1
00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:03,600
Speaker 1: Dear listener, there are some four letter words that are

2
00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:05,640
Speaker 1: going to drop here, so be prepared.

3
00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:11,080
Speaker 2: When I first told my family that I was getting

4
00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:15,200
Speaker 2: into powerlifting, I was at my grandma's house and my

5
00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:19,119
Speaker 2: family proceeded to ask me what I was doing going

6
00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:22,000
Speaker 2: to the gym so much, and I remember telling them

7
00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:26,160
Speaker 2: that I was thinking about starting powerlifting, so I can,

8
00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:30,160
Speaker 2: you know, do competition. Their eyes got really wide and

9
00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:32,800
Speaker 2: they looked at me like I was crazy. My mom

10
00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:34,720
Speaker 2: was like, okay, like I know you lift weights, but

11
00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:35,760
Speaker 2: this is too much.

12
00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,720
Speaker 1: From Fudro media and PRX. It's Latino USA. I'm Maria

13
00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,199
Speaker 1: no Josa today to Latinas and how to own your

14
00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:57,880
Speaker 1: power inside and out of the gym. Lifting weights and

15
00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:02,600
Speaker 1: being physically strong has long been associated with men, but

16
00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:08,039
Speaker 1: within strength sports, there's a category that's become particularly popular

17
00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:14,560
Speaker 1: among women, powerlifting. Between twenty fourteen and twenty eighteen, the

18
00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:18,520
Speaker 1: number of powerlifters in the United States tripled. Today, there

19
00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:20,640
Speaker 1: are more than twenty two thousand of them that are

20
00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,640
Speaker 1: officially registered, and it used to be that there was

21
00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:29,960
Speaker 1: just one woman for every four male competitors. Now it's

22
00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:34,959
Speaker 1: one woman to every two male competitors, and the competition

23
00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:41,960
Speaker 1: among women is fierce. Today, we're going to follow Denise

24
00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:47,160
Speaker 1: Waddies and Jasmine Drogo to strong Latina athletes on their

25
00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:51,559
Speaker 1: journey to break through stereotypes and find their own power

26
00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:55,160
Speaker 1: in a field that's been dominated by men for centuries.

27
00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:00,920
Speaker 1: Our producer Lili Reis is also a powerlifter, and she's

28
00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,800
Speaker 1: been reporting on Denise and Jasmine for months now as

29
00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:08,760
Speaker 1: they've been preparing for this year's national powerlifting competition, and

30
00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,280
Speaker 1: Lily is going to take this story from here.

31
00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:16,480
Speaker 3: It's five thirty five pm right now.

32
00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:19,200
Speaker 4: I'm just getting off of work and I'm heading towards

33
00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:21,840
Speaker 4: the gym.

34
00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,880
Speaker 5: It's a Tuesday night in April in San Luis Obispo, California.

35
00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:30,040
Speaker 5: Denise Wuatis, at twenty four years old and four foot eleven,

36
00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:33,600
Speaker 5: is considered one of the best powerlifters in the United States.

37
00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:37,880
Speaker 5: Out of ten competitions she has participated in since twenty fifteen,

38
00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,400
Speaker 5: she has won every single one of them, including a

39
00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:47,239
Speaker 5: couple of national championship titles. Denise finally finds a parking

40
00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:50,520
Speaker 5: spot and a lot overflowing with cars. It's peak time

41
00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:52,960
Speaker 5: at the gym, and her job as a nanny takes

42
00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:53,880
Speaker 5: her across the city.

43
00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:58,519
Speaker 4: Did have a kind of a stressful day at work today.

44
00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:00,560
Speaker 6: Not bad.

45
00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:02,240
Speaker 3: I'm not gonna let that affect my training.

46
00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,680
Speaker 5: Denise is preparing for the twenty twenty one National Powerlifting

47
00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:10,240
Speaker 5: Competition in June and Florida, and training at this level

48
00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:14,280
Speaker 5: requires sacrifices. It's a balancing act of the right nutrition,

49
00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:18,840
Speaker 5: enough rest, staying injury free, a good coach, and finding

50
00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:20,919
Speaker 5: a two hour time block to go to the gym

51
00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:25,000
Speaker 5: and lift the heaviest weights possible. All this while going

52
00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:28,600
Speaker 5: to school or work and trying to keep a social life.

53
00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,800
Speaker 5: It can be physically and mentally exhausting, but for Denise,

54
00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:37,240
Speaker 5: this balancing act isn't anything new. In fact, it's her

55
00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:47,440
Speaker 5: schedule five days a week. She pulls the gym bag

56
00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:49,920
Speaker 5: she got on Sala at TJ Max onto her shoulder.

57
00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,520
Speaker 5: Denise is small. She wears black leggings and a navy

58
00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:56,120
Speaker 5: blue cut off, and her long black hair is pulled

59
00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:59,240
Speaker 5: into a chungle. She walks across the parking lot and

60
00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:00,760
Speaker 5: swings open the gym door.

61
00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:05,600
Speaker 3: Hi, I checked and already yeah, thank you.

62
00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:09,200
Speaker 5: Denise makes her way to the back office in the

63
00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,000
Speaker 5: gym with her double bag still swung across her back.

64
00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:14,400
Speaker 5: She moves her hair out of the way and pulls

65
00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:18,320
Speaker 5: out a shiny gray barbell yep, the one she bought herself.

66
00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,960
Speaker 5: She sets up in the gym corner, her favorite spot.

67
00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:26,080
Speaker 5: It's an easy session for a former national champion that

68
00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:30,440
Speaker 5: consists of the three main powerlifting exercises, also known as

69
00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:34,480
Speaker 5: the Big Three. The squat, done with the barbell placed

70
00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:36,960
Speaker 5: on the back of the shoulders with a deep knee bend.

