SAN ANTONIO – Instead of spending their time shopping or watching the latest movie to hit theaters, three high schoolers from a San Antonio charter school shattered state powerlifting records during a meet last weekend in Waco.
The champions, Liszette Ortiz-Rosado, Samantha Heimer and Nallely Gutierrez of Brooks Academy of Science and Engineering won Class 3A first place team.
Individually, sophomore Ortiz-Rosado won best bench award at 205 pounds. That weight helped Ortiz-Rosado break the state bench record for her weight class.
Junior Heimer brought back a heavyweight best bench award at 315 pounds. She also broke the bench state record at that weight for her class and had a squat at 415 pounds.
Junior Gutierrez broke the bench state record in her weight class at 245 pounds and the deadlift record at 390 pounds.
Together, the team shattered seven state records.
The results can be found on the Texas High School Women's Powerlifting Association website here.
Gutierrez remembers when she told her parents she wanted to be a powerlifter.
"They were kind of like, 'What? You're crazy.' But then they saw me doing it and saw that I liked it, so they started supporting me," Gutierrez said.
Brooks Academy powerlifting coach Juan Pierre Garcia started the program for boys and girls at the school just five years ago.
"It's not just about just trophies and medals but actually going to college and getting a degree, getting that scholarship and showing them the tools through powerlifting to help prepare them for life," Garcia said.
Students can begin training in the program in sixth grade. The group mostly consists of girls.
The recently-crowned state champs now need to defend their title, so they continue practicing and going to meets. All three already have college prospects.