CHOCTAW, Okla. – Cherokee Nation citizen Gracelyn Holland has brought home various first place awards during this year’s powerlifting season, and she is currently ranked first in her bracket.
She squats 314.1 pounds, benches 148.8 pounds and deadlifts 319.6 pounds for a total of 782.6 pounds.
Holland initially did not plan to pursue powerlifting, but discovered her love for the sport after a mix-up with her school schedule.
“(I) tried out weightlifting as an elective in middle (school) after accidently getting put in it and really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it so much I broke my arm squatting one day in class and somehow that pushed me to want to do better,” she said.
She was a cheerleader prior to powerlifting, which strengthened her work ethic and prepared her for the physically demanding sport.
“This past year I decided I fully wanted to focus on powerlifting and quit cheer after doing it for nine years. Powerlifting is something I have grown to love in the past three years,” she said.
Her dedication to the sport has paid off as she concluded her sophomore year. She brought home the first-place medal at regionals on Feb. 24, and at the state meet on March 2 she received the Best Lifter Award.
Following this year’s achievements, Holland is eager for what the upcoming season has in store.
“I’m looking forward to growing as an athlete and putting up bigger numbers than last year,” she said.
This summer, she competed at USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Raw Nationals on June 12 in Chicago, and brought home another first-place medal to add to her collection. Holland enjoys the larger competitions as they provide her with a greater challenger and more opponents.
“I think it’s fun to compete at the national level meets because it’s more competitive,” she said.
In addition to her achievements in the gym, she is a dedicated student in the classroom. The 17-year-old has maintained a 4.0 GPA while balancing school and sports.
“I feel like as long as you stay on top of everything, then it’s easy to balance both. If anything, school lets me stay on a good schedule,” she said.
She is thankful for the support and encouragement from her parents, Courtney Estep and Edward Holland, and everything they have done to help her succeed this season.
