By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

Weight lifting is used to train in many sports, but for Marion sophomore Austin Ebaben says it’s a sport he has invested in for four years.

“There’s a brotherhood, you’re really close with the lifters on your team,” he said. “

The season reached its climax Saturday at Marion Middle School’s gym, when he and seven other Marion athletes took part in the 1A state power lifting competition.

While athletes attempt to out lift each other, a key feature of about the sport is a focus on personal improvement, Ebaben said.

“This is a fight against yourself and how much you can do,” he said. “It’s not against other teams.”

Freshman Hannah Stubenhofer only started lifting after volleyball ended in November, but said she took a quick liking to it.

“I like practices and it was fun, so I thought I’d do it,” she said. “Everybody supports each other and it’s such a group sport, but it’s also individual.”

That bleeds over to practice, where it’s less structured than team sports, Ebaben said.

“All your other sports have practice,” he said. “With lifting, you go to the weight room whatever time you want and do your own stuff. You’re not with a team, it’s really about you.”

One side effect of joining the lifting team is the help it provides for track and field, Stubenhofer said.

“Shot put is a lot of upper body, along with technical movements,” she said. “It’s helped me build that so I can get a higher throw.”

As a senior who plans to enter the Marines after graduation, Colton Mercer said he enjoys the burn that comes with lifting.

“It’s that good kind of pain,” he said. “It says you just achieved something.”

Weight lifting involves proper form and alternating the number of repetitions, Mercer said.

Increased reps with lower weights help tone muscle to build consistency, while heavier weight at lower reps builds bulk, he said.

While women’s lifting has a much shorter history compared to men’s, Ebaben says he thinks the sport’s popularity will keep increasing, he said.

“It originated as a men’s sport, so women are just getting into it,” he said. “There will be tons more women’s lifters later on.”

For Stubenhofer, the progress has been quick since she started, nearly reaching the 135-pound mark for squats.

“I wanted to get above 125-pounds for squat, and I got that,” she said. “Now, I’m trying to get a plate.”

While being able to lift in the morning or afternoon is convenient, she has a clear preference, Stubenhofer said.

“I like going after school,” she said. “I don’t like getting up in the morning.”

Marion’s top finishers were Will Alleven, Anthony Brooks, and Todd Palic. Alleven placed third in the 132-pound men’s weight class for hand cleans, and tied for third on bench before losing on body weight. Brooks took third in squat for the 148-pound class, and Todd Palic was 3rd in hand cleans for the 198-pound class.