Bryce Bojorquez

Comp 1

October, 7, 2022

Profile Essay

“I could lift 255 pounds easy!” (Lee). Says Brianna Lee, a competitive powerlifter.

Powerlifting is a strength sport that many young adults are participating in today. Though the

sport hasn’t been super popular in the past, it dates all the way back to Ancient Greece. Men used

to lift stones to prove their strength and manhood, which is where modern-day powerlifting

originated. Today, powerlifting is a sport enjoyed by not just men, but women alike. Brianna is

an example of one of these women, participating in powerlifting meets whenever possible.

Brianna didn’t always want to powerlift, but now, with the help of her family and friends, she is

pursuing a career in powerlifting and doing everything possible to succeed.

Brianna had many dream careers as a little girl, but she would never have thought

powerlifting would be one of them. Growing up, Brianna wanted to be several things, ranging

from a teacher to a pastry chef. Much to her surprise, it would turn into something completely

different. Brianna was first introduced to cross-country in 9th grade. At first, Brianna hated

cross-country; it was hot, long, and tedious. But eventually the more she ran the more she began

to enjoy it, and the easier it got. Then, when cross-country ended she decided to join another

sport, track. Immediately, Brianna loved it and looked forward to track practice during her

seventh hour every day. Because she took on these extra sports and thanks to guidance from a

close friend, Brianna began to also go to the gym. Immediately when she went to the gym, she

was told about powerlifting but absolutely did not want to participate in the sport. She continued

to go to the gym and at first, it was extremely difficult and took a toll on her body. But she
pushed through it, and with time and the motivation of her friend she started to show

improvement. Eventually, when Brianna was a junior, she decided to give powerlifting a shot

because of much convincing. But now she loves powerlifting and attends all the competitions she

can.

Brianna has had a lot of support on her powerlifting journey, much of which comes from

her coach, coach Freeman. Brianna even says, “Without coach Freeman, I wouldn’t be where I

am today” (Lee). Not only did he introduce her to powerlifting, but he has also attended almost

every single one of her competitions and cheered her on the whole time. She met coach Freeman

when she joined track and ever since then he's been an amazing supporter and someone she can

always count on when she needs him. But coach Freeman isn't her only source of support.

Brianna's family has played a big role in helping her as well. When Brianna didn’t have a car,

they would drive her to the gym every time she needed to go. They also drive her to every one of

her meets in Oklahoma City and pay the entrance fee of $50. Without her family, Brianna

wouldn’t have been able to accomplish everything she has with her powerlifting career. “I can

always count on my family and I am so glad I have their love and support on my powerlifting

journey” (Lee).

During powerlifting competitions, it's not always smooth sailing. Even though Brianna

has participated in competitions several times, she can never shake her nerves. “Every time I

walk into the building I can feel my heart racing and I'm freaking out on the inside'' (Lee). First,

she has to go get her rack height, write down her first lifting attempts, and then get weighed in.

After checking in, she goes and warms up to prepare for her lifts. When it's finally time for her to
lift, she waits until they call her name and then goes to the lifting platform. The first type of lift is

a squat lift which she gets three attempts at. Brianna unracks the bar and waits for the ref in front

of her to give her the signal to start her lift. When given the signal she performs her lift and

afterward she has to wait for another signal to rerack the bar, if she reracks before the signal the

lift doesn’t count. The second type of lift is a bench press which has three attempts as well.

Brianna lays down on the bench, and then her coach comes up and lifts the bar off for her and

she brings the bar down. Then she has to wait for the ref to say “press” and when he does she

presses it up and then has to wait at the top for the ref to tell her to rack the bar. The third and

final lift is a deadlift, which like the others, she has three attempts at. Brianna steps onto the

platform, prepares her feet, and squats down to grab the bar. She braces herself, pulls the weight

off the ground, and locks her knees. When the ref gives the signal, she can set the bar back down,

ending the final lift. When all is done Brianna sees what place she got and heads home.

In the future, Brianna hopes to attend college for powerlifting. For the longest time,

Brianna had no clue what she wanted to go to college for. But now, with her passion for

powerlifting, she knows exactly what she wants to major in. Since it’s her senior year, she has

been researching several colleges and trying to decide where to go. She wants to stay close to

home, but she also wants to attend a good college, meaning she doesn’t have too many options.

Brianna even plans on going on a few college campus tours for some colleges she's interested in.

Right now she still isn’t sure where she wants to attend and isn’t favoring any places either. But

she’s going to keep looking until she finds the perfect fit for her and her powerlifting career.
 Brianna was taken by surprise when it came to powerlifting; she never thought she'd be

where she is today, but she's so glad she is. Even though Brianna didn’t always want to powerlift,

she is pursuing a career in powerlifting, and with the support of her family and friends, she's

going to continue doing everything possible to succeed. Brianna’s next step in her dream is to

pursue powerlifting in college and soon she will make her dream a reality. One thing she wants

everyone to know is that, “You should follow your dreams no matter what because you only live

once, so make the most of it” (Lee).

 Works Cited

Lee, Brianna. Personal interview. 27 Sep 2022.

“Powerlifting.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Jan. 2001, https://www.wikipedia.org/.

Picture of Brianna Lee: