Judy Glenney

"There are so many women of amazing achievements that I felt very honored to be among them."

Q. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. I am a retired physical education teacher, teaching at the college level for about 25 years, teaching primarily weight training. As a weightlifter, I am considered the pioneer of women’s weightlifting, During my career in the sport, I won four national championships, four masters national championships, and two world masters championships. Now I fill my time with volunteer work. My heart has always been with horses and military veterans. Since my retirement I have the opportunity to combine both by volunteering at a facility that uses horses to help with veterans suffering from PTSD or TBI (traumatic brain injury). The results are truly amazing. I am also a speaker for Stonecroft Ministries and the current chair for our local outreach for that organization.

Q. How was your experience being in the “Be You” book?

A. I was truly humbled that they thought I was worthy to be included. There are so many women of amazing achievements that I felt very honored to be among them.

Q. Who are some people that motivated you to be the woman you are today?

A. First and foremost, I believe God had given me athletic talent. How I was going to use that became an adventure. Several people were definitely influential on my journey. My dad was always very supportive in whatever I did, especially athletically. His mantra was, “You

can be anything you want to be.” I never forgot that. In high school, I had a wonderful physical education teacher that I admired as she exemplified all I felt I wanted to be. She was athletic, a wonderful Christian, bold, great motivator, and a fantastic sense of humor. Without me knowing it at the time, she mentored me. At that time “mentoring” wasn’t a thing. She was the one that inspired me to pursue a teaching career in physical education. My husband was the one who carried on where my dad left off. My dad passed away very shortly after we were married but it seemed Gary (my husband) had the same motivating instinct by saying in his own way the words dad had given me. He introduced me weightlifting and virtually said, “Do it anyway,” even if there’s no women doing it. So, I did, and the rest is history.

Q. Let’s talk about weight training and how you got started.

A. Good follow up to the last question! I had always been fascinated with strength. Always wanted to test it, doing things on my own that required exerting muscle. Like I mentioned, I was athletically inclined, so I was in all sports and wanted to train with weights to get better. However, this was in the ‘60’s and weight training were “verboten” for girls. Between my junior and senior year in college I met Gary, who was a competing weightlifter, at the headquarters for Campus Crusade for Christ. The weight room was part of my cleaning area as I was assigned to housekeeping. I happened to be down there when Gary was working out. I was quite taken in by all the heavy barbells and equipment and wondered how they used them. We got to talking and he offered to show me some things about weight training. After one session with him, I was hooked – both on using the weights and on him! A short time later we were married. We traveled with other couples around the country putting on weightlifting programs under the auspices of Campus Crusade. I became more and more interested in the lifts the guys were doing for the programs. These were the Olympic lifts. Weight training and weightlifting are quite different. Weight training is using weights for toning muscles or for strengthening athletic movements. Weightlifting is an actual sport, contested in the Olympics, that consists of the snatch and clean and jerk. I wanted to learn how to do those lifts as they combine not only strength but speed and coordination. Gary started training me on those lifts and I fell in love with them. I wanted to compete but there was no weightlifting for women, so Gary simply said, “Let’s start it.”

Q. What has been your biggest challenge in your career?

A. Although it wasn’t my professional career, I will talk about my “career” in weightlifting since I was involved with that even longer than my teaching career. When I first started weightlifting there was no competition for women. When Gary said “Let’s start it” I took him seriously. Thus began my pursuit to get women’s weightlifting started in the US and eventually into the Olympics which had always been my dream, to compete in the Olympic Games. The first challenge was being allowed to compete in competitions. Meet directors did not want me competing as the rules stated, “…the competitors, which shall be male.” I agreed to compete outside the competition as I didn’t really care about trophies or placing at that time, I just wanted to test my own strength under those conditions. They also used the excuse they had no official to weigh me in. Fortunately, Gary was on hand to do that. I also had to fight for a warmup platform as the other competitors told me I didn’t belong there, as they continued to use all the platforms for themselves.

Getting into gyms to work out with the heavy weights was also a challenge as these facilities were often times connected with the men’s locker room, I was again told this isn’t where I belonged- the rules stated such. The other major challenge was when I was starting to get the sport organized internationally and was working toward Olympic inclusion. The powers that be, i.e., the IOC (International Olympic Committee) kept moving the goal post. We would comply with their regulations, and they would come back with more directives. Very frustrating to say the least. We finally got to the point where they couldn’t ignore us and accepted us into the Games in 2000. To put that in perspective, I entered my first competition in 1972. Our first women’s US national competition was in 1981. So, my dream was accomplished but many years after my lifting career was over. However, I was blessed to be an official at that Games.

Q. Can you tell us more about your book, “Mom, I’m A Girl” and the motivation behind the book?

A. “Mom, I’m A Girl” was born reluctantly. My son took his life at nineteen after several years of

struggling with transgenderism. Several friends told me to write about what we had gone through, but I never had written a book and certainly didn’t feel like writing about this. However, after three years of encouragement from them and one big one from God I did. At that point I felt there would be other parents going through this. Actually, it became the book I needed but didn’t have. There was no information about how parents are to cope with this as I was going through it. I hoped this might give other parents some guides, not necessarily answers, to what they are experiencing. The book takes the reader on my journey with my son through his life, his transgenderism, and the things God taught me about what He had taken us through. As mentioned, I don’t intend on giving a lot of answers to the many questions parents will have if their child develops this, but I try to give my perspective on what I did on this journey. There is no “one size fits all” in this scenario. Each situation is different but there are some commonalities. As a Christian, I believed God used this to teach me many lessons about Him, particularly how to trust Him

Q. What has been your biggest accomplishment in your career?

A. Again, going back to my weightlifting career, I would say getting the sport into the Olympics and being an official at that inaugural event. I was so pleased that women who had the same passion as I had were going to get their chance at winning a medal on the world’s biggest athletic stage.

Q. What advice can you give to the next generation of female leaders?

A. First and foremost, don’t give up on your dreams. There will always be people who will tell you that you can’t do that or will put you in a box where they think you belong. Many times, people told me throughout my life that what I liked to do “wasn’t what girls are supposed to do.” So, what if you go against the grain? If that’s your passion, go for it. My Olympic spark was ignited when I first started to learn those amazing lifts. It dimmed to a glimmer many times but never went out. Keep the spart going no matter what. Also, seek out people to come along side you who share your dream. I did not accomplish this dream alone, there were many people that I called on who I knew shared my passion. I knew they could help because they had connections I didn’t have. Don’t be afraid to ask for help – that’s not a sign of weakness it’s just acknowledging you may not know everything but who does?

Q. Are you working on any new events or upcoming projects?

A. As was mentioned in the first question, I have become involved with therapeutic riding with veterans. Horses have always been another passion but because of my participation in other sports and life circumstances I wasn’t able to pursue any avenues with them. I am learning more about training and working with them on a level I didn’t know existed. I’m hoping to become involved with shows further on down the road. I still help out occasionally with weightlifting events but since COVID there haven’t been many opportunities in that area. I recently put on an event honoring our veterans at a local women’s gathering and would like to do more of that.

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. Unfortunately, I’m not a real media presence. I do have Facebook and on Instagram but don’t post much. My websites are where they can find the books: Mom, I’m A Girl is found at www.judyglenney.com and my story of pioneering women’s weightlifting, Uplifting Dreams is found at www.wlglenney.com.