If you happen to be in the John Treadway Gym on any given afternoon, you may hear metal clanking and people grunting, but do not be alarmed it is just the Elizabethton High School Powerlifting team working out and preparing for upcoming meets.

“These kids, every day, they come in here, they could be hanging out with their friends or doing a million other things,” said coach Chad Salyer, who has been coaching the powerlifting team since 2009. “But, instead they choose to come here and lift weights, and it is really awesome.”

This year’s squad, which is made up of 10 powerlifters who range from freshmen to seniors, started the school year out with a bang as team members Zoie Roberts, Alona Norwood, Cortnee Odom and Sophia Peterson competed in September’s Souther Powerlifting Federation’s Iron Mayhem Classic in Bristol.