A Nottinghamshire powerlifter said she 'couldn't quantify' how grateful she was to a retirement village that helped fund her gold-winning trip to the United States. Maureen Proctor, known as Mo, broke four world records at the WPC World Championships in Florida.
The 56-year-old from Gedling, known as 'Mighty Mo', who was defending the title she won in Portugal a year earlier, won the 100kg class of the masters division. However, Mo, a gym instructor at ExtraCare's Lark Hill Retirement Village in Clifton, said she had at one point given up the hopes of making it out to the competition.
"I'd resigned myself to the fact I wasn't going to be able to go, everything was going to cost a fortune. I thought I'd shelve it until next year," she recalled to Nottinghamshire Live. She had worked out that funding her trip would cost thousands of pounds, something she could not afford.
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However, her outlook was changed after a conversation with one of her class members, who suggested that the retirement village could help fund her. After conversations with management, ExtraCare agreed to match whatever was raised.
After an auction, summer fair and other fundraising activities, Mo had raised enough to cover her trip, including flights, hotel and kit, all at a cost of £3,000.
"I had no idea it would cost that much. I was looking in the region of £1,500," she said. "Luckily we managed to raise that and a little bit more which went into the village fund. It was a fantastic achievement. "They were willing to put their hands in their pockets to help me get to America, you can't even quantify how it feels. This is above and beyond what I was expected.
"Everybody knows everybody, it's like one big street, everyone knows each other. I'm a regular face, I work in the gym and with volunteers so I'm quite high profile. So I guess that's where it's come from. It's nice to be thought of that way."
Once she was in Florida, Mo admitted that she felt an added pressure, but said she used it as motivation as she tackled a 150kg deadlift. "I try not to let anything get in the way or pressurise me but when I got there I did think there's a lot of people that have paid for me to get here," she said.
"There was that added expectation so when I got there it was at the forefront of my mind. I didn't want to let them down." Mo, who stands at 5ft 2in tall, was a latecomer to powerlifting, starting out during her 40s in 2013.
"There are lot of benefits, the powerlifting community is an eclectic mix of people, so you get to meet people you wouldn't otherwise surround yourself with," she said. "The strength training is fantastic and beneficial for everybody, I've just took it to the extreme.
"I wasn't going to be up against the 25 to 30-year-olds who are always that bit stronger. I knew in the masters there would be a chance of me doing quite well and achieving some goals and not feeling too bad if I didn't do very well."
Mo broke four world records to take the gold medal at the WPC World Championships in Florida in December.
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