan is serving his 4^th term as Washington State Representative for the 31^st district
• Melanie is a 'Sunday school teacher' at the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Chad Hedrick's agent is Patrick Quinn of Q Sports Marketing. contact 630-903-0000.  Chad Hedrick is an Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medalist. Chad Hedrick 2006 Olympian.  For more information about Chad Hedrick visit.

Q Sports Marketing, Inc.
www.qsports.net

What's New at Q Sports - Athletes and Corporations - CONTACT MELANIE ROACH - Q Sports Home Page - About Q Sports

Melanie Roach's agent is Patrick Quinn of Q Sports Marketing. contact 630-903-0000.  For more information about Melanie Roach please visit www.qsports.net.