Mallorie Sander has experienced the best and worst times when it comes to high school powerlifting. The Palestine junior has qualified for state twice only to have something go wrong both times that kept her from a shot at a state title.
What has happened has led Sander to look back at the past, but not linger on it.
“I feel like it drives me to do better. There’s disappointment at times, but you get over it and move on,” Sander said. “I like to move on and look forward.”
Moving forward led an outstanding start to her 2016 powerlifting season and it may lead her back to state a couple more times, or to even greater accomplishments when it comes to weightlifting.
Sander opened the season by being named the girls outstanding lifter at the Splendora Invitational last Saturday. She earned the honor by lifting a total of 845 pounds in three events to win the 148-pound weight class. Her highlight was squatting 385 pounds, more than 2½ times her body weight. Sander and the Palestine girls powerlifting team competed at the Moody Invitational on Thursday.
What she did left a considerable impression of Palestine powerlifting coach Ty Kuhn, who is in his first season with the team after seven previous years as an assistant in programs such as Temple, Colleyville Heritage and Odessa Permian.
“She’s a freak, and that’s not a bad connotation. She’s the strongest girl I’ve seen in a long time, and definitely the best for her size,” Kuhn said. “There’s not many boys who are squatting as much as she can.”
Her award at Splendora adds to her impressive powerlifting resume. She has been the outstanding lifter at nine meets in her career.
Sander is continuing a Sander family tradition of powerlifting at Palestine as the youngest of four sisters who have also competed after Mackenze, McKayla and Maddie. Mackenze placed third in the 123-pound weight class in Class 3A at the 2012 Texas High School Women’s Powerlifting State Championships. Maddie is a senior who also currently competes for Palestine at 123 pounds.
The Sanders frequently have two workouts a day, the second at home supervised by their father Chris, who Kuhn says reminds him of the Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane character from the television series Game of Thrones.
“They have five girls in the family and they’ve said that powerlifting is their football,” Kuhn said.
Maddie Sander said Mallorie is be the best powerlifter among the Sander sisters.
“Mallorie has the perfect body for powerlifting,” Maddie Sander said. “Her legs are short and she doesn’t have to go down as far when for squats. Her arms are nice, big and short.”
Sander said she became interested in weightlifting when she was eight years old at the encouragement of her father and her sisters. Through grade she trained in traditional weightlifting disciplines of bench presses, deadlifts and squats as well as contemporary skills such as crossfit training and burpees.
She became serious about powerlifting in the eighth grade. This led her to qualifying for state in 2014 and 2015, but two years ago she was unable to successfully lift a weight in the bench press, a term commonly known as bombing out. She had similar misfortune last year in the deadlift as judges ruled in a controversial decision that she did not lock her knees.
Sander said her success in powerlifting was a surprise when she was a freshman, but she feels more confident about her abilities now. She is also quick to remain humble about what she can do.
“I’ve never thought of myself more highly than of others,” Sander said.
Sander is hopeful she can return to the state meet this March in Corpus Christi, although she admits she needs to improve her deadlift. She hopes she can squat 445 pounds, bench press 225 and deadlift 340 at state. She could be one of several Palestine powerlifters that could qualify for state along with Infiniti Morrow, Lily Nolan, Katie Reyes and her sister Maddie.
Sander is hoping she can compete in powerlifting beyond high school. She is eyeing possibly competing for Sam Houston State, although scholarships may not be available and she may have to pay her own way through school.
ander is hopeful a college education leads to a career in criminal justice, possibly in a position that requires a lot of physical and mental strength as a federal agent.
“I want to help people and help them solve the unsolved questions in criminal justice,” Sander said.
Courtesy of: Palestine Herald