By DOUG DONNELLY

OTTAWA LAKE – Haley Luse briefly considered not competing in power lifting next season.

Then she went out and won another state championship.

“I want to go four-for-four,” she said. “Not that I’ve gone two-for-two I have to go for four-for-four,” she said. “I’m very competitive so I don’t plan to stop now.”

Luse is a sophomore at Whiteford who is a three sport athlete – volleyball, track and power lifting. The state powerlifting season ended recently with the state finals at Adrian High School. Luse once again took first place in her division. She lifted a total of 60 pounds more than anyone else in her division but she said it wasn’t easy in winning the title.

“I still feel the competition,” she said. “There is a chance I could be overtaken by one of them if they had a really good day. It’s a competitive atmosphere, but friendly. Everyone is super nice.”

At the state meet, her squat max was 300 pounds, max bench was 170, and max dead lift was 340.

“It is such a great accomplishment for her,” said R.J. Rios, Whiteford’s powerlifting coach and physical education teacher. “She is an extremely hard worker. She is a straight A student and embraces the weightroom. Not only did she want to win her weight class, but she was watching all the top lifters to try to beat them as well.

“She is a competitor that wanted to win the entire competition. Haley is such a great lifter and prides herself on her form.”

Luse picked up weightlifting when her brother, Whiteford senior Brayden Luse, was lifting for football.

“It was the summer before my seventh-grade year,” Luse said. “My brother was getting into it and lifting more, and I wanted to get into it too.”

The family has a weight set at home that she utilized, especially during COVID-19.

When then Whiteford football coach at athletic director Jason Mensing started assembling a group of athletes to compete in power lifting, he asked Luse if she was interested.

“I already knew all of the lifts and everything, so I said, ‘Sure, I’ll try that,’” Luse said. “I worked up some pretty heavy weights. I knew I was good at it, even compared to some of the guys in my grade, so that gave me some confidence.”

As a freshman, Luse was 70 pounds ahead of the runner-up at the state meet.

“My deadlift was a lot more than I thought I could do,” she said. “I was just trying weights.”

Luse said there are about seven other students who compete in power lifting, but she often lifts with the Whiteford football players. She’s the only girl who lifts right now. She also has a strength training class in which she can lift every other day.

“If I’m sore it gives me time to recover and stretch,” she said.

Rios said her commitment to the weight room is impressive.

“She has embraced the culture in the weightroom,” he said.

Luse also plays volleyball and track. In track, she competes in shot and discus and runs relays.

“It definitely helps,” she said. “Shot and discus take a lot of skill, but strength is a lot of factor in that. I’m glad I have lifting for those other sports.”

Weightlifting gives her a rush. She’s never disappointed with a workout.

“There are definitely days I don’t want to work out at all, but every time, even while working out, I’m in a much better mood. It helps a lot.”