On Saturday, March 1, five Hanson powerlifters traveled to Baltic to compete in the State A Powerlifting Meet. Hanson team members competing were: freshman: Brennan Day; sophomores: Ryker Holm, Bridger Yeo; and juniors: Trent Kayser, Weston Kayser. The team is coached by Wyatt Kayser.
Thirty two schools from across the state with a mix of B, A, and even a couple AA teams, boasting over 300 male and female athletes competed at the state meet.
Hanson junior, Weston Kayser, competed in the Under 148.8-pound weight class. W. Kayser lifted a total of 1,070 pounds which was enough to receive a first-place finish in his weight class. W. Kayser broke the state bench press record in his weight class when he completed a successful lift of 270 pounds, beating the previous mark of 260 pounds. W. Kayser is a back to back state champion in the men’s 148.8 pound division.
Hanson juniors, Trent Kayser and Bridger Yeo, competed in the Under 308.5-pound weight class. T. Kayser lifted a total of 1,015 pounds which granted him a fourth place finish in the division. Yeo lifted a total of 880 pounds which is his personal best total.
Hanson sophomore, Ryker Holm, competed in the Under 220.2-pound weight class. Holm lifted a total of 830 total pounds and had a personal best 330-pound deadlift and 215-pound bench press.
Hanson freshman, Brennan Day, competed in the Under 181.75-pound weight class. Day lifted a total of 730 pounds with a personal best in both his squat of 260 pounds and a deadlift of 325 pounds.
Powerlifting is a sport that challenges athletes’ total strength in three core lifts: the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift in that order. Competitors get three attempts at each lift and are judged by certain standards such as depth, technique, weight control, and commands. Athletes attempt to build up to their highest potential weight in each lift to bolster their total overall weight lifted. If an athlete fails a lift, they still have the opportunity to attempt the same weight or increase the weight as long as they have a remaining attempt. Athletes are not allowed to decrease the weight of any lift once they report an attempt. At the end of the competition, the highest successful attempt in all three core lifts are added together to make your total.
“Powerlifting is a great opportunity to try to compete against yourself. The goal of any athlete is to train and try to achieve a better number than their last meet. All Hanson athletes did this in one way or another and that is all you can ask for,” stated Coach Kayser.
According to Coach Kayser, powerlifting is a sport that has really gained in popularity across the state since Hanson students started four years ago. At that time, there were only a handful of schools that brought students to meets. Now, there are schools from across the state that are competing.
Coach Kayser commented, “The best part about this sport is that anyone can compete in powerlifting regardless if they are involved in athletics and still have success. As long as students put in the effort to get themselves stronger, this experience can be a lot of fun for them.”
Click on the following link to view pictures of the Hanson powerlifting competitors, https://5il.co/396rm.