Lawrence High students recently took third place in their first competitive weightlifting event.

Students have always lifted weights during the weights class, but hadn’t competed until this year with coach Jamie Resseguie, who teaches weights at LHS.

At powerlifting competitions, students face a series of events that test their skills, strength and agility.

“There’s three lifting events, then there’s other agile things to do,” junior J’Mony Bryant said. “I did the 10-yard dash, bench press, squat and power clean.”

LHS traveled to Basehor Linwood High School on Jan. 31 for their first competition. By doing these powerlifting events, students can see what they need to improve.

“It’s just getting better at what you want to achieve in your sport or weightlifting,” sophomore Trey Moore said.

Resseguie said scores were exceptional considering it was their first powerlifting meet. Senior Sean McCoy won the overall men’s lightweight lifter title while other students finished first in their weight classes.

“Overall as a men’s team, they took third place out of about 80 schools that were there,” he said. “They did an outstanding job.”

Students were proud, too, as they received medals and made plans to move on to other competitions.

“I got first in my weight class,” Moore said.

There will not be another competition that the students compete in together, but some students plan to go on their own to other powerlifting meets.

“My goal was just to go to one this year just to introduce everybody to it,” Resseguie said. “Then next year pick out two that we go to and hopefully in the near future we have the facilities to host our own.”

Students who want to participate in this type of competition next time should think about that when enrolling for classes.

“My advice for students that want to participate in the future is just to enroll in a strength and conditioning class and get after it,” Resseguie said.