Bell Creek Academy (BCA) in Riverview is helping put high school powerlifting on the map in Florida after launching what it says is the state’s first organized high school powerlifting club.
The club was founded in January by BCA high school physical education teacher and coach Taisha V. Hernández Zambrana, who partnered with her own powerlifting coach, Leandro Muñoz, to introduce students to a sport that is well established in other states but has had limited organized presence at the high school level in Florida.
BCA, located at 13221 Boyette Rd., is currently the only Florida high school recognized as an official club under USA Powerlifting (USAPL). The club began with eight competitors who traveled to the USAPL Tampa Bay Open in April. Its roster has since more than doubled to 19 athletes, who are preparing to compete in the USAPL 813 Classic in Tampa this December.
For Hernández, powerlifting is about more than strength and competition.
“Powerlifting is about so much more than the numbers on the barbell,” Hernández said. “It teaches these teenagers how to overcome self-doubt, build unshakeable confidence and find strength they never knew they had.”
The club recently hosted its inaugural Lift-a-Thon to raise money for competition fees, uniforms and equipment for the 2026-27 season. With support from BCA faculty and staff, student volunteers, local vendors, powerlifting coaches and the USF Powerlifting Club, the event raised more than $5,000.
The fundraiser also reflected Hernández’s desire to connect the club with the broader community. Fifteen percent of the proceeds was donated to Hillsborough County Adaptive Sports programs, helping support local athletes, including para powerlifters.
The club is continuing to raise funds for athletes who qualify for the 2027 high school nationals in New York and the Miami International Fitness Expo in May 2027.
Hernández is also exploring the connection between athletics and academics. As a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she is collaborating with a University of South Florida research team on a mixed-methods study examining self-efficacy among students participating in a high school powerlifting club.
She hopes the research will lead to peer-reviewed publications and a presentation at the SHAPE America conference next year, further demonstrating the impact powerlifting can have beyond the competition floor.
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