Gainesville High School Powerlifting

GAINESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL Powerlifting The GHS powerlifting program wrapped up the most successful season to date, with two State Champion lifters and multiple state medalists on both the boys and girls side.

The powerlifting program is led by coaches Kenneth Wilkerson and Justin Bigelow. Both have an extensive personal history and passion for lifting.

“When I came to GHS, the boys program was in a good place. There weren’t a lot of girls, so I focused on building up the girls program,” Wilkerson said. This year, there were 26 girl lifters and 29 boy lifters. Another notable change in the program is that over the past few years, there have been more multi-sport athletes. Out of the 55 lifters this year, only three were specialized lifters.

“In general, kids expect instant gratification. Powerlifting shows kids that if you put in constant effort consistently over time, then good things will happen,” Bigelow said. “It’s 100% true that if you show up in the weight room you will get stronger. They can take it to other aspects of their life in the classroom or other sports.”

This year there were 13 boys and 17 girls who qualified for Regionals, which is a new record for GHS. In fact, the Leopards had the most boys who qualified of any school, and the girls had the second most of any school in the Region. There were not any other schools that had a top 5 finish at state in both boys and girls, making GHS one of the most successful teams in the state.

Success of lifting is starting to pour over into other sports, getting the kids to buy in and come to morning weights. “When they are getting stronger and winning medals, it breeds over into football, track, volleyball, etc. and it multiplies and spreads throughout the program,” Wilkerson said.

Returning State Champions Yovanni Juarez and Aaliyah Henry are each vying to win all records at State next year. Becoming a two-time state champion is moving into elite territory, especially on the boys side. Yovanni placed 5th in State as a freshman, in a sport dominated by juniors and seniors, and then advanced to State as a sophomore but the meet was cancelled due to COVID.

Aaliyah Henry

“I started lifting in 7th grade. Coach Searcy saw the potential in me, and he let me work out with the boys after school,” Aaliyah said. “I was naturally stronger than the other girls.”

Aaliyah’s goal as soon as she started lifting was to win state. After winning State as a Junior, she now is working towards breaking all state records; she currently holds two.

She is a multisport athlete, excelling in track, basketball, and volleyball. “Powerlifting helped me with my mindset in other sports,” Aaliyah said. “I know that I just need to keep going and do the best I can.”

Aaliyah has a good chance for earning a college scholarship for powerlifting, and she plans to work towards a degree in psychology. She said to others considering lifting, “It’s not as bad as you think,” but also added “but those suits are a different story.”

Yovanni Juarez

Yovanni started Powerlifting as a freshman. He lifted 605 lbs, but with improved technique and form, he is now able to easily lift 705. “The coaches support us and teach us technique,” Yovanni said. “They taught me everything I needed to know.” His favorite part of the team is “just being with friends and being together. It’s a lot more fun than everyone thinks it is.” Yovanni currently holds three state records, and his goal for his Senior year is to also set the record in deadlift. “I need to work on my lower back for that one,” he said.

Yovanni plans to earn a powerlifting scholarship for college and go into law enforcement.

A RECORD-BREAKING YEAR

GIRLS PLACE 4TH at STATE Junior Aaliyah Henry, State Champion; State records in bench (315 lbs) and total weight lifted (1170 lbs) Ashlyn Garrison, 2nd Carolanne Condie, 3rd Emily Constantino, 4th Qualifiers: Mirthsa Zamora and Angel Sainz

GIRLS PLACE 2ND at REGIONALS Aaliyah Henry, Regional Champion; Regional records in squat, bench, and total weight lifted; Heavy Platform Best Lifter, Best Bench, and Best Deadlift Emily Constantino, Regional Champion Qualifiers: Mirthsa Zamora, Angel Sainz, Ashlynn Garrison, and Carolanne Condie BOYS PLACE 3RD at STATE Junior Yovanni Juarez, State Champion; State records in total weight lifted (1665 lbs), squat (690 lbs), and bench (450 lbs) Dwayne Wilson, 2nd place Outstanding Squat (700 lbs) Mason Ford and Jesse Rosales set numerous personal records

BOYS WIN REGIONALS Yovanni Juarez, Regional Champion; Regional records in total weight lifted, squat, and bench; Best Bench award for the Light Platforms Jesse Rosales, 1st place Dwayne Wilson, Best Squat award Alexis Huerta, 3rd place

Mason Ford, Javier Fraire, and Rafael

Chavez - 4th place