As the powerlifting season kicks off, there are plenty of opportunities for competition for team members, although last week’s meet in Leon was postponed for tomorrow due to the icy arctic weather last week. The Wednesday before, the Bison hosted a tournament and several lifters advanced to the top of their class. 

“With the first meet completed we can officially say that we started off strong,” senior Adam Neptune said. “Multiple people from our school got high-ranking marks from the judges, and this is just the beginning.” 

Coach James Talley expects at least three competitors to make it to regionals based on their current skill level.  

“Maylene, Mike, and Aiden did awesome in their first meet of the season,” Talley said. “All three are on track to make regionals.” 

Maylene Caceras has already advanced in the past, but with a new season comes new possibilities, and she has a goal of making it to state.  

“Maylene is on track to make state for the second year in a row as she is currently sitting first in our region,” Talley said. “We are continuing to work and push ourselves, and we will hopefully compete well at Leon tomorrow.” 

Lifters will continue to work towards meeting their lifting goals and earning a spot at regionals.  

“I personally work hard during and outside of the events, and I do not compete for wins alone but to prove to myself that I can,” Neptune said. “It is an amazing feeling to excel in something that people didn’t think that you could.” 

Each of the team members competes in different events, which include squat, bench and deadlift.  

“I personally enjoyed squat the best, because I got all green flags and I felt that there was a lot more energy in this event than the others,” freshman Jaxon Hardin said. “Being able to watch the other squatters and compete was really fun.” 

Talley said the first meet of the season went well and even though there are some things to work on, the team members know what they need to do. 

“We have several young freshmen who are getting their legs underneath them and will show a lot of improvement,” Talley said. “We are getting better, and we are continuing to strive to do the best of our abilities.”