Powerlifting Tryouts

As the fall sports season at Woodward Academy has come to a close, the winter sports are starting to get going. High school basketball is right around the corner and this past weekend, the powerlifting team held its campus tryouts.

Head coach Guthrey Fritz always likes to get started before Thanksgiving to get his lifters comfortable with their practice routine and to get the inevitable sore out of them before December. This year, 200 students tried out for the team which beat out last year's record of 197 students. If you're unfamiliar with the sport, you may be surprised to know that bigger isn't always better when it comes to lifting weights. In powerlifting, athletes compete in weight classes and champions are determined by how well they can maximize their body's potential. Past WA champions have come from nearly every weight class including some of the lightest like the 114, 123, and 132 pound weight classes.

The powerlifting program at WA is far and away the most successful of any sport. This past spring, the Knights crowned an additional 4 individual national champions (20 total over the past 9 seasons!) and brought home its 8th consecutive USAPL High School National Championship.

With the season starting, the team will compete in three events before traveling to the National Championships next spring. The 2014 competition is being held in Killeen, Texas over the weekend of March 28-30.