Petersburg junior Gabriele Whitacre raises the bar in first powerlifting competition

Over spring break, Petersburg junior Gabriele Whitacre got an opportunity to compete in her first powerlifting meet, the St. Patty's Power at Southside Strength and Fitness, in Anchorage. The meet was sponsored by USA Powerlifting Alaska and Petersburg's Athletic Director Jaime Cabral, who got Whitacre involved with the aforementioned competition.

"I had been training for four weeks but I've been lifting for five years," Whitacre said. "For the four weeks leading up, it was more low reps and high volume and was focused around the three main lifts – squat, bench and deadlift."

Whitacre finished...