The Boston Latin School powerlifting team achieved great success in the 2025 USA Powerlifting High School Nationals in Appleton, Wisconsin, winning the Girls’ National Championship and the Combined (Boys’ and Girls’) National Championship. These incredible accomplishments, however, could not have been achieved without its amazing coaches BLS history teacher Mr. Eric Cordeiro and mathematics teacher Ms. Rachel Kelly.

The powerlifters train tirelessly at each practice, which occurs three to four days a week for almost two hours at a time. With Head Coach Cordeiro creating cohesive workout plans for the athletes, these lifters push their bodies to their limits and build strength and muscle with each squat, bench and deadlift.

Their hard work has undoubtedly paid off, as the team has drastically improved as a whole and as individual athletes. Coach Cordeiro credits the team’s improvement to “hard work, training and belief in the system and themselves.” Coach Cordeiro also notes that this year’s nationals was “the most successful competition the team has [had] since the club started in 2015.”

This progress did not come easy, though. There were several significant challenges, including covering the costs of this trip to Nationals. In response, the powerlifting team worked together to fundraise. The team began to fundraise as early as late January, making and selling their own Valentine’s Day themed cake pops to students and faculty during lunch.

The group effort demonstrated the strong community that backs the powerlifting team. Alexis Dakin (III) elaborates on these connections, stating, “All the time we spent together in the weight room and traveling together helped us get close.” This positive environment cultivated the conditions that enabled the BLS powerlifting team to confidently and wholeheartedly show support during this competition. Dakin states that the team “came together to support every single person, no matter their results” and “was always the loudest at every session.”

The climate created by this team was extremely uplifting, so much so that they expanded their outreach, cheering for not only each other, but also other athletes from around the country. Competing with teams from various states gave the BLS powerlifting team a chance to interact with and meet other athletes who are also passionate about the same sport and who have similar experiences and aspirations.

Aina Nguyen (II) describes the dynamic relationship between the teams as “friendly fire,” by saying that they “want to beat each other and win, but at the end of the day we know that we are still going to be kind to one another and sometimes even friends.” The ability to look past personal ambitions and form connections with competitors is what sets BLS powerlifting apart as a model of exemplary sportsmanship and community.

Despite the overall excitement and support from teammates, these powerlifting competitions can feel overwhelming and stressful. The sport of powerlifting is often a mental game; it can be easy for lifters to get in their heads and become flustered by nerves and stress. With a tightly packed schedule, athletes have to rush through warmups to make it to their designated lifting times, contributing to their already present anxiety.

A huge factor that affects an athlete’s ability in powerlifting is confidence. Nguyen says, “I struggled to find confidence lifting. Sometimes it can be really scary lifting a lot of weight and you get into your head.” With support from the BLS powerlifting team, however, athletes have been able to find their confidence and reach success.

At this year’s United States Powerlifting High School Nationals, the BLS team performed extraordinarily well, with one member, Kate Lincecum (II) even breaking a world record! The team came home with three national champions and four athletes who finished on the podium. Beyond the medals and personal records, the most important thing for Coach Cordeiro is to know that the athletes “have developed a healthy relationship with exercise.” He acknowledge that most may never compete again, but hopes that the athletes “take what was taught to them and feel comfortable walking into a weight room and taking care of their health.”