Episode 17 – Sport & Culture: Women in Powerlifting (Part 1)

Guests: Morgan Gilliam, Erin Ribic (Dickey) 

Hosts: Chris Gilliam & Chris Whittaker

Release date: 7/20/26

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In Part 1, we sit down with Morgan Gilliam and Erin Ribic, to trace the roots of women’s powerlifting in Michigan high schools. The conversation opens with introductions and easy banter before digging into Erin’s background running a fitness and bodybuilding business with her husband, and Morgan’s earliest memories hanging around the weight room as a kid, mimicking the athletes her dad coached.

From there, the conversation turns to the pioneering days of the sport, when girls’ powerlifting teams in Michigan were just a handful of athletes, and early competitors like Tara O’Brien helped make it “okay” for girls to compete, the camaraderie of those early meets, the logistics of spotting and loading for teammates, and a trip to USA Powerlifting women’s nationals in Fort Wayne, Indiana, alongside early Michigan lifters like Susie Hartwig and Liz Willett.

The group also discusses how much the sport has grown, from a state meet with a handful of schools to the dozens competing today, and how social media (or the lack of it) shaped the experience of competing in the earlier years, since athletes back then didn’t have the platforms lifters rely on today to build a following or find community. Erin also touches on how few college powerlifting programs existed at the time, naming Louisiana Tech and LSU as some of the only options.

Part 1 wraps up just as the conversation turns to Morgan’s transition from high school to college powerlifting, setting up the conversation continues in Part 2.

Topics covered in Part 1:

• Erin’s fitness and bodybuilding business
• Morgan’s early days in the weight room
• The pioneering era of Michigan girls’ powerlifting
• Team camaraderie and meet-day logistics
• Traveling to USA Powerlifting women’s nationals
• Growth of the sport and school participation over the years
• Social media’s role (or absence) in the earlier years of the sport
• The scarcity of collegiate powerlifting programs at the time
• Transitioning into Morgan’s college powerlifting career