Bulldogs junior won OBC title, placed third at 183 in Class 2A

Editor’s Note: In the July 21 edition of the News-Gazette, due to an editor’s error, All-County lifter Chase Butner’s photo was included in the Weightlifter of the Year story for St. Cloud’s Hans Schroeder. This is an abridged version of the story, with the correct photo of Schroeder.

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

Hans Schroeder sometimes had mixed emotions during his junior year at St. Cloud High.

As a transfer from Harmony, the Bulldogs’ rival, he often competed against his former teammates in football and weightlifting.

One of those conflicts came into play at the Class 2A state weightlifting tournament at the Kissimmee Civic Center, when Schroeder, competing at 183 pounds, was locked in a close race with former Harmony teammate Phil Laird for third place.

Schroeder missed his final clean and jerk attempt but still had a season-high lift of 340 pounds in the bench press and 285 in the clean a jerk for a 625 total.

Laird had one more clean and jerk attempt. If he hit it, he would displace Schroeder in third place.

“What was going through my mind was that if he hit it, it would be his best of the year, so part of me wanted him to get it,” Schroeder recalled. “But, another part of me wanted me to get (third place), so I was hoping he’d miss.”

Laird failed in his final attempt, leaving Schroeder in third place in Class 2A. Combined with Schroeder’s Orange Belt Conference championship at 183 pounds, with a meet-best 620-pound total lift, Schroeder is the Osceola News-Gazette Male Weightlifter of the Year.

Schroeder said he easily assimilated to the St. Cloud campus, where his older sister, Lauren, competed for the Lady Bulldogs weightlifting team and made three trips to the state meet. She was the Female Weightlifter of the Year in 2008.

His younger sister, Leeah Schroeder, also is competing for St. Cloud.

“I was supposed to go to St. Cloud all along, but my dad (Karl Schroeder) coached football at Harmony and he took me over there, so I was OK with that,” Schroeder said.

The Bulldogs lifter said his dad introduced him to weightlifting in middle school.

“It was something I did so I could be around my dad more often. I always thought of it as something to help me get ready for football until I got to high school, where I found out that it was a sport in itself,” Hans said.

St. Cloud Coach Cory Aun said Schroeder’s work ethic sets him apart.

“He’s a tremendous competitor who does things right,” Aun said. “He’s definitely the weightlifter of the year.”

Schroeder has big goals for his senior year.

“I’d like to break the school record in the bench press, 415 pounds,” he said. “I’d like to get my clean and jerk up to about 330 pounds. I’ll try to stay in the same weight class, but if I can’t make weight I’ll be at 199.”

Schroeder will play football for the Bulldogs as an offensive and defensive lineman under Coach Brad Lennox.

But, he’ll keep busy in the weightroom, as well.

“If I can reach my goals, I have a chance to do pretty well at state. I could be right there for a championship,” he said.