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PillarofBalance
Strength Pimp
- Feb 27, 2011
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In the weight room at Lehman High School in Hays County, the girls work out right alongside the guys and they're lifting almost as much.
"I started squatting with 145, now I'm at 345," says senior Alexis Pineda.
Powerlifting has been a popular sport at the school for several years. This year, along with two boys, six girls qualified for state.
"We come in completely decked out in pink and ready to lift," said Pineda.
"I think there’s a big misconception. Our girls are very proud of what they lift," said Coach Eric Ray.
The athletes train at least four days a week to build up their strength.
"I just love this sport because I feel strong," said 109-pound Michaela Casillo.
Castillo is the former Miss Teen Kyle, who has a three lift total, which includes dead lift, bench press and squat, of 730 pounds.
"A lot of people, when I tell them I'm a powerlifter, they're like, what? They're taken aback and they don't believe me," said Castillo.
As for the guys on the team, they say the girls make great teammates.
"They're really fun to lift with, I love it. They're good inspiration, keep myself working hard," said Senior Brandon Alford.
Coach Trey Rose adds, "For some of the guys it's motivation because some of the girls can lift almost as much as they can so it motivates them to push themselves because they don't want to say they got outlifted by a girl. But I wouldn't put it past these girls. Women can go out and do anything a man can and this is thought of as a man's sport, but it's not."
The state meet is March 17 in Corpus Christi.