Both girls and boys competed Saturday Feb. 4 at Basehor-Linwood High School. The boys powerlifting team came away with a fifth place finish with three athletes placing. Junior Noah Pham took third in the 140 weight class, senior Waylon Schenk was a state champion in the 220 weight class, and senior Truman Griffith was a state champion in the 242 weight class.
Schenk explains what his day looked like before he ended it with a state championship and a state record.
“I got there, weighed in, then warmed the team up. After that I went to bench where I hit 255, but I wasn’t happy with that performance,” Schenk said. “I then went to clean and broke the state record with a lift of 375. After that I went to squat where, after some difficulties during the warm up, I hit 505 and got first. Then at the end of the day I got awarded with my medal for winning overall.”
Griffith describes the state environment and why he believes he achieved success.
“It was really cool, everyone was cheering for everyone and people were very supportive,” Griffith said. “I think what allowed me to succeed was just being calm and being confident in my ability.”
Feeling grateful to see his work pay off, Schenk describes the atmosphere while he was lifting and how he felt after winning.
“When I was maxing out, it was cool because a big circle formed and people started screaming and cheering,” Schenk said. “It felt amazing because it was the first thing I won athletically by myself and that can’t be taken away from me. I have also put four years of my life into this so it was rewarding that it paid off.”
Coming back from an injury, Griffith explains why he was excited with his state outcome.
“It felt really good. Definitely better than last year because I really had no idea if I was going to be able to lift this year after getting hurt,” Griffith said. “I would say I am very proud of how far I have come after tearing my Achilles and I am happy with all that I was able to accomplish.”
