Seniors Strive For States

Article by Cate Williams Photo by Anuha Tatineni

The best feeling comes when hard work pays off. Two seniors on the varsity weightlifting team, Wes Kim and Liam Swanson, can agree.

After their junior season was cut short, both athletes sprung into the year with a new sense of motivation and a particular goal in mind: making it to the state competition.

After a long off-season of training, the boys returned with a new level of strength.

“I focused a lot on how my body looked this off-season rather than strength, but gained a lot of weight, so I became stronger as a result,” Kim said.

Even though seeing results in his physical appearance was Kim’s main priority, the strength he gained in the process made him a top competitor. Placing first in the district and third in the region, Kim was set to make it to states.

Swanson, on the other hand, was originally focused on gaining strength to prepare for the upcoming season.

In the past, Swanson had been part of both the varsity lacrosse team and varsity weightlifting, but decided to quit lacrosse in order to focus on weightlifting.

“This year I switched up my training to only weightlifting,” Swanson said. “I devoted most of my time to lifting, eating right and recovering.”

Swanson’s dedication paid off as he placed first in the district and later became the school’s first regional champion.

After being on the weightlifting team for four years, Kim and Swanson ended their final year on a high note.

“Going to states really became a serious goal junior year, but it got cut short which is why making it this year is such a big deal to me,” Kim said.

Swanson had similar goals.

“Ever since my first year it has always been my goal to make it to states,” Swanson said. “This year I made it my goal to finish [in the] top three.”

And he did just that. On April 23, at Port St. Joe High School, the state weightlifting meet was held. Both boys competed against the top athletes in the state, Kim placing 11th and Swanson placing third.

“This was my first time making it to states, and I was excited to compete at such a high level against other athletes who are just as devoted as I am,” Swanson said.

Both Kim and Swanson consistently supported one another throughout the season, along with their other teammates and coaches.

“My coaches pushed me incredibly hard this year by telling me what I need to do to achieve my goals,” Swanson said. “My teammates also pushed me by constantly showing their support.”

Although both Kim and Swanson received a great deal of encouragement from their coaches, Kim said he owes a lot of his success to his teammates.

“My coaches definitely kept pushing me, but my friends were the ones who really pushed me to my limits, especially Liam Swanson,” Kim said.

The boys’ devotion to the sport will leave a lasting impact on not just the coaches, but their teammates as well.

“I hope I inspired my teammates to work just as hard as I did in their last couple of years on the team,” Swanson said.