Explode and throw the bar through the roof

by Millie Diaz
Sports Writer
    Ganado senior Chris Garza worked hard this year at the State powerlifting meet in Abilene and placed 2nd in his 132 pound weight class, only missing first place by three ounces. Although he was the only male on this year’s Indian team, he made up for it by constantly placing at local meets.
    Winning second was both a letdown and a success for Garza, for a few reasons. “My totals were tied with a guy for first place, but he won the gold because he was lighter than me by the three ounces. That’s the rule in powerlifting, if there’s a tie the guy who’s lighter gets the higher place,” he said. “But it wasn’t a letdown at the same time. I’ve looked back on how far I’ve come since my freshman year and the progress I’ve made since then. All of that hard work really paid off and allowed me to place high at state. I literally worked and worked everyday just to get to state, so that made it a lot less of a letdown.”
    In his freshman year, Garza was pushed by Coach John Woodard to join powerlifting, and Garza has loved the sport since. He’s been in different weight classes every year: 123 lbs. his freshman year, 132 lbs. his sophomore year, 148 lbs. his junior year and back to 132 lbs. his senior year. This year he worked with Coach Richard Gunnels and learned lots of valuable information from him.
    “His workouts got me a whole lots stronger since the beginning of the season and helped me get new personal records on almost all of my meets,” Garza said. “He also taught me how to diet properly and taught me different things to do in order for me to have dropped down to the 132 weight class. He made my season successful.”
    Coach Gunnels said Garza is a very well-rounded kid and always showed up on time and ready to work. “Even when I wasn’t around he would call me to get the workouts, he’s very devoted,” he said. “It hurt watching him get second because of the body weight difference, but it was still really good for him getting that far and committing. He’s a hard-working kid, always ready to go.”
    When Garza lifts, he focuses on his form, because it’s everything when it comes to powerlifting. “Form can be used to get that extra weight up. For example, my bench form,” he said. “People sort of freak out when I do it because I bend my back so much and create the biggest arch possible to decrease the length the bar has to go down, and that really helped to increase my bench and throw the bar to the roof. That’s what I say myself for all the lifts, just explode and throw the bar through the roof.”
    Garza really enjoys volunteering where there’s help needed, especially for anything in Ganado. He’s a member of the Future Christians of America, the Spanish club, the Future Leaders of America, the Student Council, attends Life Night every Wednesday and is a member of the Pride of the Tribe Ganado band.
    “I’ve always loved being in band ever since I started playing in the sixth grade,” he said. “I play the bass clarinet during concert season and my last two years of high school I played the bass guitar during marching season.”
    Garza is the son of Elizabeth and Oscar Garza, and he has two younger siblings, Issac and Priscilla.
    He really wants to thank everyone that has supported him, like the people that have wished him luck and told him he was doing a good job. “Those things really mean a lot to me and makes me incredibly happy. Especially my coach and my powerlifting team. They were all girls because I was the only male lifter, but every meet with them was great and tons of fun,” he said. “I enjoyed their company and support, I’m going to miss it.”