Lytle High School

The Lady Pirate Powerlifters took the platform in Natalia on Feb. 18 for their Last Qualifier Meet, and the stakes could not have been higher. To earn a spot at the Regional Meet in Edinburg, lifters have to earn a qualifying total for their weight class or finish the season ranked in the top 12 of their weight class.

When the bars were loaded and lifters were called up, you could feel the nerves mix with adrenaline as every lifter stepped onto the platform. Our girls went all out, but with that level of effort came tough moments. Several lifters faced early scratches on first and second attempts, knowing that a missed third lift would end their meet. Looking up at the leaderboard screens across the gym floor, it was clear just how much these athletes were pushing themselves to chase their dreams with red scratches and green advances lining up and down the scoreboard.

We brought 11 girls to compete, and while four unfortunately “bombed out” after missing three consecutive lifts in either squat or bench, they showed courage under pressure and left everything on the platform. We finished the night with seven girls successfully completing all three events with three earned medals. Below are the medal results and stats of our girls:

Medals:

• Junior Ily Winter earned first place in the 242-weight class with a total of 875 pounds.

• Senior Gabriela Cortez earned second place in the 132-weight class with a total of 620 pounds.

• Senior Janelle Massiate earned third place in the 220-weight class with a total of 830 pounds.

Team Stats:

We are beyond proud of all our girls. This was an intense, high-pressure meet, and they fought hard from start to finish. By the middle of next week, we will officially find out which of our girls have qualified for the Region 5 Meet in Edinburg on March 5.

- Coach Gomez and Coach Gonzales