BY AMBER SOHA
APRIL 19, 2022APRIL 22, 2022
4 MINS READ
FARMINGTON – Mt. Blue High School senior and athlete, Evan Downing, competed at the USA Powerlifting High School National Championships in his 82.5kg weight class and set an American Record of 556 pounds on his second attempt in the squat category.
Downing competed against 46 other qualified athletes in his weight class in front of hundreds of people at the eight-day event.
“This was the first time I’d ever been nervous at a meet. It was my fifth meet,” Downing said. “It was just the number of people and how crowded the warm-up room was; it was pretty nerve-wracking.”
Evan’s mom, Shelby Downing of Stand Strong Performance in Wilton, states that this is particularly impressive as Downing is a two-sport varsity athlete, so in the off-season while his competitors keep up with their training, Downing is playing other sports and has less time for strength training—12 weeks versus the average of 20.
Downing’s weight training began with the onset of the pandemic and the canceling of organized sports. His mom stated that he needed something to do.
“I wanted to be stronger for sports, and I was kind-of interested in it because I’ve seen my mom work with people,” Downing said. “I want to put a lot more into it once I’m done with baseball.”
Downing was also interested because of his mom’s history and record-setting in the field of powerlifting.
“I joked at first that I just want to beat her by one pound on every lift…now it’s just to be able to push myself to see what I can do and where I can get with it,” Downing said.
Downing finds inspiration from watching other competitors reach their goals and plans to continue competing. He says that one of his greatest experiences in competing is not just the accomplishments he’s made, but also the friendships he’s made along the way.
“With lifting overall, I think the part I’ve learned the most and is the most important to me is the friendships I’ve built through it. Last year somebody made a group chat on Instagram with everybody registered for Nationals, and I’ve become really good friends with the kids I’ve met in that group chat. I finally got to meet them this year at Nationals and we were really good friends instantly—it was the same,” Downing said. “It’s something I’m really grateful for.”
Downing has also taken up coaching some of the younger athletes, describing it as stressful but rewarding.
His mom expressed her pride in his hard work and a sense of accomplishment regarding their own relationship.
“He’s really good at setting extremely high goals, going for them, and then being graceful with how they turn out,” she said. “I feel really lucky to have this point of connection with my teenage son.”