How did you get into lifting?

I originally played football here at Carmel High School, so I got into lifting to get stronger for the sport.

Do you still play football?

No, I stopped playing football freshman year, but I do other sports like boxing.

How did you get into boxing?

I think I was always trying to lead to (boxing), with me building my strength and my athletic abilities overall.

What’s your favorite thing about lifting?

I think my favorite thing about lifting is the mental aspect of it and I feel like, overall, the biggest thing lifting has done for me has been (helping me improve) mentally. Going through school, going through all my sports, I have so many stresses but when I start lifting (all of the stress) kind of goes away.

Other than stress relief, what are some of the benefits of lifting?

I think obviously (lifting helps) physically, building your strength, then also being able to do certain things if you need to do certain jobs. And then lifting also helps with mobility; it helped me a lot being able to move around better overall.

How do lifting competitions work and how are they scored?

Basically with competitions for powerlifting, you have three attempts for your lifts, and you can only go up in weights and you can’t go down. If it’s a good lift, then you get three lights, (a mediocre) lift is two lights and it still counts but then your score goes down a bit, and then one light means you fail.

How does it feel to win those competitions?

I would say it’s a really good feeling. I work really hard for my strength and my capabilities so to see the outcome of it is pretty nice.

Do you have any favorite memories from your competitions?

I’d say my first competition was definitely memorable. I’d been lifting for a year and I was finally able to show my capabilities, and then I (later) went to (an international tournament) down in Tennessee. Going down to Tennessee and experiencing that was really cool.

What are some of the challenges you face with powerlifting?

I think I’ve had a lot of plateaus. When you first start lifting, you get this newfound lifter’s strength where you’re always improving every week and then you get to a point where you stop improving, and you have to learn to push through that and just keep going because you will improve; it will just take a little longer.

How has powerlifting impacted you?

I think it has definitely impacted me physically- I’ve put on a lot of muscle. It has also helped me socially. I think I’ve met a lot of new friends through powerlifting and I’ve definitely earned a lot more respect from it too.