TAMPA, Fla. — A few months ago, Mylin Campbell knew nothing about weightlifting.
"I was a volleyball player," said the senior at Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School in Tampa.
Now she's a star on her school's first-ever varsity girl's weightlifting team, which will travel to Polk County this Friday to start their postseason.
"In the beginning, I could barely bench the bar, which is 45 pounds," said Campbell. "Now I'm benching 110 pounds."
There are eight athletes on the team, constantly cheering for each other and proudly comparing callouses as they conquer a high-school sport not common for women.
Their biggest challenge? Finding challengers.
The superhero origin story goes like this: coaches Nick Salerno and Jonathan Neal love to lift. To gauge interest at the school, they started an after-school program. When these dedicated women took to it, history was quickly made.
The physical transformation is one thing. But the coaches said the mental and emotional growth has been the most special.
"They're much more positive and happy than I've ever seen them," said Coach Salerno.
Adds Coach Neal: "There's no more defeatist attitude. Like, I failed. Next time is always the goal."
