Whether it’s school, extracurricular activities or athletics, it all goes in his planner.
Recently he got to add one more thing — a berth in the Texas High School Powerlifting Association state meet, which is Saturday at the Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene.
“It feels really good just knowing your hard work is going somewhere,” McDaniel said. “You can do so much, but you never know if it’s actually working or if anybody’s actually watching. So it shows that, wow, it actually is going somewhere.”
McDaniel will compete in the 198-pound weight class along with two other local lifters. Rudder senior Clifford Chambers (275) tied the regional squat record of 800 pounds and won his class, and College Station senior Truce Tumlinson also will compete at 275.
McDaniel, who also plays rush end for the Viking football team, got into the sport after watching his sister compete and saw its benefits on the football field. Mike Woodward, the Vikings’ assistant powerlifting and defensive line coach, is impressed by his drive on the field and in the weight room.
“He’s dedicated in everything he puts his mind to, and that shows in almost everything,” Woodward said. “He gets in there, attacks the weights and does what he’s supposed to. He’s very coachable and a good leader on our team, too.”
That leadership runs deep for McDaniel.
“It’s more the principle of it, in my opinion, the way I was raised, God first through everything, so I feel like that brings the leader out in people,” McDaniel said. “So seeing other people come in like incoming freshmen, I just gravitate toward them, and I’m like, ‘Here, just keep working. I had to go through the same thing.’”
McDaniel enjoys athletics but says school is his main priority. He says he ranks among the top of his class and views participating in sports as a reward. McDaniel also is president of Vikings Kicking Out Tobacco and recently participated in Advocacy Day in Austin, talking to state representatives about limiting tobacco and passing a bill to increase excise tax.
“Not everybody is aware of what they’re putting into their bodies with tobacco and things like that,” McDaniel said. “It opened my eyes a lot, and I feel like everybody’s eyes should be opened because you shouldn’t be putting that kind of thing in your body. Especially from an athlete’s standpoint, it can kill all of your chances.”
Outside of school, he is heavily involved in his church, which he says keeps him grounded and focused amid a busy school life. His ultimate goal after college is to be a pastor or work in architectural design. He is interested in attending SMU, Texas A&M, Texas or Abilene Christian.
As for the state meet, he doesn’t have a place in mind, but he wants break 560 pounds and try for 600 pounds in squat, his favorite event. Woodward wants to see him improve on his total regional mark of 1,400 pounds by 60 to 80 po... Click here to read full article
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