In a sport dominated by men, Kiela Badeaux proves she can pull her weight. After just four years of experience, LSU Powerlifting Club member Badeaux represented the United States at the Sub-Junior/Junior World Powerlifting competition in Szczyrk, Poland, from Aug. 28 through Sept. 2. Badeaux said her roommates introduced her to the sport her sophomore year of college. She went to practice with them intending to sit back and watch, but as soon as she walked through the door, the coach approached Badeaux and tried to recruit her for the team. Among the 300-pound men, Badeaux said her intimidated demeanor escaped when she told the coach, “I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t eat me.” That moment changed Badeaux’s life forever. “It’s the greatest thing I have ever had in my life,” she said. “It means everything to me.” Badeaux said there was a time in her life when she was spiteful, hateful and immature, but powerlifting taught her the value of work ethic. “Underneath all those negative things, there was somebody that wanted to be stronger and better and kinder, and I didn’t know where to start,” Badeaux said. She said there were three or four people on the team who insisted on helping her become a better powerlifter and a better person. Badeaux said she struggles accepting compliments and congratulations because she thinks she only deserves half the credit.
“If those people hadn’t refused to give up on me, I wouldn’t be here,” she said. Badeaux said the LSU Powerlifting Club is truly a family and said she is stronger and more confident because of it. There are about 35 to 45 people on the team, and there are three times as many men as women. “In our gym, it doesn’t matter whether you are male or female, as long as you go in there and work,” Badeaux said. She owns the clothing and means to look girly, but said there is no place for femininity in the gym. She dresses in gym clothes 90 percent of the time and is always ready to work out. She works out four days per week – three days with the team and one day on her own. One of her mottos is “All to the wall, all the time.” Her life is dictated by workouts -but she said they are her de-stressers and release. “Lifting is everything to me,” Badeaux said. The sport is hard work and expensive, but Badeaux said she does it because she loves it and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. “If you keep doing what you are doing, you will keep getting what you are getting,” Badeaux said. Her goal in the sport is to better herself as an athlete and a person. Three people from Louisiana competed in the international competition, but Badeaux was the only representative from the University. Badeaux competed in the juniors 57-kg weight class and placed fourth by squatting 165 kg (363.8 pounds), benching 82.5 kg (181.9 pounds) and deadlifting 147.5 kg (325.2 pounds).
 
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