When students enter New Trier, they hear about all the great clubs and opportunities for them. However, the club landscape can be very difficult to navigate. Parents often want students to build their college resumes. But students want to use clubs as a way to hang out with friends and engage in a common interest. One club that satisfies both wishes is the New Trier Powerlifting Club.
The Powerlifting Club was started three years ago by then junior Scott Schwartz and sponsored by strength and conditioning coach Jim Davis. It was created to appeal to an enthusiastic crowd who wanted to perfect their form in weight lifting and to help the community in the process. Currently, there are roughly 60 members.
“New Trier powerlifting is a service based club that uses lifting to bring people together and to help the community around us,” said Mike Foy.
Over the last two years the club has competed in the Great Lakes Regional and the first-annual Central Suburban Powerlifting meets. This year, the club will participate in the second annual Central-Suburban Powerlifting meet, which will include Mundelein and Stagg High Schools, along with a trip to the High School Powerlifting National Championship in Oklahoma City over spring break.
“Powerlifting builds on itself. We started with an enthusiastic group of guys who really enjoyed the weight room, eventually growing to 30 people, and now we have around 60,” said Davis.
In addition to the competition aspect, there is a large community service component to the club. Last year, the Powerlifting Club raised $2,000 through a bake-sale and a lift-a-thon for North Shore Special Olympics participants to travel down state and participate in the Illinois Special Olympics. The club also raised money for a family and gave food and gifts to a family who would not have them otherwise. The project began with a team trip to Target and eventually the delivery of the gifts and food to the family.
“It was truly an inspiring experience, because not only did we buy the gifts for this family, we got to meet them,” said Klein. “Meeting them pretty much completed the experience for me because it showed who these gifts go. To see their emotions and their excitement inspired me and the club to want to help out more families.”
The attitude of Powerlifting club is serious because of the intensity of lifting heavy weights. But, it is also a very fun-filled environment that is welcoming of anyone who wants to join (including girls). The team meets on Mondays at 5:00 to learn about proper lifting technique and to discuss potential community service projects for the rest of the year.