Red Bud athlete, Gavin McDill, participated in a Powerlifting event on Saturday, February 20th. The event took place at House of Pain Gym in Maryland Heights, Missouri. McDill set state records with his 391 lb bench press and 611 lb deadlift. He also set national records with a 622 lb squat and his total of 1,624 lb. Gavin also placed first in the 18-19-year-old class. Gavin shared that he trains 4-5 times a week in preparation for these events and that he plans to continue powerlifting events after he leaves high school. He added that he first began lifting in 5th grade to get into shape, but in 7th grade, he began to focus more on the three main lifts (bench press, squat, and deadlift) and started training more seriously in order to get stronger. McDill also noted that when he first began lifting, his inspirations were famous powerlifters such as Jesse Norris, Pete Rubish, and Larry Williams. Nowadays, he looks to himself for inspiration because he wants to be the best he can be, and prove to himself that he can do anything if he can put his mind to it. McDill does not have any more events scheduled as of now but looks forward to participating in the future.