By Alexa Jiminez, Talon staff reporter

There are 12 athletic development classes at Hood River Valley High School, an estimated  30 kids in each class. Out of the 360 kids, four boys stand out as the strongest: Travis Galvez, Sam Fults, Justin Wilson and Sebastian Barajas.

Senior Travis Galvez currently isn’t in any sports but plans on wrestling. For motivation, Travis said “Well I always wanted to go into the military since the fifth grade. You have to be fit, endure pain and push through. Lifting is all about strength and I actually leave for boot camp July 11th.” Travis also mentioned he never used lifting as a stress reliever, he finds lifting fun. In athletic development, Travis has a total of 1040 pounds in the four major lifes: bench press, incline bench, power clean, and squats.

Junior Justin Wilson says lifting is an anger relief for him. Justin participates in football in the fall and wrestling in winter and spring. “I get my motivation from sports. Being strong in football and wrestling helps a lot. Also, I live on a ranch. Being strong helps out with daily chores.” Justin always plans to lift now and in the future. Justin has a total of 1100 pounds in the major lifts.

Sam Fults, a senior, football player and track participant states, “most of my motivation comes from me wanting to improve myself as an athlete. I also like the idea of pushing yourself and competing against your personal bests. I definitely feel more relaxed after a workout.” Sam says in the future he will continue to lift when he gets the time. Sam has a total of 1220 pounds.

Sebastian Barajas, last, but definitely not least. Sebastian used to participate in football and wrestling but now only has dreams in track. Trying to make his senior year his best, he says “I have a goal to the be the first ever discus thrower to be a four-time state champion. And I want to be state champion in shot put as well. I want to win in both events my senior year. After school I am always working on perfecting my technique because when it comes to throwing, you can be the strongest man on earth, but if you have no technique, you’re not going to be good.” He also said that when he is lifting it gives him time to himself or to just enjoy lifting as much as he can with a friend. Sebastian also mentioned he plans on lifting in the future to achieve his goal. He has a total of 1390 pounds, making that the highest total out of 360 kids.