The moment I stepped into the Women’s Barbell Classic on March 22, the energy around me began to vibrate. I was there to support my big sister, who was competing in the annual lifting competition for her third time, and I found 272 other women celebrating their strength to root for, too.
The Women’s Barbell Classic is an annual women-only powerlifting competition hosted by Raise the Bar Initiative, a Des Moines-based nonprofit that provides opportunities for girls and women to participate in strength training. The organization began at 22nd Street Barbell, when co-founders Abbie Mork and Annie Brees decided Des Moines needed a powerlifting meet for women.
The inaugural meet raised enough money that Mork and Brees decided to start the nonprofit. Their mission is to “educate and provide opportunities for every woman to develop strength by creating experiences that support physical, mental and emotional well-being,” according to board president Melissa Veenstra.
“We’re not restrictive on age or body size or how much you weigh, what you look like. We’re all here just to promote strength in whatever that means to you,” Veenstra said.
The Women’s Barbell Classic is the largest fundraiser for RBI, which provides strength programs and coaching to middle schools, high schools and nonprofits in the Des Moines area. The funds raised purchase lifting equipment, shoes, clothing and food for participants. RBI has two part-time staff members, and the rest are volunteers.
The overarching goal for the organization is to create a positive, supportive environment where any woman can feel confident lifting weights, something many women say they struggle to find. I saw that in action as athletes traded enthusiastic high-fives as they passed one another, or jumped up with their fists in the air as they finished a perfect bench press.
“It’s just really amazing when women take a step back and realize just how powerful they are, whether that’s holding a barbell or just taking care of themselves or uplifting each other,” Veenstra said.
Participants in this year’s meet ranged from ages 8 to 70. They came from eight states, as far away as Virginia. I talked with some of the participants about the confidence they gained and the strength they developed at the Women’s Barbell Classic.
Casey Anderson, 33
“I enjoy coming to the Women’s Barbell Classic because I think it’s a really neat opportunity to see other women lift each other up. And I especially appreciate this event because it’s women of all ages. The thing about the gym is it’s the ultimate equalizer. It doesn’t matter what your background is, if you have an easy life, if you have a hard life. We can all find pathways to success. This is just a great example of the great community that people can find in the gym. When you pair those two things together, it’s a great platform for success. People in general face a lot of challenges, and women have their own roadblocks, and this learning how to lift and be powerful and have confidence in yourself is the ultimate life hack. Honestly, I wish more women would lift so that they could understand what that feels like.”
Krista Larsen, 37
“Lifting is a never-ending challenge. This event in particular, everybody is your biggest cheerleader. It’s fun to know that you can just go pick something heavy up and it’s not going to be a struggle.”
Taylor Larsen, 15
“My mom made me want to do this today. She always talks about how good it is and she’s always encouraging. It always surprises me how much she can lift.”
Sophie Davis, 17
“Lifting releases a lot of anger and stress and worries. It makes you feel whole. It’s a huge part of me. I love showing that women are strong, mentally and physically. I have Type 1 diabetes, and I’m really proud of myself because for the longest time, I wasn’t proud. Then I took a step back and realized, that’s amazing, dealing with the daily struggles of diabetes and being consistent with lifting and with diets, which is extra hard. I’m strong, and I’ve made it.”
DeAnn Wiltse, 60
“This event in general is just empowering. Their whole mission – for kids, for all women to lift weights – just being here in the environment is fantastic. I’ve always done something physically active, and I’ve moved more to this kind of lifting in the last few years. As I age, it just feels fantastic to be able to keep moving and lifting weights and feel strong. To know that I could lift heavy and just see all these amazing women that are ripping it is fantastic. I’ve run half marathons, I ride my bike, but to feel healthy and strong and tall and injury-free, it’s just something that feels like a blessing.”
Saundra Long Henry, 47
It’s hard as a woman to get started in lifting because a traditional weight room is so intimidating. It’s such a supportive atmosphere, and that’s one of the things that I had heard about it and interested me in doing this specific event. I’ve been lifting off and on for several years, but had never had any interest in doing this.”
Sammy Majewski, volunteer
“I think Raise the Bar Initiative’s mission is important because it’s providing a safe space for women to find community and strength, free of judgment and full of love. I also really enjoy that it is all ages because I think if I had found something like this in my youth, that could have been really monumental in my development. Volunteering at the classic is selfishly very rewarding. You get to watch women hype each other up all day long. You get to see children cheer on their moms, and moms cheer on their daughters, and it makes me ugly cry every time.”
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