Follen powerlifts his way to USA Games

MARSHFIELD – If you don’t know Josh Follen, you have most likely seen him.

For over a dozen years, Josh has held parking enforcement and crossing guard jobs with the Marshfield Police Department.

For the past five years, Josh has patrolled the Peach & Doege intersection before and after school. When he’s not helping students navigate Marshfield’s heaviest school traffic, Josh is patrolling and enforcing downtown parking limits during the day – something he’s done for more than 12 years.

At around the time he started marking tires, Follen took on another new challenge, this one as an athlete with Marshfield Area Special Olympics.

“About twelve years ago, he came to me as the agency manager for Marshfield and said he wanted to do powerlifting,” said Randy Follen, Josh’s dad. “I knew absolutely nothing about it.

“The first year, I took him over to [Stevens] Point every week for practice so I could learn something about it because they had a program going over at the Point YMCA. After that, I did start it up here in Marshfield.”

Fast forward to the spring of 2025, when the Follens learned of a unique opportunity. Team Wisconsin had room for one male powerlifter for the USA Games in Minnesota in June 2026.

“I don’t know what was in his mind that he really wanted to do powerlifting, but I think it’s great that he’s doing it,” Randy told us. “And I had no idea what I was getting into, but right now it’s one of my favorite sports.”

“You have to use your mind plus your body to compete,” added Sharon Follen, Josh’s mother. “You are not only competing against someone else, but you’re competing with yourself.”

So, after working out four days a week for a full year, Josh found himself at the USA Games at the University of Minnesota in June as one of 58 members of Team Wisconsin.

“It was fun,” Josh told Hub City Times. “I surprised myself. I didn’t think I was going to place, but I got 4th place.”

The 134-pound Follen squatted 150 pounds, benched 116 pounds and hoisted 204 pounds in the dead-lift event, for a total combined weight of 470 pounds.

“Something different,” said Follen, when asked why he started powerlifting. “I wanted to try it and see how it goes. Ever since I started, I’ve enjoyed it.”

“Never thought he would do something like this, remembering him as a baby with all the health issues that he had,” Sharon said. “It was overwhelming. What a great experience to see something like this. Proud. Very proud.”

Josh, now 41, was born with a heart condition, which doctors were able to repair when he was 13 months old.

When Josh was nine, he was diagnosed with cardiofaciocutaneous, or CFC, syndrome, a very rare genetic condition characterized by three main features – congenital heart defects, distinctive facial features, and cutaneous/hair abnormalities.

“He still has a heart problem,” his mom told Hub City Times. “Actually his biggest thing right now is his asthma. He gets bronchitis or pneumonia just like that.”

That’s part of the reason Josh will soon be taking a full-time position with the Head Start program based at the Marshfield Clinic Health System YMCA.

“We have five kids,” Sharon told us. “The other four, they’re fine. They are on their own. But then you have one that has to have help, and we’re the ones that have to be their voice. This is what we do. Actually, we are voices for a lot of the other ones with Special Olympics, too. This is our life.”

Besides powerlifting, Josh participates in basketball, bowling, flag football and corn hole.

He graduated from Auburndale High School in 2005, the same year he joined Special Olympics.

Now, Follen has his sights set on the next USA Games in Cleveland, OH in 2030.

“I might. We’ll see how it goes,” Josh told us. “I know I’m not getting any younger.”

Marshfield Area Special Olympics has several fundraisers throughout the year. The annual Breakfast with Santa in December and yearly basketball game versus the Marshfield Police Department in March are the organization’s two biggest fundraisers. The Elks also sponsor a bowling fundraiser each year and the Knights of Columbus organization conducts an annual tootsie roll sale.

The Marshfield chapter of Special Olympics currently has around 100 athletes participating in its various sports programs.