Sport throws brave Steffie a lifeline
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
TO challenge the best in the sport requires strength both of body and character and a Buckie woman has shown just that as she stormed to within a single point of victory against one of the legends of women's powerlifting in her debut contest.
Steffie Murray (31), who originally hails from Portgordon but now resides in Portessie, came within a solitary point of claiming victory in the Highland's Strongest Woman contest recently against Mary Anderson, whose long and illustrious career in the sport is littered with championships and world records.
Inverness beckoned for Steffie and a band of supporters including family, friends and Graeme and Helen Wright from Wright Fitness in Buckie, where she has trained for the last three years.
A gruelling set of challenges awaited the personal trainer, including an axle press, keg toss and duck walk. For some of the events, Steffie had to adapt rapidly as the equipment used different from what she was used to.
Steffie told the Advertiser: "I was confident in my abilities going into the competition but when I saw Mary Anderson in it I didn't think I was going to get anywhere near first.
"She's a legend of world renown and has won most of the big titles.
"To come within a point of winning is pretty overwhelming, just amazing. I had supporters from the gym and my family and friends there and it was a very emotional occasion.
"I've only been working towards the competitive side of the sport since November and I just love it, this is something I definitely want to take forward."
Steffie is without any shadow of doubt an sporting role model but her path to Highland's Strongest Woman glory is one which has seen her become an inspiration in a quite different light after turning the tide of her own life when it hit rock bottom. Powerlifting, and the support she has received from Wright Fitness, has seen her tackle and gain the upper hand over a mental illness which even in modern society can leave sufferers stigmatised, marginalised, misunderstood and even ridiculed – depression.
Steffie said: "I was a very different person when I started lifting weights – I was very shy and had had a breakdown, which meant I had to leave work and hardly left the house, even to do shopping.
"I started watching strongman videos and ended up Googling local gyms which is how I found Wright Fitness. I was a stuttering mess that first time I came along to the gym, I found it very hard to speak about my depression, to convey how I felt and how I wanted to feel better so much.
"Graeme and Helen got it from the very beginning, they understood.
"It's built my confidence coming from a place of having no self-esteem. I remember when i was about to do my first dead lift and thinking 'That weighs more than me!'.
"Powerlifting has made a huge and very positive difference to my life. I'm lifting big weights where once I couldn't even get out of bed, I was unemployed and my life was full of psychiatrists, psychologists and support workers from mental health charity SAMH. My depression is now under control, although not cured, and I've now someone who is able to lead a positive life after being disabled."
Steffie's love of powerlifting has shaped her new career and she went on to qualify as a personal trainer and now has her own business.
"It's empowered me and I want to share some of that with other people," she added.
Steffie's next big step into competitive powerlifting will be the Scottish Championships in Motherwell in May next year.
Her achievements on and off the field of competition have earned her warm words of praise from the instructors who have been training her at Wright Fitness in Buckie.
Working with the talented powerlifter for the past three years have been master instructor Graeme Wright and instructor Helen Wright.
Graeme said: "This is as much a boost for all of us here as it is for Steffie, we shared her feeling right through the competition.
"There were lumps in our throats by the end."
Helen Wright added: "Our aim is to always to help people find and unlock their potential.
"Steffie is one of the first people we've had who's taken it to such a whole different level.
"It's difficult to find that belief in yourself if you're suffering from low self-esteem and confidence."
