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VUE Youth Talents – Abby Hargrove

A recent graduate of Ballard Memorial High School, 17-year-old Abby Hargrove loves to kayak, ride bikes, enjoy the outdoors – oh, and power lift over 300 pounds. Hargrove was first introduced to powerlifting during her freshman year of high school by a foreign exchange student.  

“His name was Alberto. He was a powerlifter. He was in search of some gym equipment to train while here. My dad, who has lifted his whole life, had a full gym at our house and offered for him to use it,” said Hargrove. “When Alberto would come out to lift, I would go out to the gym and watch and it fascinated me. I told my dad about my interest in this sport and he helped me jump on board.” 

Hargrove has won multiple titles, however – the journey to achieving them wasn’t a walk in the park.  

“When I started powerlifting, it was very difficult for me. It started out very slow, because I had to learn a lot of form and techniques for each of the three lifts to ensure I didn’t get hurt. Some troubles I faced were control and patience,” said Hargrove. “Control is important for all three of my lifts, squat, bench, and deadlift. Without control, I can’t complete a lift or the commands for the lift. Patience is very important because when the weight starts to get hard towards the top, I would give up instead of having the patience to complete the lift.” 

Many may think that powerlifting is focused solely on physical strength, though Hargrove reminds us that your mentality is just as important – if not more.  

“Powerlifting is more than physical strength. I have to have mental strength and toughness to complete a lift and that is what I love about powerlifting. I love to overcome these tough obstacles and prove that if I put my mind to something I can absolutely do it,” said Hargrove. “The support I get from my community is astounding! Whether it be a video, local competition, or a national competition, the community is always cheering me on.” 

The atmosphere inside the gym where Hargrove trains is always great too. The guys she lifts with every day are always pushing her to do more and work harder, which helps build her confidence and strong mind.  

“I would not be where I am today without them. Also, my coach is one of the best. His coaching style, knowledge, and experience make training exciting. I look forward to getting my workouts each week,” said Hargrove.  

Abby’s coach, Jeremy Hartman, has gotten to see just how much she has grown in the sport of powerlifting in just under a couple of years’ time.  

“It has been great to see her take her training very seriously both in and out of the gym. A lot of people will quit, or try to find an easier route when adversity comes into play, and Abby has learned to keep a better attitude during the tough times when stuff does not seem to go as well,” said Hartman. “She has a great support system in my gym and also with her family that is behind her all the way. A young athlete needs to surround themselves with good people and have that type of support system coming in and her family and I try our best to provide that at all times.” 

Hartman says that Hargrove has come a long way in her training since starting with him almost two years ago.  

“She has learned to push herself to a new level, take responsibility, ask questions, and become a better student of the sport,” said Hartman.  

In May 2021, Hargrove competed in her first high school national competition. 

“I went into this competition hoping I would do good and more nervous than I had ever been. I placed fourth place and was determined from that point forward that I was going to work harder than any girl training for next year’s competition and I was going to come back and win,” said Hargrove.  

In March 2022, she did exactly that. Hargrove competed at her second high school national competition, and things were a little different. Going into the competition, she carried all the confidence in the world along with the mindset to win. Now, she is the current USAPL High School National Champion.  

“Abby is off to a very good start. Winning the USA Powerlifting High School Nationals was a big step and a great feeling for Abby, her family, and me. Winning the high school national title was a big goal that we talked about since she first came up to train with me over a year ago,” said Hartman. “It will only get more difficult as she enters the collegiate division next year. The gains will become harder to achieve as she advances and the competition will be even greater.” 

Abby’s father, Nate Hargrove has always been in the gym – therefore getting to see his daughter’s achievements has been exciting for him.  

“Abby made the decision her freshman year of high school that she wanted to quit softball and focus on lifting. She was nervous about approaching us with this but everyone was supportive of her decision, and I couldn’t have been happier,” said Nate. “Abby has grown up in a gym her whole life. I have competed in strength sports for the last 12 years and even ran a strongman gym in Wickliffe. So her making the decision to focus on lifting was very exciting.” 

For Nate, watching Abby progress in powerlifting has been an awesome experience for him. 

“She has realized that to be successful in this sport you have to be willing to put in work. This is a lesson that I have also watched her apply outside of the gym,” said Nate.  

Powerlifting has taught Abby that excellence requires patience and practice, something she spends hours upon hours perfecting.  

“When I am working towards a goal, I know I’m not going to achieve it within the next week. I have to put my mind to what I want to accomplish and practice over and over again, perfecting every flaw and eventually my goal will come,” said Hargrove. 

Hartman has watched Abby train towards these goals – and not once has she thrown in the towel.  

“The biggest aspect that I see with Abby is that most kids would have quit or made excuses to miss many workouts by now. Abby never has. The training I give Abby is very demanding and requires complete dedication, both in and out of the gym,” said Hartman. “You have to get proper sleep, nutrition, and sacrifice the normal teenage life in order to achieve greatness, and Abby has done a good job in realizing and doing what it takes.” 

Throughout powerlifting, Abby’s father has seen many positive influences come from her work. However, the most positive has been the self-confidence she has gained. Abby is able to put in the work and see her improvements along with her continued success.  

“It has let her believe in herself, which has opened up a whole world of opportunities to her,” said Nate. “Abby is not an amazing natural athlete, she has worked very hard for all of the success she has gotten in powerlifting. I know she will accomplish anything that she sets her mind to.” 

While accomplishing more wins is certainly in her future plans, Hargrove also has plans to attend Eastern Kentucky University in August of 2022 to pursue a degree in aviation, concentrating on professional flight. 

“I will not be able to train in my home gym with the guys and my dad, but that’s not going to stop me from training my hardest and putting all my effort into my lifts. I have hopes to win another national title,” said Hargrove.  

Now that she is out of high school, Hargrove will compete in teen and collegiate nationals in 2023 – hoping to take home yet another win.

IN THE VUE

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