Between the Lines
by JASON GORDON
Powerlifting might not be as popular as Texas high school football or the madness of March that resonates all the way from the high school state basketball tournament in Austin to the collegiate level, but Hays CISD has a budding dynasty in the sport.
In particular, Lehman High School, which has sent a total of 18 athletes to state in the past two seasons and at least two students in each of the past four years, has really taken to the sport that requires dedication, determination, and the ability to sometimes manage a three-lift total more than six times ones body weight (i.e. Leh-man’s four-time state qualifier Michaela Castillo).
Spending long periods of time in the weight room day after day, week after week, year after year takes dedication and determination, and these athletes deserve just as much admiration as we give the player who scored the game-winning touchdown on Friday night in the fall or nailed the buzzer-beating basket to win a game in the spring.
Few of the hundreds of thousands of student-athletes who play high school sports nationwide ever get the thrill of making it to the state level in any sport. To have 10 students represent the school district – eight from Lehman and two from Hays – at the state high school powerlifting meet this year is a great accomplishment and credit should go to not only the students, but their coaches and parents as well.
Lehman’s Michaela Castillo, Brandon Alford, Ethan Martin, Alyssa Gaitan, Kat Mohle, Alexis Pineda, Jessica Gonzalez and Natalie Guerra, and Hays’ Alex Schaubhut and Justin Davis, should be very proud of themselves, whether it’s their fourth trip to state or their first. They should cherish the moment they’ll be able to reminisce about long after they’ve graduated from high school.
Athletics can teach students about sportsmanship, competition, and how to be graceful in both victory and defeat. Being able to compete on the highest stage your sport has to offer, like these 10 local athletes will in the upcoming weeks, will hopefully give them the confidence to know they can accomplish anything in the future.
Castillo, a 109-pound Lehman senior, summed it up best when she said of her Lehman powerlifting career, “I may be little but I’m strong.”
She states a perfect example that no matter what life happens to throw at you, an outstanding attitude and the fortitude to succeed will almost always lead to success.
So, good luck at state Hays CISD athletes. Whether you bring home a gold medal or come back with memories that will last a lifetime, you’ve earned your time in the spotlight.
