Stacy Burr wins 1st Place at the Las Vegas IPL World Championships
Stacy Burr, right, with her check presented by the IPL World Powerlifting Championships for winning the best raw female lifter out of the roster of women for a total of 1168 lbs. Burr will compete at the USPA Open in San Diego, CA in April 2017 for a $40,000 prize.
By Jana E. Pye, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
Nearly a year after we featured Stacy Burr for her incredible prowess as power lifter, the 24 year old Darlington woman has returned home with another big national win, coming in as the top three nationwide for current 148 lb. female lifters.
Burr competed in the International Powerlifting League World Championships in Las Vegas, NV from November 10-12, winning the coveted 1st place in her weight class out of 30 total women. She also won the Best Raw Lifter out of the entire roster of women that competed from across the globe – fetching a $500 cash prize, and sealed an invitation to the USPA Open being held in San Diego, CA in April 2017; that meet boasts a $40,000 payout to the best classic raw female lifter.
Burr, who is only 5’3” in bare feet, has only been powerlifting since October of 2014, started competing nine months later; she attended her first national competition and won the Juniors 20-23 age, 132 lb National USPA Championship and placed 2nd Overall in Women’s Open on July 10, 2015 at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino USPA National Powerlifting Championships.
She shared that the road to the IPL World Championship was a tough one.
“In order to compete, you had to have a qualifying total from a previous meet,” said Burr. “I qualified for Worlds in February at a meet in Tampa Florida with a 810 lb total. I competed at this meet with a fractured L5 vertebra and was not able to compete at nearly my potential. After months of rehabilitation and seeing specialists for my back I began to train once again, and to powerlift again semi pain free.”
Always an athlete, Burr played softball growing up, and at the college level for the Coker College Cobras Softball Team, graduating in the class of 2014. She is a 2010 graduate of Mayo High School for Math, Science and Technology, and for many years helped with the Darlington High School Softball team that she played for when she was in high school.
“At Worlds, which is one of the most heavily competitive meets with women from all across the globe, I managed to come in first place in my weight class out of more than 30 women.” Continues Burr. “And I went on to win best raw female lifter out of the entire roster of women with an 1168 lb total, weighing 144 lbs.”
To reach that, Stacy lifted the following weights:
• Squatted 435 lbs
• Bench pressed 270 lbs
• Deadlifted 463 lbs.
International Powerlifting League World Championships in Las Vegas, NV
“This total puts me in the top three nation wide for current 148 lb female lifters.”
As with all athletes, having people to support your dreams is the key to success.
“I would like to thank my family for the support,” says Burr, especially my Dad (Billy Burr of Darlington) who is my biggest fan and will be accompanying me in San Diego as well to watch me compete for the first time. I would also like to thank my friend Jill Lewis for helping handle me at the competition and for all my clients and friends who watched it via the livestream at home!”
As Burr moves forward she will be transitioning to the classic raw division, which requires slightly different equipment so that will be a new challenge for her. “But if it gives me a viable shot at a $40,000 cash prize I will definitely adapt!” she says. “My main motivation is to just steadily get better, not only as a lifter but as a competitor and a person.”