MOUNDS, Okla. — Mounds freshman Arabella Miller puts in a lot of work in the Golden Eagle weight room.
TJ Eckert: "How much time have you spent in this weight room?"
Arabella Miller: "A lot."
How she got there is a little unconventional, and it's all thanks to mom.
"I was just flipping tires for the fun of it," Miller said. "And she said that I'd probably be good at powerlifting, and that I should do it."
Mothers know best. After winning junior high state as an 8th grader, Arabella flexed her muscles at the high school level. Miller, just 14 years old, winning the small school state title.
"It was pretty nice. I liked it," Miller said. "I like having the feeling of knowing you got first and standing in front of everybody. A lot of people came up to me, telling me how amazing it was, and that it was crazy."
Powerlifting combines three lifts: bench, squat and deadlift. Arabella benched 200 pounds, squatted 415, then a state record 455-pound deadlift. Her three-lift total? 1,070 pounds.
"Awesome moment. Loud, intense," Mounds athletic director and powerlifting coach Jonathan Stowe said. "All of her teammates were there surrounding her, all the girls that were there with her."
"I think it was really fun," Miller added. "It was really loud, everyone was really excited. People kept telling me I did a good job."
Her immediate reaction?
"It was a little heavy, but I think I could've done more."
The fun continued back in Mounds. Miller welcomed home to a surprise. Friends, family and multiple Mounds firetrucks waiting for her back at the school.
"I wasn't expecting it. Everyone was really happy," Miller said. "They all told me good job, and they were all celebrating me."
As for what's next?
"She has a chance to be a four-time state champion and hold pretty much every record in the state the next few years," Stowe said.
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