When someone generally pictures a weight lifter, they imagine a huge, muscular man. But not in this case.
Weighing only 123 pounds, sophomore Andrew Scott Jester is ranked the top weight lifter in the nation in the 123-pound weight class, according to usaw.hangastar.com.
Jester took up this unique hobby when he was in the seventh grade. What he didn’t know was all the sacrifices that came with the sport.
“It really isn’t that easy,” said Jester. “You really have to commit.”
When preparing for a tournament, a lifter must weigh in and lift a certain amount. To accomplish this, Jester eats a low-carb diet of little variety and attend two- to four-hour practices six days a week.
One technique that lifters use to make weight is taking Epsom salt baths in extremely hot water. This has helped Jester many times, especially when he needs to cut weight fast. It isn’t the most pleasant thing to do.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever taken one,” Jester said, “but it feels like jumping in a fire.”
In tournaments, Jester competes in two lifts: snatch and clean jerk. A snatch is a single motion lift of the bar over the head, while a clean jerk is a double motion where the bar is brought to the shoulders before lifted above the head.
He currently snatches 150 pounds and clean jerks 202 pounds.
He has attended many tournaments, including the School Age Nationals and the American Open, where he snatched 136 pounds and clean jerked 176 pounds. Jester will be going to the Junior Nationals on Feb. 13, 2013, in Sacramento, where he will compete against others in his weight class. He is on a weight lifting cycle in which he is trying to gain 46 pounds and move up to the 169-pound weight class.
By his senior year, Jester hopes to break the Cal High clean jerk record of 320 pounds, set by Karris Johnson. At his current rate, he believes he should be able to snatch 253 pounds and clean jerk 308 pounds by the end of next year.
Weight lifting coach Dave Spitz, who works at California Strength in San Ramon, urges Jester to train harder and harder every day so that he will be able to achieve this goal.
“I think he can do great things,” said Spitz. “He has a lot of potential. All he has to do is stay committed and he will turn out to be an outstanding lifter.”
Originally, Jester started weight lifting so he could gain more muscle for football. Once he realized that he was actually good at it, he decided to pursue it competitively.
“I thought he was doing great in football,” said Jester’s father, Shawn Jester. “If weight lifting is what he prefers then I support him.”
The only concern his parents have are his grades. With up to four-hour practices six days a week, Jester surprisingly maintains a 3.2 G.P.A.
“I am just happy that he has good grades,” said his mother, Aimee Campos Jester. “He promised that he would and has kept it ever since.”