71
00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:40,440
Speaker 5: The second one is the bench press, done lying face

72
00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:43,120
Speaker 5: up on a bench and pressing the barbell away from

73
00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:46,560
Speaker 5: the body, and the third is the deadlift, where the

74
00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,400
Speaker 5: weight is pulled from the floor until reaching a completely

75
00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:54,480
Speaker 5: upright position. By the way, the barbell itself weighs forty

76
00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:59,240
Speaker 5: five pounds. Denise sets the barbell on the floor and

77
00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:03,240
Speaker 5: it's ten pound iron plates on each side. Then twenty

78
00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:07,800
Speaker 5: five pounds, then forty five pounds, and soon she casually

79
00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:11,080
Speaker 5: deadlifts a total of two hundred and fifteen pounds, more

80
00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:15,320
Speaker 5: than double her body weight. And believe me, that's no

81
00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:19,279
Speaker 5: easy feet For context, think of your own weight and

82
00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:23,960
Speaker 5: double it. Can you lift that off the ground. It's

83
00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:27,960
Speaker 5: quiet at the gym, no music, no friends, just her

84
00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:39,240
Speaker 5: and the sweet sound of the barbell. A few states away,

85
00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:43,679
Speaker 5: twenty four year old Jasmine Hydrogo or just Jazz, prepares

86
00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:45,599
Speaker 5: for a heavy squat day at a hole in the

87
00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:50,440
Speaker 5: wall powerlifting gym in San Antonio, Texas. She zips her

88
00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:52,760
Speaker 5: black gym bag and pulls on her knees, sleeves, and

89
00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:57,000
Speaker 5: weightlifting belt. Covered in all kinds of colorful stickers. There's

90
00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,560
Speaker 5: a sticker that stands out the most, a sticker of

91
00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:04,280
Speaker 5: the Mexi Can flag. Jazz is from Laedo, a third

92
00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:07,599
Speaker 5: generation that Hanna, with deep ties across the Rio Grande,

93
00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:10,600
Speaker 5: and when she talks about her family's roots, she goes

94
00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:12,680
Speaker 5: into the nooks and crannies of her ancestry.

95
00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:18,599
Speaker 6: My grandpa's family is half Spaniard and half like indigenous

96
00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:21,080
Speaker 6: to Mexico, and the rest of my family is indigenous

97
00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:23,919
Speaker 6: to Mexico, So I have some Spaniard in me, but

98
00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:25,000
Speaker 6: I'm mostly Mexican.

99
00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:28,960
Speaker 5: At five foot three, Jazz has an athletic belt with

100
00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:31,920
Speaker 5: tree trunk legs under a pair of yellow leggings. Her

101
00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:34,520
Speaker 5: dark brown hair is pinned back in a half ponytail,

102
00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:37,520
Speaker 5: and her silver hoops catch a glint of the sun.

103
00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:41,080
Speaker 5: Her work schedule at the clinical psychology office changed again,

104
00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:44,719
Speaker 5: and with grad school finals around the corner, she adjusts

105
00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:48,839
Speaker 5: her training to lift in the morning. After warming up,

106
00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:53,000
Speaker 5: she focuses as she adds more weight. She works up

107
00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:55,600
Speaker 5: to a three hundred and fifty pound squad, more than

108
00:06:55,680 --> 00:07:00,320
Speaker 5: double her body weight. Old iron clings together as she

109
00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:05,880
Speaker 5: carries the weight on her back. Jazz is ambitious and

110
00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:08,599
Speaker 5: she doesn't hide it. Her short term goal is to

111
00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:12,640
Speaker 5: qualify for the upcoming national powerlifting competition in June in

112
00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:16,520
Speaker 5: Daytona Beach, Florida. Her long term goal to be a

113
00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:17,560
Speaker 5: national champion.

114
00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:20,280
Speaker 6: I want to move up the rank as much as

115
00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:23,280
Speaker 6: I can, and do it as healthy as I can,

116
00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:27,000
Speaker 6: and do it by having fun. I just want people

117
00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:28,960
Speaker 6: to be able to see it and just be like,

118
00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:30,080
Speaker 6: if she can do it, I can do it.

119
00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,480
Speaker 5: Strength sports can be traced back to a single inscription

120
00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:39,120
Speaker 5: on a three hundred and sixty pounds ancient stone. This

121
00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:42,720
Speaker 5: stone dates back to the sixth century BC in Olympia, Greece,

122
00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:46,480
Speaker 5: and it reads Bybon, the son of Fula has lifted

123
00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,880
Speaker 5: me over his head with one hand. Bibon was an athlete,

124
00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:53,440
Speaker 5: an ancient weightlifter who's inscription on this stone sealed his

125
00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,800
Speaker 5: place in strength sports history. Just like the exercise bibonb

126
00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:01,000
Speaker 5: perform with the stone. Weightlifting is a lifting movement that

127
00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:04,880
Speaker 5: is over your head, while powerlifting focuses on more controlled,

128
00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:10,120
Speaker 5: poor movements. No warbell is lifted overhead. In both weightlifting

129
00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:13,400
Speaker 5: and powerlifting, the goal is to perform the exercise with

130
00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:19,960
Speaker 5: the heaviest weight possible. In a competition, a powerlifter has

131
00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:22,840
Speaker 5: three attempts in the squad, bench press, and the lift

132
00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:25,480
Speaker 5: to move an absurd amount of weight and beat their

133
00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:30,040
Speaker 5: previous heaviest lifts. There are three judges, each rating good

134
00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:33,400
Speaker 5: or bad lifting execution. If a judge believes the lift

135
00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:37,600
Speaker 5: is technically sound, they award the powerlifter a white light.

136
00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:41,760
Speaker 5: If not, the judge gives the powerlifter a red light

137
00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:44,680
Speaker 5: and a temp will count if the powerlifter receives at

138
00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:48,760
Speaker 5: least two white lights. Both weightlifting and powerlifting are measures

139
00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:52,040
Speaker 5: of strength, but weightlifting became a sports sanctioned by the

140
00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:56,160
Speaker 5: Olympics in eighteen ninety six. Powerlifting is still waiting to

141
00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:59,680
Speaker 5: be recognized by the Olympic Committee. There are many reasons

142
00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:02,559
Speaker 5: for that, but it's mainly because there's no international governing

143
00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:05,240
Speaker 5: body and therefore no one set of rules to follow.

144
00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,440
Speaker 5: This makes powerlifting somewhat of a niche sport, though over

145
00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:11,720
Speaker 5: time its popularity has increased.

146
00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:15,080
Speaker 7: And I said, thanks for being the strongest woman in

147
00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:17,040
Speaker 7: the world and would you up with Jan Todd?

148
00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:23,120
Speaker 1: Powerlifting is a relatively news sport that women's competitions are

149
00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:24,000
Speaker 1: just getting started.

