(CEDAR HILL, TEXAS) Last year, Xy’kriyah Short decided to join the Cedar Hill High School Powerlifting Team.
It didn’t take the Cedar Hill High senior long to excel in the sport.
Fourteen Cedar Hill Girls Powerlifters qualified for the Regional Meet earlier this month in Prosper, but Short was the only CHHS powerlifter to qualify for State.
Her numbers? Squat (355), Deadlift (305) and Bench (135) allowed her to compete at the Texas High School Women’s Powerlifting Association (THSWPA) Championships earlier this month in Abilene.
“I loved qualifying for State – it was so surreal,” Short said. “I worked for it to happen, but I didn’t expect for it to happen. It was definitely one of those ‘all of this hard work paid off’ moments.”
The State Meet didn’t go as she had hoped, but that just highlighted the fact that team support was important in an individual sport. Short – and her coaches – were the only Cedar Hill Longhorns – who made the trip to Abilene.
“I have a lot of room to grow in the sport,” Short said.
Short will study Pre-Law at Texas Tech, and she’ll also be a member of the Texas Tech Powerlifting Club. Her Powerlifting Coach, Taylor Brown, is a Texas Tech alum.
“Coach Brown showed me the importance of controlling your strength and emotions, and putting the work into powerlifting,” Short said.
Short wants to practice Family Law to “help those in need.”
“I like to argue a lot, and I know how to stand my ground,” Short said. “I articulate well, and I want to do something to help people.”
She’s attended Cedar Hill ISD since her sixth grade year at Bessie Coleman Middle School in 2016-2017.
Short is a member of the Mayor’s Teen Council and Cedar Hill Longhorn Leaders.
“The Mayor’s Teen Council is a nice experience, and you meet people involved in decision making,” Short said. “You also meet other teens with the same mindset. Longhorn Leaders is so fun. We read to elementary scholars and support all of the Cedar Hill Longhorns Teams.”
