SLAUGHTER, La. (WAFB) – High school weight rooms stand empty this time of year, with the exception of the gym at Slaughter Charter School. There the clanking iron is only interrupted by the grunt of National Champion powerlifter Noah Shotwell.
The recently graduated senior still has work to do and goals to reach.
“I like being the strongest man there,” Noah said just before stepping under a 400-pound barbell.
There’s no denying he’s strong. Noah finished the 2026 powerlifting season the Louisiana State Champion with a three-lift total of more than 1600 pounds.
But it hasn’t always been that way. When Noah was in elementary school, his lack of muscle tone earned him the nickname “Floppy.”
“When he was young, he was floppy,” his dad and coach, Justin Shotwell, explained. “That was what we called it. He would fall out and flop around.”
Noah was diagnosed with low muscle tone, poor motor skills, and poor coordination – not the attributes of an athlete.
“I don’t know if there’s a name for it,” Justin said. “Or if there’s other kids have something similar. When he would get excited, you know how most people tense up? He goes completely limp. He would just go completely limp. He wasn’t good with his hands. And he was weak.”
Noah found powerlifting in high school and never looked back. Before this year’s season began, Noah said his dad challenged him.
“In the summer, my dad came to me. He said, ‘I want you to set a goal that’s really hard to do, for yourself. And I want you to do everything you have to do to get it,’” Noah said.
Noah and Justin worked to adjust his technique, lift heavier, and dial in his diet. That work paid off.
After winning the state title, Noah advanced to Nationals, lifting in the 264-pound weight division.
He squatted 645 pounds, enough to lead the pack going into the bench press. Noah was in second place going into his final deadlift.
“I picked it up. It was easy weight,” Noah said.
He lifted 745 pounds to secure the national title in his weight division. And the kid they called Floppy became the strongest 18-year-old in the country.
He now heads to Sun City Africa to lift in the Junior World Championship as part of the Junior National Team.
Click here to report a typo. Please include the headline.
Click here to subscribe to our WAFB 9 News daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Watch the latest WAFB news and weather now.