The Cannon Falls Bomber weightlifters had 24 hours until one of the biggest meets of the year: State 2023. This weightlifting meet took place on March 11th, in the Cannon Falls fieldhouse, and consisted of 15 Bomber athletes. All of the athletes were eating foods high in protein, drinking lots of water, and keeping an eye on their weight before the morning hit. Anticipation rose for the meet they’d been preparing for all season. 

Each year, the lifters set goals they hope to achieve throughout the season. Colton Otto, a senior captain, expressed his goal of placing well at state and nationals, as well as helping the younger kids continue to exceed. Otto placed first at state, accomplishing one of his goals. He valued bouncing back from his injury at the beginning of the season to building his strength back. In turn, he was able to improve his performance while encouraging the younger athletes. Otto emphasized he “found more excitement in their [younger athlete’s] new maxes,” compared to his own. He shared he felt sad that this was his last state meet, but knows weightlifting is a lifelong activity.

Junior Addison Richter’s biggest goals were to have fun during the 2023 season and make it to state and nationals, which she accomplished. She expressed that state was tough, but she made her state opener and placed first. Richter shared the biggest thing she learned: “some seasons you have bad runs, but you just have to power through and make it a good time.” She plans to continue training Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while also competing in track.

 Nationals is a week-long event where the best lifters from all around the country go and compete on the same platform head to head. Otto explained, “The athletes that qualify for nationals hit a qualifying total weight, which gets more challenging the older you get.” This year nationals will take place in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on June 24th through the 2nd of July.

The Bomber athletes had a very successful season and are looking forward to another big meet. Many saw continuous growth throughout all the athletes as they pushed them out of their comfort zone. The Bombers cannot wait for the 2024 season to come.