Bellevue High School is planning on adding another sport next school year and a new hire was the catalyst.
Carrington Davis thought she was just going in to interview for the open elementary teacher position. During the interview, Principal Lori Shoemaker brought up her powerlifting past.
Davis, a 2019 graduate from Bowie, spent all four years in high school lifting on top of playing softball, doing well enough to make it to the state meet every year and earning fifth and second place medals her last two seasons.
Since then, while going to college at Midwestern State University, she has stayed in the powerlifting world by serving as a judge at meets the last five years.
“I think it changes your perspective on the sport,” Davis said. “When you are an athlete you know the lift, but you are kind of behind this curtain. Being a judge opens you up to all of the other things. You get to see which coaches know the sport more than others. I honestly think being a judge will help me in the competition part of it more than me having been a lifter.”
That kind of experience was what interested Shoemaker in proposing Davis head the start of the Eagles’ powerlifting program.
“We have a large group of kids who are built for powerlifting and we are excited to see what they make of it with them coming into high school,” Shoemaker said.
Davis graduated this month from MSU with her bachelors of science in education degree. She is excited to start the program up, knowing what the sport of powerlifting provided for her and her teammates in high school.
““It is an all-around beneficial sport,” Davis said. “It helps you grow in your skillset, your strength and endurance for any of the other sports you play. Also, it helps with your confidence a lot. It is an individual sport and most kids are used to team sports and maybe getting put on the backburner if they are not the best at something. Powerlifting is a sport where you can showcase your own individual skills. You get out what you put in.”

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