Personal Narrative: Weightlifting

Growing up my parents ran a little lake on the outskirts of my hometown of Shelbina here in northeast Missouri. I was the "tough" one out of my family by the time I was in the ninth grade I could use two weed eaters at the same time and pick up the back end of a golf cart. At 5'3 and wearing size 16 I was big girl and was often made fun of by my peers. I wanted to be something other than the "fat girl" at school. So I became stronger than an ox and used that to my advantage. My high school coach seen me one day bench pressing a picnic table and begged me to join the weightlifting program. I excelled at the class and became known as "Pipes" I went from being the chunky girl to being the girl that was respected for my bench pressing and squats. My coach believed in me and that was all I needed to continue to do my best. That year I made a C average except for weightlifting where I got an A and earned the respect from my peers and my coach.

I didn’t get asked on dates nor did guys find me attractive because lets face it who wants to date a girl that can out lift you? It didn’t matter to me though I had found my niche in high school I had found something that I was good at and that I loved to do. I am still proud of my accomplishments as a lifter and if I could go back I wouldn’t change anything. That year I proved that I was stronger and shed my image as just the "chunky girl". I found respect and confidence from a coach that still means the world to me. He taught me the meaning of never giving up and reaching for the impossible. Coach never saw my fat he saw my strength, my confidence, and my will to never give up and in those days that was all I really wanted was to be accepted for