" I powerlift and I'm a girl, but I think it's cool"
They defy expectations and shatter stereotypes.
The Chenango Valley powerlifting team is not what you'd expect, unless of course you expect a champion.

" We've taken many trophies," says coach Kirk Simonis. " We've had some teams in the past that at the competitions we've competed in have taken first place. "
" We went to the New Jersey state championships two years in a row," says lifter Shannon Kane, a sophomore ranked 3rd in the nation. "I think last year I came in 3rd and this year I came in second."
The team is all girls, except for one, and he doesn't mind the makeup of his team being mainly those who wear makeup.

" It's actually a lot of fun," says senior Josh Hundley. "These girls are great, they're fun to hang out with and they have great personalities. It's just like lifting with anyone else. "

His coach adds, " Sometimes I think the guys are a little bit afraid of what they can move, some of the weights they're actually lifting."
A few are lifting at a national level. After originally signing up to improve in the other sports, some may have found their true calling.

" All these trophies, we have awards and we get first place," says Jamie Shaw. " Of course we're going to brag about it, because we're girls and there's not a lot of girls that compete. We're proud of it. "