2 weeks ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – If you plaything by the Iron Office Gym and perceive weights dropping, conscionable cognize Fresno State students are raising the bar. Fresno State Powerlifting is simply a nine that’s getting acceptable for an planetary competition.
“Knowing that you tin execute the goals you acceptable and conscionable feeling similar you tin assistance the satellite honestly,” Fresno State Sophomore and powerlifter Cathryn Cavazos said.
“They’re passionate astir it and I align myself with that and I truly bask being astir these types of people,” Fresno State Senior and powerlifter Aaron Rettig said.
Most of the year, students similar Rettig and Cavazos equilibrium homework with powerlifting.
“On a dense day, usually possibly similar 4 hours. So it's a beauteous time-consuming sport,” Rettig said.
A radical of students started Fresno State Powerlifting successful 2022. The squad is considered a nine athletics and not portion of Fresno State athletics, but these nine athletes person tested and displayed their spot successful 5 antithetic competitions.
“We won the men's part past twelvemonth astatine the University Nationals successful the Men's Division. placed 2nd determination and past this twelvemonth we got 2nd successful the men's part and we qualified for some worlds past twelvemonth and this year,” Rettig said.
And portion those powerlifters mightiness beryllium re-racking their books, they aren’t putting down their weights portion schoolhouse is retired for summer.
“It's been a small grueling conscionable due to the fact that they conscionable came disconnected doing nationals connected apical of the accent of the students having to decorativeness finals and doing each this stuff,” Fresno State Powerlifting caput manager Ronnie Vallejo said.
And this summer, Fresno’s lifters person a aureate accidental - a accidental astatine representing Team USA.
“That is who we're going to represent, besides Fresno State. In total, we person astir 3 months of prep to spell for this contention and worlds,” Rettig explained.
The 2025 World University Powerlifting Cup successful Turkey is conscionable a period away. Athletes volition statesman traveling for the contention connected July 13.
“We got archetypal place, we’re the fig 1 successful the world, retired of 89 schools, 33 nations and implicit 200 athletes. So that's it's a precise prestigious conscionable erstwhile it comes to powerlifting,” Coach Vallejo said.
A batch is connected the enactment for these athletes.
“Just trying to marque myself arrogant and marque my household arrogant astatine location and evidently the squad I privation to hopefully spot possibly apical 5 oregon thing similar that,” Cavazos said.
But getting to Turkey is the archetypal challenge.
“We bash person grants and things similar that from Fresno State. But it's not capable to screen each that for each of the expenses for athletes,” Rettig said.
The nine has a $20,000 extremity and if they scope it, Cavazos says she wants to blaze a caller way successful a male-dominated sport.
“I tin correspond the females retired determination and truly motivate them. I person a fewer girls who spot maine and they archer maine like, manager me, I privation to bash that too. Like, that's amazing,” Cavazos said.
Those who would similar to assistance Fresno State Powerlifting scope its planetary goals tin sojourn their GoFundMe here.
