Recently, St. Louis High School’s powerlifting season began again. Bringing many students back from last year to compete once again.
One of these students returning is Joel Childs. Childs has participated in powerlifting since his sophomore year, stating, “I originally really just wanted something to keep me in shape for track, but it became something really exciting for me.” Childs continued saying, “The most difficult parts are leg days because they hurt the most. Also waking up at 4 a.m. for the meets. I think other kids should join because Mr. Wawersik is a great coach, and also it is a great thing to do if you have no other sports to do.”
Fellow powerlifting teammate Nicklas Hornbuckle also shared his thoughts, saying, “I lifted a lot of weights before doing powerlifting, and Mr. Wawersik suggested I might be good at it. There can be struggles obviously, but the benefits outweigh them. The more people who join the better so I hope more people choose to.”
Coach Wawersik gave his comments on how he was first introduced to powerlifting, stating, “I got into powerlifting when I was a senior in high school. Shepherd, where I went to high school, was hosting a regional powerlifting meet and I thought it would be fun to compete and ended up qualifying for states. That’s when I really started taking it seriously.” Furthermore, Wawersik shared, “I’ve gotten a lot out of the sport over the years. It’s helped me grow as a person and made me very disciplined, which is something I want to promote/foster among the next generation. I think people should join because it’s a lot of fun, and you’ll certainly make new friends. It’s a very rewarding experience and easy to measure your progress to see how far you’ve come. Additionally, once people start lifting weights they experience a number of physical and mental benefits such as gaining muscle, improved self-confidence, and becoming mentally and physically tougher to name a few,” he finalized.
The team’s first meet is Jan. 25, at Millington but is subject to change.