150
00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:26,920
Speaker 5: This is doctor Jan Todd during an interview on The

151
00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:31,040
Speaker 5: Johnny Carson Show in the late seventies. In nineteen seventy five,

152
00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:34,439
Speaker 5: she became the first female powerlifter tolift three hundred and

153
00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:37,960
Speaker 5: ninety four pounds and break a Guinness World record, one

154
00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:42,079
Speaker 5: that has been standing for forty nine years. Jan helped

155
00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:45,880
Speaker 5: to popularize the sport. She advocated hard for female powerlifters

156
00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:49,640
Speaker 5: to be taken seriously, and it paid off. In nineteen

157
00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:52,960
Speaker 5: seventy seven, women were finally allowed to compete in the

158
00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:57,720
Speaker 5: first national powerlifting competition in the United States. In the

159
00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,600
Speaker 5: case of weightlifting, it took another twenty three years for

160
00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:03,400
Speaker 5: female athletes to be allowed to compete in the Olympics.

161
00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:06,920
Speaker 5: That stage was set in the two thousand Summer Games

162
00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:11,760
Speaker 5: in Sydney, Australia. Unfortunately, female athletes were just not taken

163
00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:16,880
Speaker 5: seriously fast enough. Over the last few years, powerlifting has

164
00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:20,080
Speaker 5: had another jump and popularity, this time with the help

165
00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:23,640
Speaker 5: of social media. Take one scroll on Instagram and the

166
00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:26,920
Speaker 5: community of female powerlifters that exist today would make doctor

167
00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:31,720
Speaker 5: Jan Todd proud. Latina powerlifters like Denis and Jazz have

168
00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:35,040
Speaker 5: become influential in this very space. But let's face it,

169
00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:42,280
Speaker 5: Latina's lifting heavyweight is complicated. Ibarakiasisis We are constantly asked

170
00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,280
Speaker 5: to explain ourselves rather than encouraged to practice a sport

171
00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:48,120
Speaker 5: that tests are strength. Not only do we challenge and

172
00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:52,080
Speaker 5: attempt to thrive in environments of toxic masculinity in the gym.

173
00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:56,520
Speaker 5: As powerlifters, we constantly fight conservative gender roles deeply rooted

174
00:10:56,520 --> 00:11:00,800
Speaker 5: in machismo in our everyday lives. Sometimes even those we

175
00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:06,600
Speaker 5: love reinforced those ideologies. Denise's grandmother, for example, didn't like

176
00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:09,960
Speaker 5: him when she started practicing powerlifting, and she worried about

177
00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:19,880
Speaker 5: her granddaughter. Her grandmother prayed that Denise wouldn't injure herself,

178
00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:27,320
Speaker 5: especially because she's what she calls small no no no friend.

179
00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:42,040
Speaker 5: Denise's interest in powerlifting garnered much criticism from her family.

180
00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:45,280
Speaker 4: I actually had someone in the family send me a

181
00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:50,520
Speaker 4: picture of a really buff chick and told me, if

182
00:11:50,559 --> 00:11:53,440
Speaker 4: you keep lifting, you're gonna look like a man.

183
00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:56,240
Speaker 5: My response was.

184
00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:00,240
Speaker 4: Yeah, if you lift too, you would look like a

185
00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:02,800
Speaker 4: man as well. And I mean the person that sent

186
00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:06,720
Speaker 4: to me is a man, so he wasn't very happy

187
00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:07,199
Speaker 4: about that.

188
00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:12,080
Speaker 5: Denise's powerlifting journey began when she was sixteen. During summer school,

189
00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:15,240
Speaker 5: she met Uriel, a kid who was obsessed with working

190
00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:18,880
Speaker 5: out and who had just discovered powerlifting. It was difficult

191
00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:20,800
Speaker 5: for the young couple to find time for each other,

192
00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:23,480
Speaker 5: so the only way both teens were able to spend

193
00:12:23,559 --> 00:12:26,720
Speaker 5: quality time together was with the iron in the gym.

194
00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:30,480
Speaker 4: I started going with him every single day, and he

195
00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:33,240
Speaker 4: is the one that noticed, like, hey, like your your

196
00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:35,280
Speaker 4: lips are going up. I think this is for you.

197
00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,960
Speaker 5: Denise began to get stronger and surprisingly fast. She credits

198
00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:43,360
Speaker 5: her boyfriend for encouraging her to compete, even offering to

199
00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:46,360
Speaker 5: be her coach, although at the time there wasn't much

200
00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:48,160
Speaker 5: about powerlifting that caught her attention.

201
00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:51,240
Speaker 4: I started doing it just to you know, bond with

202
00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:54,000
Speaker 4: him more. It was really hard getting into the gym

203
00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,640
Speaker 4: with him, just because you know, I have a strict

204
00:12:56,720 --> 00:13:00,120
Speaker 4: Latino dad that didn't want me out and about with

205
00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:00,839
Speaker 4: a boyfriend.

206
00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:04,040
Speaker 5: Challenging norms is something de niece has grown used to,

207
00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:07,400
Speaker 5: but it didn't come naturally. She's the middle child of

208
00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:10,559
Speaker 5: nine siblings. Growing up, she was also caught in the

209
00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:13,120
Speaker 5: middle of a custody battle between her mother and father.

210
00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:16,040
Speaker 5: Her childhood was a blur up until high school.

211
00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,840
Speaker 4: I would say the biggest hardship that I had in

212
00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:25,240
Speaker 4: my whole life was with my mom. There was all

213
00:13:25,679 --> 00:13:28,520
Speaker 4: over just every type of boobies that you can think

214
00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:32,000
Speaker 4: of that made me resent her.

215
00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:38,360
Speaker 5: Then Denise's life changed from one day to the next.

216
00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:43,040
Speaker 4: When my dad one custody met that kind of like

217
00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:45,520
Speaker 4: was like a smack in the face to her, like

218
00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:48,760
Speaker 4: almost like a like wake up call, like she just

219
00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:49,360
Speaker 4: lost a kid.

220
00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:53,640
Speaker 5: After that, her mom's life changed too.

221
00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:58,600
Speaker 4: She stopped smoking, she stopped drinking, She turned her whole

222
00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:02,600
Speaker 4: life around and going to therapy to get help. I

223
00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:06,040
Speaker 4: think that is her way of like basically saying sorry,

224
00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:09,560
Speaker 4: as like being a good mom to my baby brother

225
00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:10,080
Speaker 4: and sister.

