“It has been great to see her take L A T H her training very seriously both in and out of the gym. A lot of people will quit, or try to find an easier route when adversity comes into play, and Abby has learned to keep a better at- titude during the tough times when stuff does not seem to go as well,” said Hartman. “She has a great support system in my gym and also with her family that is behind her all the way. A young athlete needs to surround themselves with good people and have that type of support system coming in and her family and I try our best to provide that at all times.” Hartman says that Hargrove has come a long way in her training since starting with him almost two years ago. “She has learned to push herself to a new level, take respon- sibility, ask questions, and become a better student of the sport,” said Hartman. In May 2021, Hargrove competed in her first high school national competition. “I went into this competition hoping I would do good and more nervous than I had ever been. I placed fourth place and was determined from that point forward that I was going to work harder than any girl training for next year’s competition and I was going to come back and win,” said Hargrove. In March 2022, she did exactly that. Hargrove competed at her second high school national competition, and things were a little different. Going into the competition, she carried all the confidence in the world along with the mindset to win. Now, she is the current USAPL High School National Champion. “Abby is off to a very good start. Winning the USA Power- lifting High School Nationals was a big step and a great feeling for Abby, her family, and me. Winning the high school national title was a big goal that we talked about since she first came up to train with me over a year ago,” said Hart- man. “It will only get more difficult as she enters the collegiate division next year. The gains will become harder to achieve as she advances and the competition will be even greater.” Abby’s father, Nate Hargrove has always been in the gym – therefore getting to see his daughter’s achievements has been exciting for him. “Abby made the decision her freshman year of high school that she wanted to quit softball and focus on lifting. She was ner- vous about approaching us with this but everyone was supportive of her decision, and I couldn’t have been happier,” said Nate. “Abby has grown up in a gym her whole life. I have competed in strength sports for the last 12 years and even ran a strongman gym in Wickliffe. So her making the decision to focus on lifting was very exciting.” For Nate, watching Abby progress in powerlifting has been an awesome experience for him. “She has realized that to be success- ful in this sport you have to be willing to put in work. This is a lesson that I have also watched her apply outside of the gym,” said Nate. Powerlifting has taught Abby that excellence requires patience and practice, something she spends hours upon hours perfecting. “When I am working towards a goal, I know I’m not going to achieve it within the next week. I have to put my mind to what I want to accomplish and practice over and over again, perfecting every flaw and eventually my goal will come,” said Hargrove. Hartman has watched Abby train towards these goals – and not once has she thrown in the towel. “The biggest aspect that I see with Abby is that most kids would have quit or made excuses to miss many workouts by now. Abby never has. The training I give Abby is very demanding and requires complete dedication, both in and out of the gym,” said Hartman. “You have to get proper sleep, nutrition, and sacrifice the normal teenage life in order to achieve greatness, and Abby has done a good job in realizing and doing what it takes.” Throughout powerlifting, Abby’s father has seen many positive influences come from her work. However, the most positive has been the self-confidence she has gained. Abby is able to put in the work and see her improvements along with her continued success. “It has let her believe in herself, which has opened up a whole world of opportunities to her,” said Nate. “Abby is not an amazing natural athlete, she has worked very hard for all of the success she has gotten in powerlifting. I know she will accomplish anything that she sets her mind to.” While accomplishing more wins is certainly in her future plans, Hargrove also has plans to attend Eastern Kentucky Uni- versity in August of 2022 to pursue a degree in aviation, concen- trating on professional flight. “I will not be able to train in my home gym with the guys and my dad, but that’s not going to stop me from training my hardest and putting all my effort into my lifts. I have hopes to win anoth- er national title,” said Hargrove. Now that she is out of high school, Hargrove will compete in teen and collegiate nationals in 2023 – hoping to take home yet another win. 10 AUGUST 2022 | PROMOTING EVENTS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE | INTHEVUE.COM S T O Y N E T U
