Brandon’s Everett finds balance in powerlifting

If you think lifting a bar with a ridiculous amount of weight attached is entirely physical, Dustin Everett might like a word.

The 28-year-old born-and-raised Brandonite is heading to the Manitoba Powerlifting Association’s provincial powerlifting, bench press and para-powerlifting championships at Winnipeg’s Pembina Curling Club from May 1 to 3, and said the body can’t do what the mind won’t allow.

“It’s a huge part of it,” Everett said. “Sometimes it is mental. Something doesn’t feel right, your squats don’t feel right, that’s going to completely throw you off. I’d say it’s half mental and half just putting in the work and trying to build your body to be strong enough.”

Everett knows a little bit about physical sports.

He played football at Crocus Plains and later with the now defunct Westman Wolverines junior program. Now he plays rugby with the Brandon Barbarians.

With those sports, time in the gym was a given, but he began powerlifting five years ago.

“I always came and tried to lift heavy with the squats and dead lifts, so it was a pretty easy transition,” Everett said.

His first competition came in 2022 and he has attended two provincials since. He finished third in 2023 and won his division in 2025.

“I think the pressure comes before the meet,” Everett said. “Once I’m there, I’m just trying to have fun and beat my own records. Definitely before, I’m trying to win.”

In the sport, athletes compete in the squat, bench press and deadlift, in that order, with the goal of posting the highest combined total from their three attempts in each.

His personal bests are 595.2 pounds (270 kg) on the squat, 385 pounds (175 kg) on the bench and 661.4 pounds (300 kg) on the deadlift. He favours the latter.

“That’s the one I’m best at,” Everett said. “You always gravitate toward the things you’re good at so deadlift for sure for me.”

If you think the sport is full of sunshine and rainbows and steady improvement every time you head to the gym, the reality is quite different. Instead, it’s rife with disappointment and self doubt.

“It’s brutal with powerlifting,” Everett said. “You’ll have years where it feels like you’re not really making a ton of progress and then sometimes it clicks where you do make that progress and you’re happy with it. It’s all about consistency, coming and trying your best every day and taking care of your body and recovery.”

It doesn’t hurt that he’s surrounded by like-minded individuals who understand the process.

The other Peak Performance members who are competing at provincials are Stephen Sulik, Brenda Billings, Chanelle Dupuis and Alex Pokryshenko.

“This is where most of the powerlifters in Brandon come and it’s a pretty good group,” Everett said. “There are all ages, from a 15-year-old to the people in masters. It’s great. Everyone is super supportive, and anyone who wants to get into the sport, everybody is always happy to share their knowledge and things they’ve learned along the way. It’s been really good.”

As it turns out, he’s one of the people at the centre of the powerlifting scene. The newcomer Dupuis is attending her first provincials, and said Everett is not only a terrific powerlifter, he’s also a never-ending source of positivity at the gym.

“He’s a really good friend,” Dupuis said. “He’s always willing to help out and always has a smile on his face and brings others up. “He’s really a blast to be around and as you can hear from his totals, he’s extremely strong. I’ve witnessed some of those lifts and that was pretty much six of me.”

Everett’s favourite moment in the sport came when Brandon hosted the western Canadian championships in 2023. He finished fourth in the 205-pound class with a total of 1,493.6 pounds.

“It was super cool because everybody around here made the meet,” Everett said. “There were a lot of Brandon people competing and it was great that Brandon put on something like that. That’s a pretty big meet, that’s regionals for us, one step below nationals.”

He qualified for nationals two years ago but didn’t attend, and isn’t sure if a Canadian event is in his future or not because if he’s going to travel that far, he wants to make sure he’s lifting well.

But he is certain that powerlifting is his sport.

“It’s definitely the competition for me,” Everett said. “Also, with powerlifting, it’s kind of like golf. You’re never going to be perfect so there’s always something to work on and something to grind towards, and that’s what keeps me in it for sure.”

While podium finishes are nice, they’re not what motivates Everett. Instead, just like that golfer trying to score a little better every time out, he just wants to be a better version of himself.

“If I get some sort of improvement on my lifts every meet, I’m happy that,” Everett said. “If I think I’ve had a good meet but I don’t win, I’m still going home happy.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com