This is Canyon High School Powerlifting’s second year back after a decade-long interval. This year’s number of qualifiers is significantly larger than last year’s. From last year’s two girls and no boys to this year’s eight girls and five boys.

Coach Leonard has been the powerlifting coach for the past two years.  He loves that powerlifting builds the confidence of the lifters. Something he’s learned from powerlifting is that the Canyon lifters compete in one of the strongest and most competitive regions in our area. He’s also excited that we’re going to have a lot of boys and girls qualify for regionals this year. 

“They always have to compete against themselves, so although powerlifting competes against weight classes, ultimately you’re constantly competing to better your maxes and so it’s a you vs. you sport so always compete,” Coach Leonard said.

McKenzie Isbill is a freshman on the powerlifting team. She joined because she thought it would be fun and a good way to get to know more people. She enjoyed her first season and said she loves her team and it was a super positive experience. She is looking forward to growing with her team and seeing how she does in state and regionals. Her coaches taught her to be positive and strong. 

Bleu Harris is another freshmen lifter. He joined because Coach Leonard thought it would be a good opportunity for him to get stronger and better overall. He’s enjoying the experiences of his first season. He hopes in his future years that he will get better and go to regionals. Something he learned from his coaches is to not let his size get to him. 

This is Bella Roman’s senior year and second year in powerlifting. Something she loves about the sport is the people she’s surrounded by and all the friends she gets to meet at powerlifting meets. Something she’ll miss is the people like teammates and coaches that she’s grown to love these past two years. 

“I can’t stay stuck in my head or else I’m never going to overcome my own personal battles,” said Bella

Joseph Painter is a senior, and this is his second year of powerlifting. He loves how you can test yourself and set new goals and see where you can take your body and your mind. Something he’ll miss about powerlifting is the environment of everyone pushing each other and the friendships you gain. He’s learned to never give up; if something goes wrong, you can just go again later. 

Welcome back powerlifters! Canyon high wishes you an amazing lifting season.