The bell is about to ring. Students sling 20 pound backpacks over their shoulders, and trudge towards the science building all the way from East. They sigh, burdened under the extra weight of the textbooks they never used, but their teacher told them to bring. Day in, day out, students lug around weighted book bags, but one Etowah student actually enjoys lifting heavy loads. In fact, Junior Cole Milovanovic has tied a school record.

“It always feels good to set a new PR [personal record], but hitting the record made me feel proud about the hard work I put in to hit it,” Milovanovic, said.

Standing at 6’1” and weighing 256 pounds,  Milovanovic tied Etowah’s Power Clean Record by lifting more than his weight. He matched the previous record set by Bronson Rechsteiner by lifting 355 pounds. Milovanovic’s previous best was 340 pounds. He can also squat 500 pounds and bench 300 pounds. Milovanovic starts as a defensive tackle on the Etowah Eagles football team. Football players lift daily to build strength for the next season. At the most recent weightlifting competition, Milovanovic won first in his weight class.

“Watching a player meet or exceed his goals is always very rewarding. The look of satisfaction and accomplishment is a pleasure to see. It helps validate the hard work and sacrifice that they make to play the game,” Tony DeCristofaro, former Etowah coach, said.

The average untrained person can only lift about 150 pounds. Milovanovic managed to lift more than twice that. Next time students complain about having to carry their backpacks across campus, they should remember that lifting 355 pounds is always an option.