226
00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:18,800
Speaker 5: Although now in the custody of her father, his second

227
00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:22,200
Speaker 5: wife did not support Denise, and she found herself in

228
00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:23,480
Speaker 5: the middle of another battle.

229
00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:27,720
Speaker 4: My dad and my stepmom separated right after I got

230
00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:32,680
Speaker 4: out of high school, and my stepmom kicked me out

231
00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:34,040
Speaker 4: with nothing.

232
00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:38,440
Speaker 5: In twenty fifteen, Denise was nineteen years old and found

233
00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:42,080
Speaker 5: herself at the footsteps of her boyfriend's house. RIIA's mother

234
00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:44,720
Speaker 5: stepped in, offering her to stay at their family home.

235
00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:48,320
Speaker 4: She has helped me so so much, and I like

236
00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:50,600
Speaker 4: literally don't even know like how to thank her for that.

237
00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:53,640
Speaker 5: Denise moved in with her boyfriend and his family with

238
00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:55,760
Speaker 5: the support of her dad, who was in a difficult

239
00:14:55,760 --> 00:15:00,600
Speaker 5: personal situation but cared deeply about her. That's when powerlifting

240
00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:01,680
Speaker 5: took center stage.

241
00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:04,760
Speaker 4: Honestly, I feel like that was like a really big outlet,

242
00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:07,320
Speaker 4: just because I felt, you know, it was super strong.

243
00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:08,560
Speaker 4: I didn't feel weak.

244
00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:11,400
Speaker 5: And after months of training, Denise signed up for her

245
00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:15,400
Speaker 5: first powerlifting competition in twenty sixteen. It did not go

246
00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:19,440
Speaker 5: as planned. In fact, she bombed out, which is a

247
00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:24,640
Speaker 5: nightmre scenario for any athlete. Remember the white lights and

248
00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:28,040
Speaker 5: the red lights we talked about earlier. Bombing out means

249
00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:30,920
Speaker 5: a powlifter gets red lighted by all three judges for

250
00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:34,080
Speaker 5: all three of their lifting attempts In a single category.

251
00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:38,040
Speaker 5: For Denise, it was the squats. Out of all three

252
00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:41,320
Speaker 5: chances she had to execute a good squat, she felt

253
00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:44,200
Speaker 5: all of them and was ultimately disqualified from the meat.

254
00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:47,360
Speaker 4: I hesitated going out when they started calling my name,

255
00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:49,760
Speaker 4: and I didn't want to go out onto the platform,

256
00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:53,880
Speaker 4: but I did it anyways. I mean I bombed out.

257
00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:56,520
Speaker 4: I cried and I told myself, like why am I

258
00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:59,400
Speaker 4: even doing this? Like I don't like lifting, and I

259
00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:00,040
Speaker 4: wanted to quit it.

260
00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:06,920
Speaker 5: Denise's severe anxiety and nerves affected her performance, but afterwards,

261
00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:10,480
Speaker 5: with the help of her boyfriend coach Uriel, something clicked.

262
00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:14,640
Speaker 4: He sat with me in the back and was basically

263
00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:17,440
Speaker 4: just telling me, like it's okay, Like you know, this happens.

264
00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:20,000
Speaker 4: People bomb out and they just get back up. They

265
00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:24,480
Speaker 4: train and they get better for next time, and.

266
00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:27,960
Speaker 5: Train she did. Denise trained hard for the next four

267
00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:30,960
Speaker 5: years and made a crucial adjustment to her support system.

268
00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:35,280
Speaker 5: She promoted her first coach, Uria to a full time boyfriend,

269
00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:39,880
Speaker 5: and got herself an experienced coach and nutritionists. This, paired

270
00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:42,720
Speaker 5: with her intense desire to prove herself, turned out to

271
00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:46,200
Speaker 5: be the last piece of the puzzle for the Inevitable.

272
00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:49,840
Speaker 4: I came back, and then I started breaking like American records,

273
00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:53,600
Speaker 4: I started getting California state records. When that sort of happening,

274
00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:55,760
Speaker 4: it just basically was like, you know, like I can

275
00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:59,000
Speaker 4: do anything. If I could do this, like anybody can.

276
00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:03,720
Speaker 5: Becoming a national powerlifting champion is the highest honor a

277
00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:07,560
Speaker 5: parlifter can receive in the United States, and competing against

278
00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,800
Speaker 5: the best in the nation and winning can catapult athletes

279
00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:15,760
Speaker 5: into opportunities for brand sponsorships and cash prizes. In twenty

280
00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:20,320
Speaker 5: eighteen and twenty nineteen, Denise competed in two national powerlifting

281
00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:25,159
Speaker 5: competitions in Las Vegas and Chicago, becoming a national parlifting

282
00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:34,159
Speaker 5: champion twice in her career so far. Her most recent

283
00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,560
Speaker 5: title in Chicago automatically qualified her for the twenty twenty

284
00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:42,520
Speaker 5: National Powerlifting competition, But when COVID nineteen forced its cancelation,

285
00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:46,160
Speaker 5: all Denise could do was train and wait for twenty

286
00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:49,520
Speaker 5: twenty one, preparing herself for what might be the most

287
00:17:49,600 --> 00:18:04,320
Speaker 5: competitive national parlifting competition yet.

288
00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:04,960
Speaker 1: Coming up on Latino USA powerlifters Denis Quades and Jasmine

289
00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:08,159
Speaker 1: Drogo train through a pandemic and get ready for the

290
00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:13,159
Speaker 1: National powerlifting competition. Denise has already secured her place, but

291
00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:16,399
Speaker 1: will Jasmine be able to compete in Florida as well?

292
00:18:17,160 --> 00:19:05,440
Speaker 1: Stay with us not they're right, yes, hey, we're back

293
00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:09,680
Speaker 1: and before the break we met. Denise wuadis a powerlifting

294
00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:13,159
Speaker 1: champion who punched her ticket to compete at the twenty

295
00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:18,960
Speaker 1: twenty one National Powerlifting Competition. Now it's Jazmin Yidrogo's turn

296
00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:22,520
Speaker 1: to test her strength and earn her spot. But it's

297
00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:34,359
Speaker 1: only her third powerlifting competition ever and the pressure is on.

298
00:19:34,359 --> 00:19:36,960
Speaker 5: On paper, Jazz is considered a new beat in the

299
00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:40,119
Speaker 5: world of powerlifting. In fact, with a little under a

300
00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:44,159
Speaker 5: year in the sport, she could be considered a powerlifting prodigy.

