Tom Dodge
They have already made history as the first girls power lifting team at St. Edmund.
But seniors Mallory Allain, Lucy Brown, Kathryn Leger along with junior Blaire Allain want to leave their mark in the school’s record books.
“When people ask us how long we have been doing this,” Mallory said. “We tell them proudly that this is our first year.”
The four Lady Jays have qualified for the LHSAA state power lifting championships that begin Friday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum on the UL-Monroe campus.
Mallory Allain qualified in the 198-pound weight class with a personal best of 320-pounds in the squat, 130-pounds in the bench press and 310 pounds in the dead-lift.
“Your adrenaline is running and you don’t even feel the weight that you are doing,” she said. “You want to do what you have never done before.”
Brown is in the 105’ weight class with personal records of 145-pounds in squat, 65-pounds in the bench press and 185-pounds in dead-lift.
“We really push each other to do our best,” Brown said. “We want see what can do.
“It gets emotional,” Brown added. “There are girls who turn away crying when they miss what they know that can reach.”
Leger qualified in the 148-pound class with record lifts of 195-pounds in the squat, 85-pounds in the bench and 250-pounds in the dead lift.
“It is definitely the hardest sport,” Leger said after being a cheerleader and participating in basketball, softball, track and tennis.
“It is challenging to do the best you can and push yourself.”
Blaire Allain will compete in the 165-pound division with personal bests of squat, 95-pounds in the bench, 195-pounds in the squat and 225-pounds in the dead lift.
“It gives you encouragement to do better,” Blaire said. “You can see improvement in your body.”
Girls power lifting coach Courtney Smith said she is proud of what they have accomplished in a short time.
“They came to me this summer and said they wanted to do this,” the coach said. “They had really gotten into lifting weights and wanted to do something more than just in the weight room routine.
“It is an unbelievable amount of weight that these girls can lift at their size,” Smith said. “In one competition we saw a girl that weighed 180 something a squatted 445 pounds.”
While they are trying to become body builders, the image of that kind of physique is what the girls thought they have to achieve.
“At our first meet, they would said ‘coach she doesn’t look like she can squat 225,’ but yes she can.”
Smith said all the girls are ranked in the top five in the state.
Mallory Allain won third at regionals, while Brown is ranked third in her division.
Blair Allain enters the state meet ranked fourth, while Leger finished fifth at regionals and is ranked fifth entering the meet in her class.