Competing in the Women’s Open Division at 148 pounds, Arnold finished atop the group in first place. She set personal competition records in the deadlift at 305 pounds and squat at 280 pounds; and she tied her personal record in the bench press at 150 pounds.

“Lifting weights has become a passion of mine. It’s just something I do, it’s non-negotiable,” Arnold said.

Athletic success is nothing new to the former Fredonia High School star athlete. Arnold was the catcher on Fredonia’s softball team for three straight trips to the state finals in 2007-09. After her stellar high school career, Arnold played softball collegiately at SUNY Brockport before graduating with her degree to become a physical education teacher.

Arnold then taught and coached softball at Brocton Central School, and served as Brocton’s Athletic Director, before taking her job now at Williamsville North High School as Assistant Principal and Athletic Director. She graduated from Canisius College with her Master’s Degree and Administration Certification.

Julie Arnold Sanders

During her senior year of high school, Arnold began training with a focus on weightlifting at Darwin’s Health Club in Fredonia. After her college softball career concluded, Arnold was looking for a way to stay competitive athletically.

“Through college is when I got a little more serious about weightlifting, because it was something I was good at,” Arnold said. “Then eventually, a couple guys from Darwin’s asked if I wanted to compete and I went for it. It was an opportunity for me to compete and to challenge myself.”

Phil DiFrancisco and Juan Cheverez, who both had prior experience competing in weightlifting competitions, got Arnold to enter her first competition in 2018. “I was hooked after that,” she said.

As a former softball player, the transition to weightlifting was a change in culture, going from a team sport with wins and losses to an individual sport focused on personal growth.

“For me it was a competition against myself to keep pushing to get better,” Arnold said. “It was not just the lifting, but it was the atmosphere of the competitions I was drawn to. … With the nature of the sport, you’re competing against all these other people, but you’re all rooting for each other to do well.”

Arnold regularly wakes up at 4 a.m. to get a workout in to start her day. She says the consistent focus on her physical health has aided in all aspects of her life.

“Training in the gym and pushing myself has really helped build the confidence I have in myself. It boosts my own confidence mentally, it translates to my personal life, my job … everything,” Arnold said.

As a competitor and an educator, Arnold not only sees the benefits to having an active lifestyle, but also cautions against comparing against others on social media.

“It all ties in to being confident with yourself, not comparing yourself to the progress of others. You can have positive influences and role models, but we’re all built differently. I’m just trying to beat my own numbers,” Arnold said. “It’s really the work you put in that makes the whole process enjoyable. … It feels good to feel good.”