Killeen, TX/2021 - Powerlifting is not what it sounds like. At the same time, it is exactly what it sounds like.

To excel in the sport requires strength, but more than that, it requires discipline, confidence, determination and a lot of technique and strategy.

Harker Heights High School junior Paige Bridenstine is not large – not in a stereotypical weight-lifting sense.

She is, however, brutally committed to her sport and deeply disciplined in her training and planning and that is why she is a state champion.

Another Killeen ISD powerlifter, Ellison senior Lagi Ahsang is among the best in the state. She finished in second place in the state’s top 259-plus weight class.

Bridenstine, competing in the 114-pound class, easily distanced the field of 11 qualifiers in the largest 6A division in her class.

Another Ellison High School competitor, Maria Rivera-Roman also placed, finishing fourth in state in the same 114-pound class.

Female powerlifting in Texas is divided by school size and individual weight class. There are 12 listed weight classes from the smallest 98 pounds to the largest 259-plus pounds.

Competitors complete three lifts in each of three categories - the squat, the bench press and the dead lift. The total weight lifted in all three makes up the point total.
The Harker Heights Knights’ state champion, weighing in at 110.5 pounds, squatted 330 pounds, bench pressed 180 pounds and deadlifted 300 pounds for an 810-point total.

All three were the highest among all competitors in the 114-pound class. She outpaced her nearest competitor by 125 pounds. In other words, Bridenstine won the state championship by a lot.

In the 259-plus weight class, Ahsang scored 1,235 points, just 5 pounds short of the first-place finisher from Keller Central High School. The Ellison senior finished with a 540-pound squat, 225-pound bench press and 470-pound dead lift.

Grateful for her coach, Danny Pike and a supportive family and team, Bridenstine expressed a satisfied joy at reaching her state championship goal a year early.

Disciplined Work Pays Off

She comes from an active, athletic family, competed in the hurdles in middle school track and played volleyball as a high school freshman. Where she has always excelled, though, is in the weight room.

Paige and her dad, Killeen ISD welding instructor John Bridenstine have long worked out together in their garage gym.
She really didn’t know about powerlifting until she tried out for high school volleyball as a Belton High School freshman and a teammate about her size encouraged her to try it.

To say she took to it would be an understatement. As a freshman at Belton, she qualified for the state powerlifting meet in the 123-pound weight class lifting 525 pounds.

Last year, as a sophomore at Harker Heights High School, she joined a program in its early development and quickly distinguished herself as a strong, committed athlete and became team captain.

She improved significantly, qualified for state again, but didn’t get to compete due to COVID-19 restrictions.

This year, Bridenstine and Pike knew that the powerlifting season was again in jeopardy. They were thrilled to have the chance to compete, though it was a compressed schedule that required adjustment.

The Knights’ star lifted 750 pounds to win the first meet and qualify for state. "I was blessed to have that opportunity and to secure my spot in the first meet."

She followed up with an 800-pound performance to win the region meet and enter state as the favorite. "It was great to be back and to have everyone around." With just two weeks to prepare for state, "we knew it was go-time and we worked extra hard," Bridenstine said.

She clearly met expectation, besting all competitors in all three lift categories to win her weight class. She was also the second-best overall lifter based on a measurement that considers body weight.

“It was unreal and also humbling,” she said, recalling the experience of winning a state title.

The top lifter and her coach have learned a lot from one another and have built a system of planning each meet out, figuring what Bridenstine needs to lift in each category and adjusting to maximize score.

“I’ve learned to be particular,” she said, explaining that she notices differences in particular bars, how her hands fit and what adjustments to make.

Three judges score every lifter on every lift. Coaches and competitors watch intently, taking notes and adjusting throughout a meet. “We talk back and forth,” the Heights junior said of her coach. “We watch others and strategize and adjust.”

Building a Tradition

For Pike, the offensive coordinator for the Knights’ football team, powerlifting is a chance to build a program that enhances the other athletic teams. He appreciates the deep devotion the 13-member female team shows.

“They are screaming and yelling for each other during meets,” he said. “They are happy for each other.”

His new state champion agreed, pointing out that powerlifting is a close-knit community. She knows and roots on her peers at crosstown Ellison and takes pride in the growth of the Harker Heights team. “It’s cool to watch people grow. It’s an amazing feeling.”

That growth requires discipline.

Bridenstine maintains a varied, nutritious diet to keep her energy level high and her weight consistent. She and her peers complete a wide range of exercise and weightlifting for overall fitness and performance.

“She’s amazing,” Pike said. “Her work ethic is unmatched. She is intrinsically motivated. There are no days off for her. She is so deserving. She earned it.”