301
00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:47,280
Speaker 5: She has already broken Texas state records for her weight class,

302
00:19:47,359 --> 00:19:50,439
Speaker 5: which is no easy feat, but to Jazz, it's just

303
00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:52,040
Speaker 5: another check mark on her list.

304
00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:54,480
Speaker 6: I've always just wanted to do it because I've always

305
00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:58,159
Speaker 6: just wanted to be like, really fucking strong, Like I

306
00:19:58,240 --> 00:19:59,640
Speaker 6: have no other way to put it.

307
00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:02,480
Speaker 5: This isn't the first time Jazz practice is the sport.

308
00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,199
Speaker 5: She first caught wind of it during high school by

309
00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:07,080
Speaker 5: being friends with the boys on the football team.

310
00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:10,000
Speaker 6: I was always in the weight room. I would go

311
00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:12,119
Speaker 6: and work out with them because it would push me.

312
00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:14,240
Speaker 6: They were like, oh, yeah, I have a powerlifting meeting

313
00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:15,879
Speaker 6: and I was like that sounds really cool, Like I

314
00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:16,600
Speaker 6: want to do it.

315
00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:19,159
Speaker 5: But it wouldn't be long before she ran into an

316
00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:21,840
Speaker 5: obstacle common among female athletes.

317
00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:23,840
Speaker 6: And my high school was always like, well, we don't

318
00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:26,560
Speaker 6: have enough girls to make a girls team, so we

319
00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:29,680
Speaker 6: don't have one for girls. And I remember like trying

320
00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:32,600
Speaker 6: to get girls together to make a powerlating team and

321
00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:33,600
Speaker 6: it was never done.

322
00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:36,960
Speaker 5: Jazz claims the title of being her mother's funniest child,

323
00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:41,800
Speaker 5: although her only brother probably disagrees. Her upbringing was special.

324
00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:44,960
Speaker 6: So that would be outside till like the sun goes down,

325
00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:47,040
Speaker 6: you know, till the streetlights come on, and your parents

326
00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:48,600
Speaker 6: are you gonna at you to come inside? And I'd

327
00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:50,720
Speaker 6: go inside, eat dinner, go play with my brother, go

328
00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:51,639
Speaker 6: play video games.

329
00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:54,760
Speaker 5: One day, when she was fourteen years old, Jazz came

330
00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:57,680
Speaker 5: home from school and saw her dad's truck in the driveway.

331
00:20:58,080 --> 00:21:02,600
Speaker 6: It was Father's Day when I was fourteen that my dad.

332
00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:04,439
Speaker 6: I came home from school and my dad had all

333
00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:06,760
Speaker 6: his shit packed up and he literally told us he

334
00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:09,720
Speaker 6: was bouncing and he got in his truck and he left.

335
00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:12,440
Speaker 5: Jazz witness first hand the strength it took her mom

336
00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:15,399
Speaker 5: to take care of her and her younger brother. Money

337
00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:16,320
Speaker 5: was scarce.

338
00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:21,280
Speaker 6: Once my parents had divorced. I remember like having to

339
00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:24,720
Speaker 6: grow up pretty quick, like not only for my mom,

340
00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:26,200
Speaker 6: but for my brother.

341
00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:27,720
Speaker 5: Like I had to be a mom.

342
00:21:28,359 --> 00:21:30,160
Speaker 6: Once I learned how to drive, I was doing most

343
00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:32,600
Speaker 6: of the errands because my mom was so tired from

344
00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:33,760
Speaker 6: working through jobs.

345
00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:36,560
Speaker 5: Jazz and her family moved around more than six times

346
00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:39,560
Speaker 5: different parts of Texas during what she describes as one

347
00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:41,520
Speaker 5: of the hardest stages of her life.

348
00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:44,320
Speaker 6: Physically, I have a really a high pain tolerance, and

349
00:21:44,359 --> 00:21:46,520
Speaker 6: I think I do that emotionally as well.

350
00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:52,760
Speaker 5: And that tolerance was being tested. Eventually, Jazz and her

351
00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,600
Speaker 5: family moved in with her grandparents, where she developed a

352
00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:59,200
Speaker 5: strong bond with her grandfather, a man full of stories

353
00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:02,560
Speaker 5: and wisdom and a man who was also transparent with

354
00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:03,240
Speaker 5: the struggles.

355
00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:06,240
Speaker 6: He emigrated to the United States, and so that alone

356
00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:09,960
Speaker 6: comes with a lot of culturation stress. So he didn't

357
00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:12,920
Speaker 6: know English, He started a business, started a family here,

358
00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:17,480
Speaker 6: and he struggled with alcoholism, really really bad.

359
00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:21,840
Speaker 5: Spending time with her grandfather became more consistent and soon

360
00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:24,840
Speaker 5: it was a morning routine. She felt like she was

361
00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:26,880
Speaker 5: helping her grandfather just by listening.

362
00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:29,680
Speaker 6: I would sit out and take my coffee with him,

363
00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:31,840
Speaker 6: you know. Yes, I was at Gafcito and we talked

364
00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:35,040
Speaker 6: for like four hours, you know, and we can just

365
00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:36,680
Speaker 6: go on and he talks to me about his life

366
00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:37,840
Speaker 6: and what he misses.

367
00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:42,600
Speaker 5: Jazz finished her master's program in clinical mental health counseling

368
00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:46,280
Speaker 5: at the University of Texas at San Antonio, got a job,

369
00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:49,480
Speaker 5: and now lives on her own about two hours north

370
00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:53,000
Speaker 5: of her hometown. Her grandfather helped her define her love

371
00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:53,760
Speaker 5: for counseling.

372
00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:55,800
Speaker 6: He kind of told me, he was like, you know,

373
00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:57,520
Speaker 6: you're good at talking to people and you're good at

374
00:22:57,520 --> 00:22:58,360
Speaker 6: bringing stuff out.

375
00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:06,760
Speaker 5: During her time in college, parlifting found its way back

376
00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:10,560
Speaker 5: into Jazz's life, and she watched, intrigued and maybe a

377
00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:14,840
Speaker 5: little jealous, how the boys trained and competed. She jumped

378
00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:19,240
Speaker 5: at the chance to finally participate. In September of twenty twenty,

379
00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:23,240
Speaker 5: Jazz won her first local powerlifting competition at her gym

380
00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:26,719
Speaker 5: in San Antonio. She got herself a powerlifting coach, and

381
00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:30,239
Speaker 5: with his guidance, outlifted her second place competitor by one

382
00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:39,199
Speaker 5: hundred and fifty pounds. She was hungry to continue to

383
00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:42,720
Speaker 5: push her limits and set her sights on a second competition.

