By Joe Bachman
Contributor

WISCONSIN DELLS — At 78-years-young, Plover man Sig Sandstrom is redefining power-lifting for his generation.

The last time we met Sig, the former Stevens Point principal had been raising the bar in competitive power-lifting. Sandstrom started his journey in 2017, and after three-and a-half months worth of training, Sandstrom improved from a 175-pound deadlift to 242 pounds.

After winning the Necedah Powerlifting Blizzard Classic on Dec. 16, Sandstrom moved onto the competition in Wisconsin Dells. Since winning the World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters (WABDL) competition for his age bracket in April, Sandstrom now has his sights set on the bright lights of Las Vegas.

Sig Sandstrom poses after taking first place in the World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters competition in Wisconsin Dells in April. (Contributed)

“Nobody at my age has ever competed in this competition,” said Sandstrom, who deadlifted 242 pounds, and benched 137 pounds. “I could have done more, but I didn’t want to risk any injury.”

After finishing first place in the deadlift and bench press categories, Sandstrom is now a state champion, and will move on to Las Vegas on Nov. 13 for the World Championships.

The November competition will take the top three out of the 74-79 age bracket, and Sandstrom believes that he can break into the top tier of competitors. He notes that last year’s third place finisher lifted well below what his max is currently.

“I think my chances are pretty good,” said Sandstrom. “The worst I can do is be in third place.”

Through meeting and exceeding new challenges, Sandstrom’s drive for competition remains the same — the simple, but extraordinary achievement of accomplishment.

“I’ve always been a person to attain goals,” said Sandstrom, who holds such personal accomplishments from climbing the Grand Canyon to writing a book about becoming a student landlord. “I’ve always had goals in mind and I’m always looking for things that I can do to better myself and other people.”