Pittston powerlifters reach national heights

The Pittston Area Powerlifting Club is making a name for itself, and not just in this area. A few members of the club, led by Coach Ed Straub, have traveled across the state and the nation to compete – and win.

Three forms of lifting – the squat, the bench press and the deadlift – make up the core of powerlifting competitions at the high school level. Mastering the techniques of each lift is a major concern of competition judges, Straub, and the Pittston Area powerlifters themselves.

About four years ago, Straub established the Pittston Area Powerlifting Club after an extensive career as a wrestling and strength and conditioning coach. Much of his career was spent at Pittston Area High School, so it was only natural that the school would serve as the homebase for one of his most successful ventures.

That first year didn’t attract a ton of attention, however, with only three students joining the Pittston Area Powerlifting Club. This is a stark contrast to many of the schools that the club is competing against now. Many of those schools, from Abington Heights to Jim Thorpe, have had powerlifting clubs for decades.

Straub has built the program by creating an environment that is broken down into six segments. This allows the powerlifters to stay activated throughout the year, while also allowing them to step away from the club in order to play their respective school sports.

Straub’s club grew in interest fairly quickly after that first year, and it now sports a roster of 25 young people.

Troy Fratarcangeli got into lifting while training for football. Following his eighth grade year, he got in touch with Straub and joined the powerlifting club. Since that time, he’s become one of the club’s most effective lifters, not to mention a captain.

“You need a lot of sets of eyes,” Straub said of the need for his captains to be present and well-versed in the weight room. “It’s not like basketball or something. Kids are lifting serious weights.”

It’s a matter of safety when it comes to lifting hundreds of pounds, adding to the importance of having responsible captains in the weight room who can monitor procedures when Straub’s presence is drawn elsewhere.

“You could ego lift more weight, but you’re going to hurt yourself,” Fratarcangeli said.

Ella Rosiak, who just wrapped up her sophomore year, joined the club after seeing her brother participate in powerlifting. She intended to join earlier, but hurt her knee and became a member of the club upon recovering.

“I got helped by pretty much everybody, and I felt really, really good about myself after I started weightlifting and working out,” said Rosiak.

Three years into competition, the Pittston Area Powerlifting Club is gaining steam on the national level.

All of this momentum led to the club participating, and doing quite well, at the Powerlifting America High School National Championships in New Orleans back in April.

Over 40 states were represented in New Orleans, but the Pittston Area club was one of the standout groups in attendance. The boys only and boys and girls mixed teams won national titles, while the girls only team achieved runner-up status.

The results came as a bit of a shock to even some of those most involved in the club, including Straub.

“I was hoping to place 10th. That was my goal,” Straub said. “We wound up winning a national championship.”

The hysteria of taking such a big trip was not lost on the young powerlifters.

“Being in any competition is very – not stressful – but your nerves are getting to you and the adrenaline starts rushing,” said Rosiak. “When you get into position and ready to go, everything’s quiet. You just set your mind to it, and you can do it.”

Fratarcangeli agreed with this assessment of the national championship experience.

“It was definitely a lot going down to New Orleans,” said Fratarcangeli of getting to the national championship, before adding that the rush of the situation drifted away when it came down to participating. “You step on the platform, and everything’s blank.”

Even the “older” members of the club are not immune to the intensity of performing on such a grand stage. Another of the club’s captains, Frank Garcia, started lifting for swimming during his sophomore year. He started competing with the Pittston Area Powerlifting Club in October 2023, and just wrapped up his junior year.

“You know the nervous feeling you have in your stomach? I get that every time,” Garcia said.

On the individual level, Fratarcangeli finished in second at the national stage, while Rosiak and Garcia finished in third and eighth in their specific categories, respectively.

The Pittston Area Powerlifting Club followed up their performance down south with another dominant run in Jim Thorpe at the Powerlifting American Super State Championships. There, the boys finished in third place and the girls finished in second place.

At the state championship, Fratarcangeli finished in first, with Rosiak and Garcia notching second place finishes.

Given the youth of the program itself, many of the individual students who participate in the Pittston Area Powerlifting Club are competing against upperclassmen, despite their comparative lack of experience. At times, the lifters on the Pittston Area Powerlifting Club even compete against other members of the club in the same weight class.

The success of the Pittston Area Powerlifting Club has inspired something of a movement amongst Straub and his pupils. Their sights are firmly on the club being recognized as an official PIAA team, which would allow the lifters to earn varsity letters during their high school careers.

“We’re hoping this year that Pittston Area makes it a sport so these guys can get their letter,” Straub said. “They work hard.”