Riverside Academy senior Alyssa Haase is the only member of  Riverside Academy’s powerlifting team and she can win a state championship this weekend. 

Haase will compete in the LHSAA Powerlifting State Championship Friday, March 25 at the Fant Ewing Coliseum at ULM in Monroe. She  qualified for State with a total of 750 pounds and has placed in the top three multiple times in her weight division. Riverside has not had a powerlifting team since 2005.

Haase competed for Lutcher High School since seventh seventh grade, then transferred to Riverside this year. Her coaches at Lutcher, Kelly Magendie, Jon Magendie, and Marci James, offered to continue training Haase and she still trains at Lutcher.

In meets, Haase competes in each event: squat, bench press, and deadlift. Her squat max is 305 pounds, bench max is 155 pounds, and her deadlift max is 300 pounds. Each competitor has three attempts for each event in different weight classes.

Haase said lifting is a lot more physical than any other sport she has done.

“My back has been hurting since ninth grade,” she said. “I think I was a lot more exhausted at powerlifting practices than I ever was at soccer or cross country.” 

Haase became interested in powerlifting when her mom, Riverside Principal Holly Haase, convinced her to try it six years ago. 

“It’s such a rewarding sport, and even though it’s an independent sport, if you have teammates it makes it so enjoyable,” she said. 

Haase encourages everyone who is considering powerlifting in the future to join the team.  She said her senior year as a whole has been her favorite memory. 

“This year I really felt all my hard work paying off,” she said.