NOTE: This sports in-depth includes a link (at the end of this page) to an editorial and editorial cartoon calling for the NSAA to recognize powerlifting as an official sport and a feature video (at right) about the powerlifting team and its head coach, Alise Pape.
Seventeen Gretna High School powerlifters (11 girls, and six boys) competed for a state championship at Omaha Central High School in an event sponsored by the Nebraska High School Powerlifting Federation on Feb. 21. When the chalk dust settled, the Gretna girls team took home first place medals and a big trophy.
Three Dragon lifters — Alex Gibbons on the boys team and girls team members Andie Yost and Kimberly Starkovich — each won first place in their weight classes.
This is the first time in Gretna High School history that the girls powerlifting team has won a state title. This is a huge achievement for not only the powerlifting team but for each individual lifter, and several hit quality totals that would let them compete and attend nationals.
In past years, two state-level meets were hosted, one at Creighton Prep and the other at a joint meet put on by Omaha Central, Gretna, and Papillion La Vista South. This year, organizers combined qualifying totals to ensure each weight class consisted of the top lifters in the state. Invites went out to only 221 Nebraska athletes.
High school powerlifting looks and sounds different from other sports. The day-long events are noisy with constant cheering from not only fans but the other lifters.
“You have a bunch of crazy boys running around, so it’s very loud and it’s hyper and it’s uplifting,” said sophomore lifter Kimberly Starkovich. “And then there’s a DJ there who’s extremely loud, and there’s over 200 kids competing, but it’s so fun.”
Students are put into a weight class where they compete in three different lifts: squat, bench press and deadlift. Competitors get three attempts on each while the weight on the bar continually goes up.
The GHS coach staff has three male and three female coaches – Cameron Bothwell, Annie Godboo, Ryan Kreisel, Jake Myers, Alise Pape, and Cecy Supanchick. Most of them also compete in the sport.
“We try really hard to focus our program on joy. If our athletes aren’t enjoying the sport then what is the point of it?” Pape said. She serves as the team’s head coach. “I think with joy as our main priority, we enable our kids to grow into the strongest versions of themselves.”
Junior Andie Yost echoed that idea.
“Powerlifting is one of those sports where you’re going against people, but you’re still cheering those people on,” Yost said. “Like, you want to do better, but you want them to do better than you.”
Pape said seeing her athletes do so well was emotional.
”Any of my athletes will testify to the fact that it is not unusual or alarming for me to cry, and the moment I figured out that our girls won it I was so overjoyed that there were some tears!” she said. “This year, the state meet was much more competitive, meaning I knew it was going to be difficult for us to win. But I knew my girls were so incredibly strong, and, that if they performed at their best, that they would have a shot at the title. Seeing them pull it off was such a prideful moment for me as a coach.”
Next year’s team will be different. Many seniors will be graduating this spring.
“It’s just not going to feel the same as next year… so it’s going to be sad,” Yost said. “But it’s a good way to end the Gretna powerlifting reign.”
Pape said she’s looking forward to next year and its challenges.
“I think these results just mean we start next year in a place where we’re really proud of the work of the previous season and hopeful to build on it next season,” she said. “Many of our state qualifying athletes are returning so that makes me really excited to see what next season looks like for them.”
