Some athletes are remembered for a single performance. Others build a body of work so steady and impressive that their community comes to see them as something more. In Waxahachie, Paige Greenberg has become that kind of athlete. This month, she will carry hometown pride to Minneapolis as one of two women representing Texas in powerlifting at the USA Special Olympics.
A member of the Ellis County United Powerlifting Team under Coach Pat Moriarty, the 31-year-old Waxahachie athlete will compete in the squat, bench press and deadlift, aiming for 320 pounds in the deadlift. Greenberg discovered powerlifting eight years ago after friends invited her to give it a try. Though she may be quiet when meeting new people, there is nothing hesitant about the way she steps onto the platform.
Paige has become one of the state’s most consistent Special Olympics powerlifters, winning gold in the last five state powerlifting championships, which are known as the Winter Games. She has collected 16 gold medals overall, including four all-around championships in her weight class. Her personal records now stand at 270 pounds in the squat, 140 pounds in the bench press and 315 pounds in the deadlift.
Powerlifting tells only part of Greenberg’s story. She is also one of Texas’ top all-around Special Olympics athletes, competing in bowling, golf, bocce, basketball, track, cycling, cheerleading and gymnastics. Her résumé includes a gold medal at the 2024 Bowling National Championships in Las Vegas, silver and bronze medals at the 2025 nationals in Baton Rouge, two silver medals at the 2025 Texas State Cycling Championships, three gold medals in track and field at the most recent Texas Summer Games and gold in a recent Area Golf Meet.
She has also competed internationally in cheerleading at the 2015 World Summer Games in Los Angeles and the 2023 World Games in Berlin and drew a standing ovation for her tumbling routine in Los Angeles.
Now, another stage awaits. When Greenberg steps into competition in Minneapolis, she will do so with a résumé that already speaks for itself and with the kind of hometown support that makes achievements like this feel shared. For Waxahachie, her next lift will be more than a personal milestone. It will be one more chapter in a story the town will be proud to call its own.
