Cleaning the Plate
Members of the team show off their trophy after the Gateway Conference Championship. (Photo Provided / Eagle Talon)
Iron plates clashed. Sweat and tears hit the floor. The last young lady finished lifting. As the barbell fell, everyone’s anxiety rose. A dozen schools, one title. Who would take it all back home?
On Jan. 12, schools across the district gathered at Mandarin High School for the 2023 Girls Weightlifting Gateway Competition. The gateway competition concludes the regular season and allows athletes and coaches alike to prepare for the long road to the state championship in February.
Leading up to the gateway competition was four months of hard work from the ladies on the team. The season consisted of practicing after school three to five days a week and competing in several preliminary meets.
Maddison Green is a senior and second-year veteran on the weightlifting team. She made it to the state championship last year and details what weightlifting has been like so far this year.
“Lots and lots of soreness,” Green said. “Many times, I wanted to quit because I wasn’t doing as good as I thought I should be doing.”
Nicole Gray is a first-year weightlifting senior with experience in volleyball and softball, but she explained that weightlifting is different due to the amount of self-motivation it takes to progress.
“Every time I stepped into the weight room and the gym, I would always think about what I’m there for,” Gray said.
While competitive weightlifting is different than other sports in many ways, one thing that is common across female athletic groups is the discrimination and stigma that surrounds them.
“As a female, there will most likely be boys calling you weak,” said Green, “but as long as you don’t believe it and can be confident in your abilities, there’s nothing that anyone can say to make you doubt yourself.”
After a long season of hard work, these athletes stepped on the platform and prepared to lift. Now it is between them and the bar. For most, anxiety would be soaring, but not for our athletes.
“We’re goated,” Gray said. "I already knew we were going to win.”
And that’s exactly what happened. An underdog story unfolded in front of everyone’s eyes as the Paxon girls weightlifting team became the 2023 Girls Weightlifting Gateway Champions. Since the team’s establishment, the title has never reached the Eagles’ nest. Mandarin High School has won for most of the last decade.
“I expected a lot out of the team this year,” Green said, “we did not disappoint and I’m proud to say I was a part of the team.”
Jordan Thompson, a first-year weightlifting senior doubled down on what it means to make history.
Seniors Amya McNay and Nissa Phillip show off their trophies after the district championship meet. (Photo Provided / Eagle Talon)
“It feels amazing knowing that I was a part of the win and that I helped contribute to making it happen,” Thompson said.
After the win, the team took the award home and presented it in person to Principal Turner. They will be commemorated with a banner in the gymnasium for the first time, and hopefully not the last. The story of our girls weightlifting team serves as a reminder to not count out the underdog, whether it’s a whole team or just you.
“You don’t know what you’re capable of until you do it,” Green said, “you might surprise yourself with your performance.”