CURWENSVILLE — A Curwensville teenager excels in powerlifting by breaking strength records.
Maya Richards, a new junior at Curwensville Area High School, has been competing in powerlifting for a little over a year. At a competition in July, she broke four national records for her age in the sport.
In the competition sponsored by the Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate, Richards broke four records in the 148-pound amateur teenage girls, ages 16-17, Raw Modern single state/region records.
She squatted 235 pounds. The previous record was 140 pounds. Richards benched 160 pounds, up from a previous record of 90 pounds; 270 pounds in the deadlift with the previous record of 205 pounds and 665 pounds overall with the previous record of 435 pounds.
She said of her win, “I was really happy about it.”
Richards said her father Matt Richards, who also competes, inspired her to try the sport.
“I loved watching my dad compete and was dying to try it.” Richards said the hands-on experience was what got her started. She said powerlifting is “a lot of fun” and while there are some female lifters, compared to the number of men who have competed, not many are involved in the sport.
She said powerlifting is not a sport offered at local schools. This lack of availability could be one of the reasons more young people aren’t trying the sport, she added.
“I think they don’t try it, especially with women, because it’s not in schools and they’re not familiar with it. Most children cannot walk to the gym where they could work out. They need to have someone in their life who can take them with them and is committed to their success in the sport,” she explained.
She reported that having the equipment in her family’s home made it a lot easier for her to try the sport and develop a routine.
Matt Richards said he also encouraged Maya’s siblings to try the sport, but she was the only one who continued.
“She has come so far in such a short time. I can’t believe how strong she’s gotten and how quickly she’s done it. I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as she does. She is very disciplined about her training, diet and sleep. She does everything perfectly,” said Matt Richards.
Maya is now preparing to rise to the national level. Matt Richards said she hopes to compete in USA Powerlifting. “It’s the first organization you can compete in,” he noted.
“USA PL is the goal. It becomes more competitive and she has to qualify for certain total weights to reach a higher level. It takes time to build strength. She’s working to get stronger and make progress in her competitions,” said Matt Richards.
Maya Richards said she sometimes finds it difficult to reconcile her personal powerlifting protocol with school and extracurricular activities. She plays high school golf and this summer had a job at Eagle’s Ridge Golf Course near Kerrmoor. “I had to keep my balance,” she explained.
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