When many teens are still struggling to lift themselves out of bed, 16-year-old Avery Miller is already pushing hundreds of pounds of iron skyward in a well-worn St. Augustine gym.
This year, the decorated junior captured the state championship in the unlimited division, taking first place in both Olympic and traditional categories at the Florida girls weightlifting championships in Lakeland.
For Miller, the triumph was the culmination of three years of blaring morning alarms, grueling training, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.
“I wasn’t thinking about winning,” Miller said of her final trip to the platform. “I was just focused on hitting my lift. That’s it. Coach told me I was the state champ afterward, and that’s when it really sank in. I went straight to my family.”
Her father, James, and her mother, Kimberly, were radiant with pride. They had been a constant presence at every meet over the years, clasping hands and holding their breath each time Avery faced a imposing stack of black plates.
Miller, who also competes in track and field, first picked up a barbell as a freshman. She credited her older brother, Nick, for introducing her to the sport and encouraging her to embrace it. The siblings would lift together every night, she said.
Her coach, Joey Lippo — a St. Augustine alumnus and head girls’ weightlifting coach — says her tenacious work ethic immediately set her apart.
“She’s disciplined, driven, and knows exactly what she wants,” Lippo said. “But what really stands out is her mindset. Avery lifts not just with her body, but with her head and her heart. She’s also a phenomenal teammate.”
Training sessions start early and include the clean and jerk, snatch, squats, and bench presses. Yet for Miller, the mental demands of weightlifting are just as critical as the physical.
Mind over metal.
“That’s everything,” she said. “If you’ve trained right and given your all every day, there’s no reason to be nervous when it’s your turn. You trust the work you’ve done.”
Lippo said that confidence and composure were evident at every competition this season. “When the pressure rises, Avery rises with it. She’s reached an elite level, and this year she proved it.”
A native of the Old City, Miller’s transcripts match her trophy case. Lippo said she holds herself to “ridiculously high academic standards” and takes as much pride in classroom as she does the weight room.
She plans to study sports medicine and nutrition in college and hopes to coach and mentor other athletes, passing on the perseverance that propelled her to statewide glory.
Even after claiming the crown, she is already eyeing her next challenge. “The ultimate goal is the Olympics,” she said. “That’s what I want.”
Every lift, she said, is more than a test of strength — it’s a quiet triumph over doubt, and a reminder that the heaviest burdens can lift you to highest heights.
KNOW OF A LOCAL ATHLETIC — OR ACADEMIC — STANDOUT DESERVING OF THE SPOTLIGHT? REACH OUT TO THE CITIZEN HERE AND LET THE COUNTY KNOW!