384
00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:46,760
Speaker 5: Jazz had high expectations for the second meet, as it

385
00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:49,320
Speaker 5: would act as a qualifier for a coveted spot in

386
00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:53,720
Speaker 5: the twenty twenty one National Powerlifting Competition, But during the

387
00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:55,919
Speaker 5: months leading up to it, Jazz was going through a

388
00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:59,880
Speaker 5: profound and painful situation. She had recently put an end

389
00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,760
Speaker 5: to an unhealthy relationship, and it came with the price

390
00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:06,359
Speaker 5: of almost losing herself. She didn't want to go into detail.

391
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,679
Speaker 6: I was living out of my car for like a

392
00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:13,960
Speaker 6: good two months, and I was prepping for a pilot

393
00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:16,000
Speaker 6: da meat and no one had any clue.

394
00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:19,359
Speaker 5: At the same time, Jazz felt a pop in a

395
00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:23,240
Speaker 5: lower back during a heavy squat session on a particularly

396
00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:27,840
Speaker 5: heavy training week. Right away, she felt off and scheduled

397
00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:30,800
Speaker 5: an appointment with a local chiropractice to assess her pain.

398
00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:34,240
Speaker 8: So you went down into a four or two squat,

399
00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:37,840
Speaker 8: and I'm not sure if the pop was something else

400
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:40,919
Speaker 8: in the video, but it sure sounded like it was

401
00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:42,560
Speaker 8: my back center air.

402
00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:44,440
Speaker 6: It was a little bit, I don't know, it was

403
00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:46,520
Speaker 6: a spot that you hit like it was right there.

404
00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:47,720
Speaker 5: That's tender.

405
00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:50,159
Speaker 6: I just hope it's something that's not going to like

406
00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:51,679
Speaker 6: prevent me from competing period.

407
00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,239
Speaker 5: For weeks, Jazz was frustrated. It was a lot to

408
00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:58,600
Speaker 5: deal with physically, not to mention the emotional turmoil of

409
00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:01,199
Speaker 5: the combination of not knowing if the injury was severe,

410
00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:03,960
Speaker 5: not being able to lift to your potential, not being

411
00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:06,000
Speaker 5: able to do what you love, and not having a

412
00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:14,439
Speaker 5: place to live. But then Jazz made a decision. She

413
00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:19,159
Speaker 5: kept training and stayed focused, and then she won that

414
00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:23,240
Speaker 5: second meet and was able to qualify for Nationals. Both

415
00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:26,160
Speaker 5: Jazz and Denise are heading to Daytona.

416
00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:34,399
Speaker 6: Beach Ladies Tuesday.

417
00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:38,600
Speaker 5: It's June seventeenth, the day of the National Pilifting competition.

418
00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:42,640
Speaker 5: The rumbling sky's teas rain and the air is humid.

419
00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:47,160
Speaker 5: Denise walks through the registration hallway with her boyfriend Uriel

420
00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:49,680
Speaker 5: by her side, carrying a backpack full of chicken and

421
00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:54,040
Speaker 5: rice pecked meals, protein bars, and water bottles. Jazz is

422
00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:56,359
Speaker 5: there too, with her gym back swung across her back.

423
00:25:57,080 --> 00:25:59,600
Speaker 5: She peeks into every room in the large convention center

424
00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:02,560
Speaker 5: hallway and says hello to a few athletes she recognizes

425
00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:06,679
Speaker 5: from Instagram. Denise is one of them. Hi, This is

426
00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:10,880
Speaker 5: Jazz Jazz. This is tonight's sison nine kg forty seven kg.

427
00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:19,360
Speaker 5: During Nationals, a champion is crowned in each weight class.

428
00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:22,760
Speaker 5: In Kilo's Denise is in the forty seventh and Jazz

429
00:26:22,840 --> 00:26:25,480
Speaker 5: is in the sixty ninth. In order for athletes to

430
00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:28,600
Speaker 5: contest the crown for their respective weight class, each must

431
00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:32,119
Speaker 5: first make weight. This usually happens a few hours before

432
00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:34,760
Speaker 5: the competition. As part of the rules of the event,

433
00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:38,720
Speaker 5: a pound over and hopes to be crowned national champion

434
00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:42,600
Speaker 5: are out the door. Athletes will do the craziest things

435
00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:46,000
Speaker 5: to make weight, like sit inside a sauna, cut their hair,

436
00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:50,439
Speaker 5: sometimes weigh into a competition completely nude, or suck on

437
00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:55,960
Speaker 5: jolly ranchers and spit until they make weight. The night before,

438
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:59,240
Speaker 5: they both wait in. Denise's nerves were so relentless that

439
00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:01,879
Speaker 5: she broke out in so much sweat and had trouble

440
00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:05,960
Speaker 5: maintaining her weight. Jazz, on the other hand, ditched drinking

441
00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:10,679
Speaker 5: water incredibly concerned that her weight was way over. But

442
00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:13,879
Speaker 5: in the end, both Denise and Jazz made weight. It

443
00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:18,200
Speaker 5: was anything but easy and the tension is high. Some

444
00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:20,320
Speaker 5: athletes are already longing for the end.

445
00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:22,040
Speaker 3: I'm excited and nervous.

446
00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:24,600
Speaker 4: I'm honestly, like really excited for them to be over.

447
00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:28,120
Speaker 4: I'm just stressed and supper stressed.

448
00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:33,000
Speaker 5: Denise's hands are cold and clammy. She shakes uncontrollably, but

449
00:27:33,119 --> 00:27:36,359
Speaker 5: her face is indifferent. You wouldn't notice anything wrong.

450
00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:38,639
Speaker 4: I forgot, like to get on the stage because like

451
00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:40,639
Speaker 4: I'm around, you know, people are watching me, so I

452
00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:41,240
Speaker 4: frege out what that.

453
00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:44,399
Speaker 5: Jazz is also trying to control her nerves. I'm not

454
00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:46,480
Speaker 5: on Instagram right now. It's not hitting me. It's gonna

455
00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:47,399
Speaker 5: hit me until I warm up.

