PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – The Wewahitchka girl’s weightlifting team has become a powerhouse in the last four-plus years. Through it all, Ashlyn Ake has been there to help propel the program to what it is today and in doing so, has become one of the best in the business. ”I want to be the […]
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – The Wewahitchka girl’s weightlifting team has become a powerhouse in the last four-plus years. Through it all, Ashlyn Ake has been there to help propel the program to what it is today and in doing so, has become one of the best in the business. ”I want to be the best because I watch the olympians do weightlifting and I want to be that, I want to be able to go compete on that stage one day and just show off that all this hard work has paid off.” Ashlyn tells us. The Warner University signee has always been a force with the bar, but also, on the football field. ”I’ll tell you another story, she was also my football manager for three years, my head manager.” says Wewa’s asst. weightlifting coach. “They would, you know, they would just give her grief and she would give grief right back to them and she would just tell them, you ain’t going to talk to me that way.” “Like just like this weightlifting team,” Ashlyn says “they are like my second family, the football team. They were like brothers to me, they would always stick up for me. We would argue and stuff but they would try and say stuff to me and I’d put it right back at them.” That’s also were Ashlyn says she found her passion in life moving forward. “I wanted to be like a nurse or something but then when I got out there and seen that you can do that out on the field, not only with football but you can do it with weightlifting so I was like, that might be something that I’m interested in.” Carrying a 3.6 GPA Ashlyn’s success in the classroom and on the bars is proof of her legendary work ethic. ”I mean she’s a six day a week weightlifter, she takes Sunday off that’s it.” adds Wewa head weightlifting coach Bobby Johns. “You know she comes in Saturdays and works, that’s our voluntary days, she comes in on Saturdays and works with us every Saturday. So she’s earned that right.”Ashlyn won first in her weight class at both districts and regionals, and is now getting set for a shot at a state medal.Newschannel 7′s Student Athlete of the week is sponsored by Walborsky, Bradley and Fleming.Copyright 2025 WJHG. All rights reserved.
