GHS Sophomore Sets Powerlifting Records

Editor Daniel Walsh

Gloucester High School student Ryker Sharp competed at the USA Powerlifting Virginia Novice Open in Haymarket, Virginia. Sharp had been training hard for months for this event with no disappointment. Not only did the student compete, he placed, not one, not five but ten state records.

Sharp set records in his deadlift, bench press, squat and total weight lifted. The local teen broke records with a deadlift of 475 pounds, squatting at 358 pounds and benching 265 pounds with a pause. Spread between the three lifts, He lifted over 1,000 pounds.

While it may seem like it has to take a life of dedication, and for some it has to reach the levels sharp reached he only recently started lifting. He originally was interested in playing football and at football practice the team would lift weights which is when Sharps passion for weight lifting really kicked in. His love for the sport blossomed into just lifting instead of playing football within just two years. “I saw the videos on youtube of people doing it and I wanted to do it and when I saw that I was close to records, i wanted to keep going” sharp recalls. To maintain the strength he needs to compete, Sharp trains hard 4-5 days a week for an hour and a half, sometimes to two and a half hours. His diet is also affected by lifting as he reports constantly needing to drink and eat throughout the day.

While Sharp did exceedingly well at his last competition, he's not stopping there. His success at the USA Powerlifting Virginia Novice event earned him an entry way into high school weight lifting nationals which will be held in Texas in March 2020.

Not only does sharp have nationals to look forward to, He is also registered for the Holiday Havoc competition which takes place in Manassas, Virginia this december. Sharps biggest goal at the moment is to qualify for RAW nationals which is the biggest weightlifting event in the country. Sharp hopes to make this dream a reality by lifting a combined weight of 1,213.5 pounds at the winter event which would qualify him to compete in RAW. “I think I will have harder competition at Nationals than I will here, but I still believe I can win.” sharp says with a mix of confidence and hope.

Sharps accomplishments are obviously astounding and should be appreciated by all. Sharp continues to rise up the leaderboards pound by pound and has no intention of stopping anytime soon. Hope to see you at the top!