456
00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:49,960
Speaker 6: I don't feel like like don't I don't know.

457
00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:53,840
Speaker 5: Both women have trained very hard for this moment, sacrificed

458
00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:56,080
Speaker 5: a lot to be here and put their bodies and

459
00:27:56,119 --> 00:27:59,959
Speaker 5: then securities on the line. Denise kisses her boyfriend who

460
00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:02,879
Speaker 5: and heads to the warm up room, located in a

461
00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:06,680
Speaker 5: separate room behind the stage. Jazz starts to leave two,

462
00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:10,119
Speaker 5: but has a final request. If she makes it to

463
00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:13,320
Speaker 5: the podium, she wants her Mexican flag up there with her.

464
00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:17,720
Speaker 5: More athletes slowly trickle into the hallways towards the warm

465
00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:22,240
Speaker 5: up room. Seventy seven women compete in eight different weight categories,

466
00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:25,760
Speaker 5: but out of more than twenty two thousand registered powerlifting

467
00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:29,600
Speaker 5: athletes in the United States, these women are competing against

468
00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:35,119
Speaker 5: the best. The venue is large, with two blue squat

469
00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:39,360
Speaker 5: racks set up on two separate platforms. Behind each platform

470
00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:43,280
Speaker 5: is a gigantic screen projecting the twenty twenty one USAPL

471
00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:47,720
Speaker 5: Powerlifting National's logo and bright and young colors. Strobe lights

472
00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:50,560
Speaker 5: dance around the walls, lighting up the faces of the audience.

473
00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:55,080
Speaker 5: They are there to support their daughters, sisters, mothers, girlfriends,

474
00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:59,640
Speaker 5: elite powerlifting women testing their strength against their competition, but

475
00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:14,760
Speaker 5: also against themselves. And then the competition officially begins and

476
00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:43,440
Speaker 5: the room is electric. The judges wait for the niece

477
00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:46,480
Speaker 5: to step onto the platform, and she looks tiny compared

478
00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:50,080
Speaker 5: to the squad rag. She calmly steps up to the

479
00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:55,720
Speaker 5: bar her tunk was swinging behind her. Focused, she unracks

480
00:29:55,760 --> 00:30:01,040
Speaker 5: the bar. Uriel positions himself to record the perfect video

481
00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:04,720
Speaker 5: on his phone from his seat. Denise squats and wears

482
00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:07,440
Speaker 5: the biggest smile when her first lift is finally complete,

483
00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:11,000
Speaker 5: but her biggest worry becomes a reality when the judges

484
00:30:11,080 --> 00:30:14,680
Speaker 5: rate her squat a no lift. The squat isn't performed

485
00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:19,479
Speaker 5: deep enough and is invalidated. At first, her brow furrows

486
00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:21,239
Speaker 5: as she looks at the judges and then back at

487
00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:23,680
Speaker 5: her coach, who stands right behind her, But in the

488
00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:27,040
Speaker 5: blink of an eye, she composes herself, takes a breath,

489
00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:29,400
Speaker 5: and walks to the back with a grin as if

490
00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:33,760
Speaker 5: to say, I got the next one, and she does.

491
00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:34,800
Speaker 5: She's in the game.

492
00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:35,000
Speaker 6: Now.

493
00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:40,800
Speaker 5: Over on platform two, Jazz is on her first squat attempt.

494
00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:44,360
Speaker 5: She steps onto the platform and claps her hands, forming

495
00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:47,400
Speaker 5: a small clot of dust from the weightlifting chalk on him.

496
00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:50,720
Speaker 5: She grabs the bar, takes a deep breath and looks

497
00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:54,440
Speaker 5: angrily at the bar. Then she uterracs it, taking a

498
00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:56,960
Speaker 5: few steps back with the weight balance on her back.

499
00:30:58,200 --> 00:30:59,640
Speaker 5: She gets the squat command.

500
00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:01,680
Speaker 1: The baby.

501
00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:08,040
Speaker 5: Jazz sinks it. Good lift. She's smiling before she racks

502
00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:10,440
Speaker 5: the bar again, high fives her coach and heads to

503
00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:15,440
Speaker 5: the back. The competition continues over the next few hours,

504
00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:19,160
Speaker 5: and Denise and Jazz successfully complete the majority of their lifts.

505
00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:22,720
Speaker 5: They also fail some, and those sting, especially at a

506
00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:28,240
Speaker 5: national competition. When the competition is finally over, Denise, who

507
00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:30,680
Speaker 5: has had one of her worst competitions to date, is

508
00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:32,640
Speaker 5: shocked by the result.

509
00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:37,280
Speaker 3: Women Raw Open forty seven kilowaight class in fourth place.

510
00:31:37,360 --> 00:31:42,240
Speaker 5: Denise warez she makes podium. She has called to the

511
00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:45,720
Speaker 5: front and receives yet another medal for her collection, even

512
00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:48,520
Speaker 5: on what she calls an off day. Her result is

513
00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:52,280
Speaker 5: the fourth best in the nation. Jazz also gets a

514
00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:53,360
Speaker 5: surprise all right.

515
00:31:53,600 --> 00:32:00,800
Speaker 4: Women Raw Open sixty nine kilo away class.

516
00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:07,560
Speaker 5: At only her third powerlifting competition in her career, Jazz

517
00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:12,760
Speaker 5: reaches the podium two after months of a physical, mental,

518
00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:16,800
Speaker 5: and emotionally challenging preparation. The end is a major relief

519
00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:19,280
Speaker 5: for the two of them. Once the awards are out,

520
00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:21,760
Speaker 5: I catch up with Jazz and Denise in a hallway

521
00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:25,880
Speaker 5: bustling with happy powerlifters. I ask them about their biggest takeaway.

522
00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:29,680
Speaker 3: No matter what happens, fail or win, just keep pushing through.

523
00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:33,480
Speaker 3: And you know, failing isn't necessarily always a bad thing.

524
00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:35,160
Speaker 5: It always just makes it stronger to come back.

525
00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:37,200
Speaker 6: Yeah, I would say that. Someone else told me, like,

526
00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:38,280
Speaker 6: no matter what.

527
00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:40,200
Speaker 5: Happens and I meet, like, what really.

528
00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:41,840
Speaker 6: Matters is getting back into the gym and doing what

529
00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:44,200
Speaker 6: you love, Like that's what that's what you do, like,

530
00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:45,760
Speaker 6: you have to go back and do what you love

531
00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:47,560
Speaker 6: and that's what matters.

