From partying to powerlifting
LAS VEGAS — Karly Kaufman awoke on most Monday mornings unable to recall the events of the weekend.
She'd drink and party to such excess, she was blacking out as a mater of routine.
Large gaps of missing time. No idea what she had done.
It was unsettling, but she didn't change. For the better part of five years she continued the cycle.
Until she finally came to the undeniable conclusion that enough was enough.
“I realized I wasn't living a life I was proud of,” said Kaufman, 28, and a 2009 A-C Valley graduate. “It felt like I was living a double life of sorts, so I decided to cut it out entirely.”
It was a long road to get there.
A standout three-sport star at A-C Valley, but a particularly talented softball player, Kaufman was looking forward to an equally successful collegiate career.
It didn't turn out that way.
“I went to George Mason and played softball for a year. Quit,” Kaufman said. “I went to Clarion and played softball for a year. Quit. I really got into partying at Clarion.”
Kaufman did manage to finish her degree in political science at Clarion in 2013. She worked at a paralegal for awhile in Pittsburgh and then at Duquesne Light.
But her drinking nearly destroyed her.
October 27, 2016. It's a date Kaufman has seared in her mind.
It was the first day of her sobriety.
Nearly three years later, Kaufman has maintained that sobriety.
She got a little help from an unlikely sport.
Kaufman became enamored with powerlifting when she stumbled upon Celli's Fitness Center in Lawrenceville.
Ryan and Dana Celli, owners of the center, helped Kaufman train in the art.
It filled an important void for Kaufman.
“I always say I replaced partying with powerlifting,” Kaufman said. “It's been the perfect thing for me.”Kaufman had no designs on competing when she began in 2016. Her goal was simply to occupy herself with a constructive hobby and test her own physical ability.“Ryan is an old warhorse in powerlifting,” Kaufman said. “It's funny when I look back. I told him my goal was a 300-pound deadlift and Ryan kind of just laughed and said, 'You're capable of more, but all right.'”Celli finally convinced Kaufman to compete in March of 2017 and she had early success.But nothing came close to what Kaufman accomplished at a United States Powerlifting Association event in Las Vegas over the weekend.Kaufman set three Pennsylvania state records in her 198-pound weight class in the competition: a 325-pound squat, a 435-pound deadlift and a total weight lifted of 898.She also set a personal-best mark in the bench press at 138 pounds.Kaufman's effort qualified her for the Worlds in Ireland in October.Kaufman, though, said she will not compete there.It's never been about medals and awards for Kaufman. It's always been about setting goals for herself and attempting to achieve them.It's always been about simply lifting a little more than her last time out.“That's the thing people outside of powerlifting really don't understand,” Kaufman said. “People who knew I was competing here kept asking me, 'Did you win? Did you get first place? Did you win a medal?' It's not about that. For me personally it's trying to beat my prior numbers.“That was a big mental shift for me,” Kaufman said. “I've always been super competitive and all about winning.”Kaufman is currently finishing up her master's degree in information systems from Duquesne University.“This October it'll be three years since I drank,” Kaufman said. “It's really just a non-issue for me now.”And she's trying to help others through their difficult times.Kaufman — along with co-founders Samantha Lutz and Tanner Rose — hosts a podcast called Broken to Barbell, which focuses on fitness and mental health issues.“It's really cool,” Kaufman said. “It's a good way to keep me on track and help other people.”
