Freshman Abby Moore is a real powerhouse! Her strength, athleticism and dedication have already led her to accomplish so much in the competitive weightlifting world; making it easy to forget that she is only 14. 

Abby’s interest in weightlifting and fitness was originally sparked by her parents. “I first started weightlifting when I was 11.  My parents did CrossFit, and I asked to do a workout with them for my birthday. I loved when I got to lift in the workouts, so I started a youth program, and it took off.” 

Abby also found motivation through those she met through the sport. “The biggest inspiration was definitely Izzy Hageman, who I trained with. When she was a Sophomore at Erie High School, she won Youth Nationals, and that was very cool to see someone so close to me do so well.”

Along with weightlifting, Abby is also on the swim team at Holy Family. She is not only a talented athlete on land, but in the water as well. The team has benefited from her powerful butterfly and strength in the pool. To top it off, she also competes in CrossFit. “I have been doing CrossFit for about 3 years. I started in a kids class, and after about a year, I started working out with the adults,” says Abby. The youngest age group for most competitions is 14-15 years old, which means that Abby has gotten an early start compared to most. 

To get to where she is today, Abby has dedicated countless hardworking hours in the gym. “During competition season I usually lift for 1.5-2hrs a day, depending on what my coach programs, and then I do a CrossFit workout, and some extra skill work, that can be anywhere from 1-2 hours,” says Abby, “I lift 5 days a week, and I CrossFit as much as I can, but usually 4-5 days a week.”

At her weightlifting competitions, Abby competes two main lifts. She can clean and jerk 88kg (which equates to just over 194 pounds) and can snatch an impressive 67kg (147.71 lbs). 

Unfortunately, an injury earlier this year prevented Abby from being able to compete in the 2021 Nationals. Abby explains that weightlifting also requires mental strength, and some of the other challenges she has had to face involve overcoming mental hurdles. “A challenge when I first started weightlifting was having the confidence in myself to commit to bigger lifts. That led to a few mental blocks, and once I learned to fully commit to my lifts I was able to thrive.”

Thriving would be nothing short of accurate, given her accomplishments through the sport. “My proudest moments have to be when I was second in the nation in 2019 at my very first nationals, and then most recently when I hit a total at North American Open Finals that qualified me to compete on Team USA,” shares Abby.

National competitions are held all over the country. Previously, Abby went to California to compete in the 2019 Nationals before Covid-19 hit. Now that she is on Team USA, she will have the opportunity to compete around the world – her first international tournament being held in April. 

Abby is truly a talented athlete and it’s amazing to think that she is just getting started!