WA hosts a USAPL Meet

The USA Powerlifting High School National Championships are later this month in Wisconsin Dells, WI.  We will report on how the team does at that time.  Over the past 7 years, the Woodward Academy powerlifting team has done remarkably well with Nationals always being their culminating event.  The Knights of Iron team has accumulated 6 consecutive team National Championships and over that time has crowned 15 individual National Champions in a variety of weight classes.


For the past five years, Woodward Academy has hosted a sanctioned USA Powerlifting Meet prior to that meet.  This year the home meet was held on March 10.  When head powerlifting coach Guthrey Fritz initiated this idea, he recognized that it would be a good opportunity for lifters who have already qualified for Nationals to practice competing in the events.  For those lifters who have not qualified, this would be their last chance to do so before the Nationals meet.

The USAPL High School Nationals meet is different than other powerlifting meets in that all lifters competing have to qualify prior in a sanctioned event.  What that means is that each lifter must prove that they can lift a total amount of weight between the 3 events of squat, bench press and deadlift.  For example, a lifter in the 165 pound weight class must prove in a previous meet that he is able to lift at least 875 pounds.  So the competition at the Nationals meet is significantly different than other meets in that all lifters can do that minimum.  Champions are crowned in how much they can lift in addition to that.

Read more after the jump.

This season the powerlifting team has competed in two events: at Lincoln, NE and Peru State where they won the team event.  Going into the WA Invitational, the Knights have already qualified 8 lifters for the Nationals meet and they hoped to increase their competitive advantage along with qualifying more lifters.

The competition involved lifters from Woodward Academy and our sister school, Clarinda Academy.  The structure is the same as other sanctioned meets and the judges are qualified by the USAPL.

After the meet, Woodward Academy feels poised to take on Nationals again this year.   Later this month they will compete for their 7th straight team National Championship in the 3 day event.

To view move images from the Woodward Academy Powerlifting Invitational, go to our Knight Pics website by clicking here.