Edith Sibert Virginia Strength and Power HoF inductee 2021

Posthumous Nominee

Virginia Strength and Power Hall of Fame

2/8/21

Edith Sibert

Bio by Strength and Power Hall of Fame

 

Edith was probably the first female official to judge an AAU sanctioned weightlifting contest in Virginia.  On 1/7/1942 Edith judged at the Portsmouth YMCA Contest. This was a three team meet with no size limitation. Whoever came lifted for their team. The teams were City Park, Portsmouth YMCA and Edgewater. Fifteen lifters competed with Edith’s husband Irving making the heaviest clean and jerk of the meet with 270lbs.

 

It is my assumption that Edith first started attending contests about 1938. The first meet ever held in the Norfolk area was early 1938 titled the Contest in Norfolk, Va. Harry Keeling Jr. was the meet director but no information is given concerning who assisted. Also, Harry Keeling Jr. began holding monthly meets in Norfolk about 1939 through about 1945. Harry also contacted the Navy and the various battleships docked at Norfolk started teams who competed ship to ship or with local lifters monthly also for several years. Again, it is my assumption that Edith assisted in some capacity at many of these contests. Few of these contests results were published in Strength and Health Magazine which is my only source of information.

 

Edith was a judge, MC and scorer at many contests between 1938-1945. Here are some of the contests that were published in Strength and Health.

 

1/7/1942 Portsmouth YMCA Contest 

 

2/18/1942 Contest at Portsmouth Va.

 

3/6/1942 Norfolk Strength Show

 

1942 Virginia State Championships, William and Mary College.

 

1942 Navy Y Contest at Norfolk. Edith also judged at this contest.

 

6/1943 Open Meet, Norfolk Navy Yard, Norfolk Va.

 

1943 Contest at Norfolk

 

1/18/1944 Navy Y Lifting Show

 

2/22/1944 Norfolk Championships

 

3/28/1944 Contest at Norfolk Navy Y. Norfolk Va.

 

7/31/1944 Exhibition at Norfolk Va.

 

1944 Meet at Norfolk Navy Y Norfolk, Va

 

Edith’s husband Irving was a lifter, hand balancer and muscle control artist. Edith and her husband were both part of the physical culture scene at Virginia Beach and the Tidewater area during the late 1930’s and 1940’s. It is my assumption based on the wives of many of the Virginia lifters of that era that Edith was also a lifter and hand balancer.

 

Author: By Strength and Power Hall of Fame Completed: yes Created: Sun Feb 21 16:38:25 UTC 2021 | Last Updated: Fri Dec 22 00:09:40 UTC 2023