532
00:32:47,280 --> 00:32:49,880
Speaker 3: So I would say failing has always made me a

533
00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:51,560
Speaker 3: lot better than I do when I win, because when

534
00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:53,440
Speaker 3: I win, I'm like, oh, you know, like this is easy.

535
00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:55,480
Speaker 3: Then when I fail, like there's some work to do.

536
00:32:55,640 --> 00:32:56,680
Speaker 6: That's the lesson right there.

537
00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:06,200
Speaker 5: For athletes like Denise and Jazz, pierlifting isn't just about

538
00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:10,000
Speaker 5: being the strongest, and their powerlifting journeys aren't only about them.

539
00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:12,720
Speaker 5: It also has an impact on those close to them,

540
00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:16,120
Speaker 5: like Denise's little sister, who at seven years old, also

541
00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:19,360
Speaker 5: wants to lift. She watches my videos.

542
00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:23,200
Speaker 4: She won't walk around and like do some funny things

543
00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:24,960
Speaker 4: where she's like benching.

544
00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:26,120
Speaker 5: Or doing stuff like that.

545
00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:29,760
Speaker 4: That was one of the most proudest moments that I've

546
00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:33,440
Speaker 4: ever had being a Latina powerlifter, is having my own

547
00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:37,360
Speaker 4: baby sister come up to me, knowing that's not very

548
00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:40,600
Speaker 4: common in our family, but her seeing me very different

549
00:33:40,960 --> 00:33:42,720
Speaker 4: and her wanting to be like me just made me

550
00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:44,920
Speaker 4: extremely proud.

551
00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:48,320
Speaker 5: Sometimes the impact is felt on people they've never met.

552
00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:52,120
Speaker 5: Jazz was taken aback by a little girl after finishing

553
00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:53,240
Speaker 5: her first competition.

554
00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:56,440
Speaker 2: Ever, as I'm walking by, she tells her, mom, Look, mom,

555
00:33:56,480 --> 00:33:58,720
Speaker 2: that's her, Like I want to be like her. I

556
00:33:58,720 --> 00:34:01,760
Speaker 2: think my heart just totally milk when I heard that,

557
00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:05,280
Speaker 2: and I felt that, oh my gosh, like she's looking

558
00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:08,080
Speaker 2: up to me, and so I think that's a moment

559
00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:10,879
Speaker 2: that made me extremely proud to be who I am

560
00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:14,520
Speaker 2: in the sport. It was also apparent that I'm not

561
00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:16,959
Speaker 2: only doing this for myself, but I'm doing it for

562
00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:20,680
Speaker 2: inspiring other women to want to be that way or

563
00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:22,799
Speaker 2: want to start the sport as well, and kind of

564
00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:26,080
Speaker 2: not care about the stereotypes or the traditional views of

565
00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:27,239
Speaker 2: Latin that women.

566
00:34:29,640 --> 00:34:34,040
Speaker 5: Ultimately, powerlifting is a process of gaining resilience, going back

567
00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:36,479
Speaker 5: to the gym to train day by day, no matter

568
00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:39,840
Speaker 5: how hard yesterday was. It is also the process of

569
00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:43,719
Speaker 5: reclaiming your power, going against the grain, doing something that

570
00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:46,600
Speaker 5: you may think you're not capable of doing, but forcing

571
00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:49,759
Speaker 5: yourself to be confident to go in there and prove

572
00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:50,919
Speaker 5: everybody wrong.

573
00:34:51,719 --> 00:35:25,560
Speaker 1: Aber This episode was produced by Lilly Reese with help

574
00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:29,080
Speaker 1: from Julieta Martinelli. It was edited by Marta Martinez and

575
00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:32,960
Speaker 1: mixed by Julia Caruso and Stephane Lbou. The Latino USA

576
00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:38,200
Speaker 1: team includes Andrea Lopez Crusado, Mike Sargent, Victoria Estrada, Patricia

577
00:35:38,239 --> 00:35:43,920
Speaker 1: Sulbaran Gini Montalvo, Alejandra Salassar, Renaldo Leanos Junior, and Julia Rocha,

578
00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:47,560
Speaker 1: with help from Raoul Berez. Our editorial director is Julio

579
00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:51,680
Speaker 1: Ricardo Varella. Additional engineering by Gabriela Baez and j J.

580
00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:52,280
Speaker 7: Rubin.

581
00:35:52,680 --> 00:35:55,760
Speaker 1: Our digital editor is res Luna. Our New York Women's

582
00:35:55,760 --> 00:35:59,840
Speaker 1: Foundation Ignite Fellow is Mari Esquinka. Our Latino USA Fellows

583
00:35:59,880 --> 00:36:04,000
Speaker 1: are Monica Morales and Elisa Bayena. Our Public's Lab Fellow

584
00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:07,799
Speaker 1: from the CuNi Graduate Center is Andrew Vignalis. Our theme

585
00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:10,920
Speaker 1: music was composed by Zane Rubinos. If you like the

586
00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:13,719
Speaker 1: music you heard on this episode, stop by Latinousa dot

587
00:36:13,800 --> 00:36:17,120
Speaker 1: org and check out our weekly Spotify playlist. I'm your

588
00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:20,319
Speaker 1: host and executive producer Maria jo Josa. Join us again

589
00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:23,279
Speaker 1: on our next episode, and in the meantime, find us

590
00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:25,480
Speaker 1: on all of your social media and I'll see you

591
00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:30,160
Speaker 1: there lifting some weights Asta Lapproxima Bye.

592
00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:35,640
Speaker 7: Funding for Latino USA is coverage of a culture of

593
00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:38,279
Speaker 7: health is made possible in part by a grant from

594
00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:42,760
Speaker 7: the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Latino USA is made possible

595
00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:46,920
Speaker 7: in part by W. K. Kellogg Foundation, a partner with

596
00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:51,760
Speaker 7: Communities where Children Come First, and the wind Coat Foundation.

597
00:36:55,120 --> 00:37:03,920
Speaker 1: She's a baddest producer. She's a multi day MEXICID bowerlifter, journalist,

598
00:37:04,719 --> 00:37:12,040
Speaker 1: nice daughter and granddaughter. We gotta make a little TV

599
00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:12,879
Speaker 1: show about you, Lily,