Star Tribune Features Cheryl Anderson

USAPL powerlifting champion Cheryl Anderson was featured in an article in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune yesterday.

Being in the lightest weight class doesn't minimize the determination South St. Paul's Cheryl Anderson has to get stronger and better as a powerlifter, and make believers and fans of those who watch.

In a weight room full of muscle-bound guys, it's not too hard to spot Cheryl Anderson. She's the one who weighs just a little more than a couple of 45-pound plates -- and the one who can dead-lift three times her body weight. Anderson, who lives in South St. Paul and was training last week at The Gym in Plymouth, was pretty much the only person who fit the description.

...She is the 2007 national champion powerlifter at the 105-pound weight class, the lightest one available. Anderson is working now toward two bigger goals: a successful showing at the powerlifting world championships this October in Austria; and spreading the gospel of her sport, which those who meet her usually can't believe is a big part of her life.

"Nine times out of 10," Anderson said, "they are shocked that I'm a powerlifter."

...In the free time Anderson has between being a mother, training and working full time, she is working to gain sponsors for the trip to Austria. That's right: these are all amateur, unpaid endeavors.

"That's a common question: what makes you want to keep going back to do something when you're not compensated?" Anderson said. "The reward is the personal strength and satisfaction."