Winning first place gives many a feeling of pride and accomplishment through seeing the benefits of dedication and hard work. The boys powerlifting team shared this feeling recently when they placed first at the Silsbee meet on Jan. 19.

“It felt great,” powerlifting coach David Kendrick said about winning the meet. “We had our veterans really carry us and score points. We also had several of the newcomers contribute and show some promise. We got off to a really good start.”

According to sophomore lifter Shawn McKay, the team lifted well as a whole in all of the different weight classes.

“Winning first place as a team was really cool being it was our first meet of the year and furthermore my very first time being on the powerlifting team,
McKay said. “All of the people on our team were overjoyed when they said, ‘First place: LCM.’ It was an amazing thing to be a part of.”

This may be McKay’s first year of being on the powerlifting team, but he finished the meet with a total of 670 lbs and came in 7th place. McKay has set some personal goals for the season, such as getting his overall weight between squatting, benching, and deadlifting to over 1,000 lbs.

“The reason I wanted to be on the team is that it not only lets me compete with people my age, but I get to work out and keep myself healthy doing so,” McKay said.

The first place winners of the meet were: Hunter Angelo, Ethan McKay, Lucas Russell, Colt Lebleu, and Jeremiah Armstrong. According to Kendrick, some of the team’s strongest leaders include Armstrong, Trent Brown, and Alex Reed, as well as girl lifters Breanna Dyson, Kelsey Dyson, and ShKayla Rogers.

“All of these lifters have been around for a few years and have done well through hard work and commitment to our team,” Kendrick said. “They all do a great job in helping the new lifters with technique, equipment, etc. These guys are my coaches when I’m busy dealing with other things.”

The team ended up with a total of 49 points at the Silsbee meet and all its lifters are looking forward to many more wins this season.

“I expect to gain more respect from my coaches and peers and to get even stronger physically and mentally,” McKay said.

The team will look to get another win this Thursday, Feb. 2 when they compete at West-Orange Stark. The team will also continue to work its way toward advancing to the Regional meet on March 10 and the State meet on March 25.

“Our team goals are to win every meet in our league, win a Regional championship and get as many boys and girls qualified for State as we can,” Kendrick said.