Amanda

Wojtal is a local athlete who recently competed on an

international level.

Wojtal, a

former Fayette County High School graduate, competed in

the 1999 Special Olympic World Games in North Carolina.

Wojtal is a

powerlifter and has been lifting weights for close to

five years. She said that her brother Jason was the one

who got her interested in the sport. She has lifted over

135 pounds and placed second at the World Games meet.

Wojtal trained several times a week, a few hours at a

time, to prepare for the Games, but she says the real

secret is attitude.

"You

have to have a good attitude," said Wojtal.

"Just smile and be yourself."

Wojtal said

her favorite part of the World Games was the Olympic

Village. "I met athletes from all over the world,

places like Belgium and Greece, and there was dancing

from all the different countries." She also enjoyed

the opening and closing ceremonies and making friends

from different teams.

When she's

not working out and training for competition, Wojtal

works at Publix, goes to church and enjoys spending time

with her boyfriend, singing and dancing. She also plans

to try soccer, volleyball or track, just to see how she

would do in one of those sports, but power lifting is her

true sport.

As she

said, "Anything is possible with the right

attitude."

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