Annabelle Goyette

Annabelle Goyette has earned everything she has. There was no other way. There are some sports where being naturally fast or athletically gifted will give you a leg up. But in weightlifting, there’s no substitute for hard work over a long period of time.

A friend convinced Goyette to start throwing on the track and field team when she decided to stop playing softball. That turned out to be a great decision. Goyette graduated as the proud owner of two school records in throwing. But before she ever threw a shot put or discus, she had to start in the weight room. Little did she know that training would lead her to break an even bigger, 29-year-old record.

The Top Form Lift-Off competition started in 1992 and continues to pit local high school lifting teams against each other. A few years into the competition, the women’s three-lift total record was set at 745 lbs. Between the squat, bench press, and deadlift, Goyette medaled in all three events and turned in a new record total of 750 lbs.

Goyette says she enjoys lifting the most because it’s different from most sports. “I’m only competing against myself in lifting,” she said. “I feel like people say that for every sport, but with lifting it really is true. In every practice, I’m just competing against myself and just getting a little better each time.”

She also says she felt like the lifting community welcomed her with open arms. “The people that are in the community make it easier to want to lift,” she said.

Lifting was fun for Goyette. So when she decided to go out for the football team, it was hardly a chore to attend football lifting sessions in the offseason. When the time came for her to strap on the pads, she said her teammates were excited to continue playing with such a dedicated athlete. “When I showed up to get my equipment, the coaches were like ‘Oh, Annabelle, you’re suiting up? You’re playing? Is this happening?'”

Her coaches noticed her hard work as well. “Annabelle was one of our most consistent scholar athletes,” said Jeffrey Pasinella, Head Varsity Football Coach at Lansingburgh High School. “She never missed a single workout or practice. She is a very disciplined individual with great work ethic, and most importantly is a team player.”

These days, it’s rare but not unheard of to see a female on a high school football team. But almost all of them are kickers or specialists. Goyette broke the mold when she lined up as both a defensive and offensive lineman. Her hard work took her all the way to the Capital District Chapter of the National Football Hall of Fame.

“Playing football was honestly one of the best experiences of my life. It was awesome and terrifying, but just really fun. Getting to know the linemen in practice was great and being a linebacker is so much fun.”

Goyette’s incredible work ethic extends into the classroom as well. She graduated third in the Lansingburgh class of 2025 and achieved High Honor Roll in every quarter of her high school career. She often felt like her schoolwork paled in comparison to the effort needed for all her lifting, throwing, and football.

“I would go to football practice, go to the weight room, all these places where I knew I was challenging myself. Then I would go home and do a lot at night, but I had that confidence that I built through the day. I already took on practice and the weight room, so going home and getting my homework done, that’s the easy part.”

Goyette wants to become a physical therapist in the future and will start that journey this fall at Binghamton. She wants to work with football players and other athletes, with a goal of eventually working with professional athletes. “I know how much I love my sports and how much it stings when you have an injury or something hurts,” she said. “I want to be the person to help athletes through those experiences.”

Dallas Foard, Goyette’s Track and Field coach, said he enjoyed the “unique opportunity to watch Annabelle grow as a student athlete, a leader and a strong, independent young woman.”