BROWNSVILLE — It was expected that girls from the Rio Grande Valley would be bringing home gold medals from the Texas High School Women’s Powerlifting Association’s state championships a couple of weeks ago, as many returning state champs littered the field.
A total of 26 powerlifters brought back gold, some expected like three-time champion Georgina Alaniz from Edcouch-Elsa, Santa Rosa’s two-time champion Leslie Flores and Los Fresnos’ two-time champ Tyler Martin. But one unexpected winner was Brownsville IDEA Riverview senior Mia Ramos.
Ramos’ ascent from competing in a one-act play to a Class 3A Division I state champion in the 259-pound weight class is an astonishing one. The senior never lifted weights properly, or at all prior to this season.
No sports — just one-act play and exercising at the park with her sister.
In seven months, Ramos became a state champ, lifting a total of 1,135 pounds in Frisco.
“It is surreal,” Ramos said. “It does not feel like it could have been accomplished in that short amount of time. Everybody believed in me, so I said, ‘Why not?’ I got my stuff together and focused on the sport. Once I got my mind together, we were already at regionals and making numbers. Once all the facts were presented, it was possible — and we did it.”
The senior had no interest in lifting weights and had never even stepped into a gym. However, a friend persuaded Ramos to join powerlifting, she said.
“Now it is like an obsession,” Ramos said. “I just find myself thinking of new techniques and forms for when I lift.”
IDEA Riverview powerlifting coach Matt Barba is humble about Ramos’ success, not trying to take glory from Ramos, but it is hard not to provide him some credit with Ramos’ rapid rise in the sport. Ramos does have to lift the weights, but someone has to teach her.
“It is every coach’s dream to have a student take what you are saying, your knowledge, and project it, but living it out as quickly as she did tells you what kind of person she is,” Barba said. “I cannot say how proud I am as a coach.”
IDEA Riverview, like the other IDEA schools, are growing their sports programs slowly but surely. Edinburg IDEA College Prep has been the exception to the slow rise part in powerlifting. Mia Rincones and Amaris Garza, two more expected champs, have won multiple state titles in Class 3A DII. Rincones has three championships and Garza has two.
Edinburg IDEA College Prep won team state titles in 2018 and 2021.
Barba landed at IDEA Riverview after previously being at Los Fresnos and Brownsville Lopez for almost a decade before taking the coaching job at the IDEA school. Barba won a team state championship with Brownsville Lopez in 2017, and no other coach in the city of Brownsville has coached more individual state champs, seven to be exact.
Having a coach like Barba at IDEA Riverview could provide a huge boost to other programs that share athletes with powerlifting. In just one year, Ramos became a state champ despite not having everything she needed when they started, but the support is there from athletic coordinator Albert Perez and principal Adriana Ramos, Barba said.
“We could not have done it without them, it was literally a team effort,” Barba said.
Ramos is still lifting weights. The senior thought she could sleep in after the season was over, but the sport has other plans for the state champ. Opportunities are arising for Ramos, colleges are knocking on the door and the senior is happy to answer.
“It is a reality that I am going to do this in college, so I have to continue lifting and improving.” Ramos said.