Waco Coach Celebrates Girls’ Power with Commemorative Tattoo
Waco Barbell coach Jason Miotke has demonstrated his commitment and dedication to his youth female weightlifting team. Not only did he motivate them to win the state championship with a unique promise, but he also allowed them to participate in the creation of his “Girl Power” tattoo. This gesture not only boosted their confidence but also left them with a permanent reminder of their achievements. Miotke’s dedication extends beyond the gym and the state championship, as he hopes to inspire them further in the national championship and in their future endeavors.
Jason Miotke, the coach of Waco Barbell, has lived up to a bold promise made to his all-female youth weightlifting team. To celebrate their triumphant gold medal win at the state championship held in San Antonio, Miotke has had the phrase “Girl Power” permanently etched across his quadriceps.
The commitment was born from a good-humored wager between Miotke and his young athletes, all aged between 8 to 17. The coach pledged that, in the event of a state championship victory, he would either sacrifice his beard or submit to a tattoo of the team’s choosing. As the girls clinched the gold, they unanimously opted for the latter.
The tattoo, a blend of text and imagery featuring a barbell, was a collaborative creation. Each of the ten members of the team contributed to the design, carefully crafting individual letters before Angela Ponce at Embrace the Chaos Tattoo Parlor in Waco made the artwork permanent.
“I let each one of them draw a little bit of it, and then I went into the tattoo shop and said, ‘Hey, I need this on here exactly how they wrote it,'” Miotke shared. The result is a unique memento that symbolizes not only their collective triumph but also their individual contributions.
The new tattoo has become a source of amusement and inspiration for the team. Miotke hopes the phrase will continue motivating his young athletes far beyond their current weightlifting endeavors. “The kids can look back and be like, ‘I wrote a part of that. I wrote the g. I wrote the i,’” he said, envisioning the long-term significance of the tattoo.
While the tattoo resulted from a light-hearted bet, Miotke views the marking with profound sentimentality. “It’s a good memory for me also to know that I had a part in them winning, but also just helping them feel confident and comfortable in the gym,” he expressed.
The future remains bright for these young weightlifters, with several team members preparing to demonstrate their strength and skill at the national championship in Pittsburgh.
