By Katie McGregor, Aberdeen High School Intern
We all hope to accomplish something great at sometime during our lives. And, while there are people all around us that have done great things, you can never tell what kind of person someone is just by looking at them. This is certainly true of Corrie Stewart who, at first glance, would appear to be just an average 16-year-old. However, this Montesano High School junior just set a world record. And, not just one world record, but four. That means she beat everyone else on the entire planet.
When Corrie first started powerlifting, she had no aspirations of setting any records. Having been inspired by her former powerlifting father, Corrie decided to give lifting a shot during her freshman year. After the first meet, Corrie was hooked on the sport despite the fact that it was very challenging at first. While the heaviest thing a normal student would lift is a backpack full of textbooks, Corrie actually enjoys a challenge. “It’s a test of both your mental and physical strength,” says Corrie. “You have to break through barriers. Every practice I’d notice weights that were really tough and I’d tell myself, ‘if I want to be able to get through this I’ve got to push myself. I just have to keep pushing myself.’”
As we may all imagine, powerlifting is a difficult sport. But even as a freshman, Corrie was a natural. During her first year she placed second at state. Her sophomore year she broke three state records and claimed first place. Of course, none of this was accomplished without ample practice.
Corrie explains that her coach, Mr. Stanfield, “writes a workout on the board. It’s usually heavy weights in our suits. It’s low rep, but heavy weight.” Not only does she train during the school week, but she also works out at Timber Gym on the weekends and during summer break. She has to perfectly maintain everything from her eating habits to her sleeping schedule in order to stay healthy.
When I first met Corrie, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I knew she was a world record holder, but she looked just like anybody else. She likes to draw and enjoys studying – especially for science class. If I were to hazard a guess, I would imagine that very few people at her school are aware of Corrie’s accomplishments.
While lifting is a normal part of Corrie’s life, people are often surprised to hear what she does. “When people ask what sports I do, and I say ‘powerlifting,’ they don’t really know what it is. When I explain it they’re a little shocked that I’m a girl and I do it,” Corrie says. Even though she’s a girl, Corrie can actually lift more than quite a few boys. “It’s weird to think about it,” Corrie says, “but it’s like showing girls that they can do whatever boys can do. It’s nice to know that boys aren’t the only ones who can be this strong and that I can achieve something like this without having to be a boy to do it.” What most people don’t realize is that anyone can do powerlifting regardless of gender or strength. “You don’t have to be strong. It doesn’t matter whether you lift 100 or 200 lbs,” she says, “It doesn’t matter as long as you’re having fun.”
Corrie likes to encourage people to try powerlifting and shares some basic advice for beginners:
- “Believe in yourself”
- “Keep pushing yourself in weights.”
- “Don’t give up unless your interest goes away.”
Corrie, herself, receives a good deal of support from her peers. Her parents, Mike and Sandi, and her older brother, James, are major supporters of Corrie. “They’re very accepting of what I do,” she says. The majority of Corrie’s friends are powerlifters and are very supportive as well. “It’s nice to know that these people share a common interest.”
It was actually a friend that encouraged Corrie to go for the world records. She and a friend were both working out at Timber Gym during the summer. They were preparing to go to the same meet and he encouraged her to look up the World Records out of curiosity. When Corrie realized that she could break a lot of the records, she decided to go for it.
When I asked Corrie what she does to prepare herself for meets, she said that she asks herself the same question before she steps on the platform. “Did I do everything I could to prepare myself for this moment? Then I just tell myself to go after it and give it my all and make a good attempt.”
Earlier this summer at a meet in Idaho, Corrie was victorious both mentally and physically. She set four American and four World Records for her age and weight class at an AAPF/APF meet.
- American and World for Squat: 248 pounds
- American and World for Dead Lift: 330.5 pounds
- American and World for Bench: 170.7 pounds
- American and World for a total of 749.2 pounds
When I asked how it felt to set a world record Corrie said, “I felt really happy. I felt blessed that God gave me the chance to do this and I was really happy that I had a supportive family to back me up.” During our time together, it was obvious that Corrie was very excited to have broken the records, but as would be the case with most of us, she said that it still hadn’t quite sunk in.
Corrie now dreams to be accepted into a college that has a powerlifting program and hopes for the chance to join the USA Olympic Powerlifting Team. If for some reason this doesn’t work out, she would like to become a powerlifting coach. In the near future she has her sights on two more records.
While nobody would expect it, a world-record-setting powerlifter lives in our own little Grays Harbor. Corrie is living proof that anybody can do anything if they set their mind to it, no matter where they’re from.
