Paige Soper is a senior at Baldwin High School and she is in the Ag Ed class and does powerlifting. Soper recently won the 4A State Championship in Wellington. She won her title in the 140 lb division.
“Winning felt so relieving because I had spent so many years working towards that moment and finally saw it all pay off,” Soper said.
Soper has been powerlifting since her freshman year and has come a long way since then.
“I originally started lifting after school my freshman year and fell in love with the idea of being strong and pushing myself to lift more,” Soper said. “Most people I knew were lifting to be better for their sports but that never really applied to me. I discovered that I could compete in high school meets and have never looked back.”
She lifts a lot during the week and has her own coaches to help her.
“I generally lift on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at Evolution Athletics in Lawrence,” she said. “It is a private gym with three-five coaches on staff that work with middle school to college-level athletes.”
She has a busy schedule for lifting. Her workouts have a lot of steps and different movements for getting stronger.
“On a normal day, I start with a 30-minute group warm-up, which consists of different stretches and dynamic movements,” she said. “Following my warm-up, I completed my workout. My workouts are split into a squat day, bench day, and clean/deadlift day. After completing my main lift for the day, I complete the accessory movements, and then I am done.”
She is involved in many different classes and recommends Ag Ed classes.
“I would highly recommend taking any of the Ag classes we have offered and joining FFA as well because of the opportunities they have to offer,” Soper said. “Agriculture is the industry that puts food on our plates and keeps the world moving, so it’s important to know how it all happens. Beyond that, it is also another opportunity to branch out and meet new people, compete in events, and learn new and important information.”