It may only be their first year powerlifting, but Rider’s Hannah Wilson and Lance Asmus have proven to be quick learners. 

Both will represent the Raiders at their respective state meets later this month. Wilson placed second in regionals and will lift again on March 21 in Waco. Asmus placed fifth, but his total qualifying weight allowed him to advance to the state meet on March 28 in Abilene.

The Rider Chronicle interviewed both lifters on their love for the sport, accomplishments and aspirations.

Q: What does it mean for you to be going to state?

H: It’s probably the best part of the year because I’ve never gotten to do anything like this before. So, it’s an accomplishment.

L: Well, it’s pretty awesome because it’s my first year of lifting. So, it just made me feel really happy and excited.

Q: How did you get into this sport?

H: I played soccer for a really long time, and I got hurt freshman year. And pretty much, after that, I started working out again and got more into weight lifting. Then my boyfriend, Chance Bledsoe, power lifts here. He told me that I should start working out with him, so I did. He got me into it and told me I should do powerlifting here and that I’d be really good at it.

L: My coach had always been nagging me, trying to get me into it. But I always played basketball, so this year I decided to do it. And it was pretty fun. It worked out pretty good, too.

Q: Why do you lift?

H: It’s a release. So, if I’m angry, if I’m upset, it really helps to be able to get some of that out. Just doing that, not having to think about it.

L: I lift just because I like want to be the big guy. I’m always the bigger guy in my group, so I want to stay the big guy. And then, really, to keep my strength and for football.

Q: What are your best weights in all three lifts?

H: Squat is 450 pounds, bench is 210 pounds and deadlift is 325.

L: 615 pounds is my highest squat, 370 pounds is my highest bench and 565 pounds is my highest deadlift. 

Q: What’s your favorite lift and why?

H: Squat because I can do the most on it. That’s my best lift.

L: I’m going to go with squat, just because there’s something about squat, like the hype and just everyone cheering you on. It’s just exciting.

Q: How many records have you broken?

H: I broke the bench record. I don’t know what the previous record was, but I broke that at 210 pounds. And I tied with the squat record at 450 pounds.
L: I broke all of the school records (bench, squat, deadlift). I haven’t broken any of the overall records, but I’ve broken the ones for my weight class.

Q: How much do you train for powerlifting?

H: Every day during the week, usually. And that’s about it. We take a few days off before the meets, but mostly every day.
L: Monday through Thursday and then Friday is called recovery day. And then, on Saturdays, I go to the YMCA and train there.

Q: What’s that process like?

H: So pretty much the week before the meet we’ll do accessory work. So, we won’t do the exact lifts, we’ll do the things that help with that to build strength. So, the week of, we’ll do our openers, which is the weight we start at on each one. Two days before the meet, we’ll do something really light and the day before, we’ll just rest. 

L: It’s very time consuming. It’s not an easy thing to do. You get very sore, but it’s all worth it.

Q: What’s your funniest memory this year during powerlifting?

H: So, I had about 315 pounds loaded on the bar. And I took one side off, so the other side just fell. The whole bar fell off and everybody just stared at me. Yeah, it was pretty bad.

L: I think the car rides. The car ride over to regionals, that was probably my favorite, most funniest from powerlifting overall.

Q: Do you plan to lift in college?

H: Yes, I do.

L: Yes, I plan to lift my senior year. It would be awesome if I could lift in college.

Q: Do you have any aspirations for lifting professionally?

H: I’ve thought about training. Being a personal trainer or a coach maybe. Something along those lines.

L: I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it that big, but I’m certainly going to try. Just because it’s really fun and it’s an adrenaline rush.