Vernon Patao was 1990 US Junior Weightlifing Champion and was a three-time US Senior Champion, winning in 1992, 1994, and 1995. Patao learned to lift at Dr. Nelson Yogi’s garage in Kahului on Maui before going on to represent the United States in both the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. He later became a firefighter and after 18 years away from the sport of weightlifting he returned as a nationally certified coach to refocus his energy on passing down “Doc” Yogi’s teachings to Maui’s youth.