Faces of the Valley: Brackenridge’s Carter Anderson goes for the gold in powerlifting competitions
Share this post:
Highlands junior Carter Anderson admits he was a bit nervous stepping into the arena at the Villanova Fall Festival, a three-day competition that is the largest student-run Special Olympics event in the world.
The 17-year-old vied for the powerlifting title in his 120-pound weight class in three categories — dead lift, squat and bench press.
He earned gold in all three events.
“I was really happy,” Anderson said. “It was great.”
The Brackenridge teen is coached by Corey Henning, an instructor at the Wilkinsburg gym, PittsburghFIT.
Henning started a special-needs program at the gym and has been working with Anderson for two years. The fitness sessions aim to give kids an outlet for their energy and shape a positive attitude about health and wellness.
“Carter is a perfect example of what we hoped the kids would get from this,” Henning said.
The pair is joined by eight other athletes every Friday for tough workouts and social bonding.
“Carter keeps to himself a lot, but he’s very determined,” Henning said. “Once you get him going, he’s a funny little guy. He always has a lot to add.”
The Fall Festival at Villanova University, in its 35th year, drew 1,200 athletes and coaches for contests in bocce, running, soccer, powerlifting and volleyball.
Anderson swept athletes from across the state to land on top of his heats.
It didn’t surprise his mother, Charlotte, who said he is driven to succeed in everything he does.
“He works out at home on his own,” she said. “He has a bar and a bike and he lifts in his room.”
Anderson has been sports-driven since kindergarten, when he first started competing in Miracle League baseball through the Natrona Heights Baseball Softball Association.
Through the years, the avid athlete also has tried his hand at bowling, basketball, soccer and track.
His favorites?
“I like track and weightlifting the best,” Anderson said.
During the school year, he hits the field for the Highlands Area Soccer Association and competes on the high school’s Unified Track Team. He runs the 100-meter dash, throws javelin and is on a relay team.
“He’s very active,” his mother said. “He likes to eat healthy, and he’s very motivated on his own.”
In March, Anderson soaked up the limelight when he was chosen to model for clothier American Eagle during an event at Ross Park Mall.
Charlotte Anderson said she takes every opportunity to push her son past his comfort zone.
She credits his grandparents for getting Carter involved in weightlifting, first through a program at the University of Pittsburgh and now with Henning.
“They take him every week, and they go for weekends to competitions all over the place,” she said.
In September, the family traveled to compete in the Special Olympics’ Western Fall Sectional at Slippery Rock University, where Anderson qualified to go to Villanova.
His work ethic impresses Henning, who said there’s no stopping the young athlete.
“Carter’s biggest thing when he came to us was his confidence,” Henning said.
“He’s so excited to work out now. Once he learned the proper form, he’s not afraid to step up to the barbell and lift heavy. He’s come a long way.”