PHOENIX — Some are born strong, others are made. For Coolidge High School senior Luella Bowden, she just may have a little of both.
“I’d always been called strong growing up by different people around me, but I never really believed it,” said Luella.
Earlier this year, track coach Michael Hilbe wanted to see if the rumors were true after a colleague suggested he take a look at Luella, who was also participating in the shot put, explaining how they’d witnessed her lifting massive weights in the gym.
“I didn’t believe any of the kind of numbers that they were telling me because usually when people tell me numbers or times, they’re so incredibly wrong,” said Hilbe.
“This sprinting coach walks up to me and says, 'I heard you’re strong, let's see if you are,'” said Luella.
“Wow, they were right,” said Hilbe.
It didn’t take long for him to be convinced that she had a gift for powerlifting. In July, Luella turned her focus to working with coach Hilbe over the summer and her numbers went up and up — and up. The two soon decided it was time to see how she measured up in competition.
“He first came to me like, 'hey there’s this powerlifting meet, let’s see how you’ll do, let’s just like test the waters, see if things go well,'” said Luella.
Let’s just say things went incredibly well.
Luella ended up squatting 424 pounds, good enough to be ranked first in the world for her age group. She also deadlifted 391 pounds.
After it was all said and done, they knew Luella was special when they pulled up the official world ranking for girls in the sub-amateur category.
“She’s second in bench press, second in deadlift, second in total, and first in the squat,” said Hilbe, pointing to the rankings.
All of this success and she’s only been at it for six months.
“It was so exhilarating honestly because I wasn’t aware that I had that type of strength,” said Luella. “I wouldn’t be here if weren’t for Coach Hilbe. I had never even thought about powerlifting.”
Like many teens her age, body image insecurities have crept into her thoughts however she is now excited to prove what her body can do. Coach Hilbe says she’s now exploded with newfound confidence and an eye on a potential world championship next year, something he says is a sure bet.
“She will be world champion as long as we are healthy and we can get there,” said Hilbe.