Berkley has a wide range of great sport options for their high school students, and one of them that many people might not know about is powerlifting. Starting in December, the team meets in the weight room after school everyday. Previously, many students have enjoyed this as a way to connect with others and to get stronger.
Despite not being a newer sport to Berkley High School, powerlifting has been around since the 1960s with lifters competing worldwide. The sport consists of three main lifts, bench press, dead lifting, and squatting. Each different lift is targeting a different muscle, making it a competition of who is strongest all around. Bench press targets chest and arm muscles, dead lifting targets leg and back muscles, and squatting targets leg muscles. The goal is to lift the most weight combined of your three exercises, and whoever gets the highest total wins.
Sophomore, Leo Almquist and junior, Austin Giltinan made the U.S.A. Powerlifting Nationals after powerlifting for Berkley High School. They both attended Regionals in Wisconsin on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. Almquist finished in second place for his weight class and Giltinan ended in first for his. With both of these placings, they qualified for Nationals in the summer of 2026. There is a lot of preparation needed for nationals including, “lifting for two hours a day, five days a week, every week until nationals” Giltinan states. They have both been greatly affected by their choice to join powerlifting. Not only by playing a new sport but bonding with peers at meets and practices creating friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.
When first joining powerlifting it can be hard to stay motivated, but Giltinan states “getting stronger and seeing the numbers go up” makes it worth it. Motivation can also come from friends or teammates encouraging you to join and cheering you on along the way. Senior Collin Richardson his main reason for joining was that he wanted to “get stronger for football”. There have also been many benefits for the people that have done powerlifting. Giltinan, Almquist, and Richardson all say that getting stronger was one of the biggest benefits, as well as getting to know more of your peers and fellow highschoolers.
The team dynamics are also very uplifting, with everyone on the team supporting each other at meets and practices. Whether it is spotting each other at practice or building up excitement at meets, the relationship between the teammates is always positive. Aside from the supportive environment, powerlifting can be an opportunity to get away from your thoughts and focus on something else. Almquist says focussing on powerlifting and “performing well” is one of the most fun parts of it.
The practices begin in December with the first meet being in January. Whether they are new to the team or have been on it previously the Berkley powerlifters are eager for the start of powerlifting, and the memories to come.
