Burnet girls powerlifting ready for regionals
CAPTION: Alison Fonseca is one of several Lady Dawgs going to the regional meet. Photo by Hayden center Burditt/In Color Photography
The Burnet High School powerlifting teams are gearing up for regional tournaments that begin this weekend.
The Lady Dawgs will compete at the Class 4A Large Schools Region II meet in Dublin Friday, Feb. 27. They include Presley Allen, Hailey Boyer, Madeline Cardenas, Sofia Cardenas, Olivia Cook, Molly Cupitt, Adrian Eubank, Adyson Fonbuena, Kalora McDonnell, Tess Murders, Lily Rygaard and Trinity Tibbs.
“I’ll take a full team of girls to Dublin,” head coach Zane Hicks said. “There are three for sure that are in solid contention and then there’s a fourth that has a chance (to advance to the state meet). The top two go to state.”
Rygaard sits atop of the 132-pound weight class, while Madeline Cardenas is second in the 220-pound weight class, Sofia Cardenas is third in the 181-pound weight class, and Tibbs is fourth in the 97-pound weight class.
“There’s not a huge gap between the ones in front of the third and fourth (athletes),” Hicks said. “Two of them are going to try to continue doing what they’ve already lifted.”
Powerlifting has three lifts – squat, bench press and deadlift. Judges at each station determine if a lift meets the technical criteria to earn a score. If it doesn’t, then an athlete “bombs out” or isn’t awarded a score. Typically, athletes who medal or finish high in their weight classes earn scores at each station that count toward their overall score.
“Usually the biggest issue is getting deep enough and low enough on squats,” Hicks said. “Squats are always a problem at regionals because they are a lot more strict than they are at the meets before regionals. We work on it all the time. And I’ll probably harp on it quite a bit this last week of practice.”
Rygaard and Madeline Cardenas are seeking return trips to regionals.
“I’m sure it helps,” Hicks said of having the experience of competing there before. “It helps with the pressure of it all. People don’t realize that there’s a lot of pressure going in it, trying to hold onto your spot. If you’ve done it before, you can handle the pressure a little bit better. Sophia and Presley have a little bit more on their shoulders. When you’ve never gotten to go somewhere, it’s a little bit harder to get there.”
Taking a full team means the Lady Dawgs have a shot at becoming the regional champions.
“I’m proud of the girls,” Hicks said. “It’s special taking a full team.”
The boys regional meet is March 14 at Gatesville.
