Conestoga students are lifting their way to greatness! The powerlifting team currently includes 14 high school athletes: 4 girls and 10 boys, which is similar to last year’s roster. During practice, the lifters focus on one of the three main lifts: bench press, squat, or deadlift. Each session is an opportunity to improve strength, technique, and endurance.
At practice, athletes choose a lift to work on and pair it with auxiliary exercises designed to increase their max. In preparation for meets, the team tests their maximum weight on each lift and reviews the specific commands they’ll need to follow during competition. These commands are an essential part of meet etiquette, so the team spends time ensuring they are well-practiced.
“I appreciate that it’s not something you’re simply born with. Everyone on the team has put in the work to get where they are,” Gavin H explains. “It feels like you’re demonstrating the effort it took to get there and the reward you earned from that hard work.”
The team aims to attend as many meets as possible. There are four meets scheduled for the season, and they’ve already participated in two, with two more still to come. Each meet is a chance for athletes to showcase their hard work and compete against others.
So far, every lifter has set a personal record (PR) this season. Among the standout performers are Mason S, Elizabeth H, Lydia T, Gavin H, Jaren A, and Anthony M. These athletes have all placed at the meets they’ve attended, proving their dedication and strength.