Colfax powerlifting team qualifies five for state meet

In their third year of existance, five of the 10 members of the powerlifting team from Colfax High School will compete in the state meet in La Crosse March 11-12. Members qualified through various meets this year and all of them competed at the Wisconsin High School Powerlifting Association Sanctioned meet held in Elk Mound Feb. 13.

Coach Matt DeMoe, who is now the head football coach for the Vikings, started the program three years ago with just one lifter. From there, it went to seven members last year and increased to 10 this year.

“Devon Utpadel showed some interest in it when we attended a meet three years ago, so I looked into it and decided to help start a club team here,” he said. “We have kids on the team who want to compete in something over the winter and are not in a sport, or want to stay in shape for another sport. But some kids just enjoy having something physical to do, and the meets are fun. The kids really challenge themselves and work hard in practice to get better so they can lift more weight at the competitions,” he added.

In the Elk Mound regional, which is one of four regionals around the state, there were 18 schools represented with a total of 220 lifters. Much like wrestling, athletes compete against others in their own weight division with the girls ranging from 97 pounds to 275 plus and the boys 114 pounds to 275 plus. They must perform three different lifts, the squat, bench press and the deadlift. There are very specific rules that need to be followed in each lift to avoid being disqualified. For instance, on the bench press, while laying on the bench, any raising movement of the head, shoulders or buttocks off the bench, or lateral movement on the bar would be cause for disqualification. For the squat, the lifter must hold an upright position with the knees locked to make it a good lift, and for the deadlift, the lifter must stand erect with the shoulders back and knees locked at the completion of the lift.

Lifters, along with their coaches, decide which weight they want to start at. They get three chances on each type of lift, and the highest weight lifted in all three areas are added together for a total weight so it is important to make sure you complete at least one lift so you have a score in all three areas. There are three judges at each lift, one who gives a command to begin the lift, and they all watch intently to make sure it is a correct lift. Judges for the regional meet were made up of a few certified judges, some lifting alumni and parents. To qualify for state, a certain total weight must be reached. For instance, a girl in the 105 pound weight class must lift a total of 445 pounds while a boy in the 148 pound weight class would need a total of 950 pounds.

Colfax lifters qualifying for the state meet from the regional are Courtney Dressel, Austin Dressel and Hunter Leiffort, while Makayla Mattson qualified at the Last Chance meet in Whitehall Feb. 27. In addition, Mikaela Leibfried qualified at an earlier meet for state, and for the Nationals to be held in Orlando, FL April 1.  Other members who competed this year were Jacob Steinke, Spencer Herrick, Dalton Bradford, Emily Evenson and Becca Lee.

Since the sport is not run through the WIAA, it is considered a club sport and the lifters must raise money to support themselves. Each member raises $100 to help pay for individual fees for each tournament as well as uniforms and belts required for lifting.

“Right now we have five belts and five suits and I had to borrow the rest from another school,” DeMoe said. “If anyone wants to donate to our cause, that would be great,” he said with a laugh.

DeMoe encourages anyone from the school to join the team next year.

“You don’t have to be a varsity athlete to join the powerlifting team,” he said. “Just someone who wants to challenge themselves, work hard to improve their strength and be healthy,” he concluded.