Topic: News, Pics, & Video: Jeff Wittmer On His Way

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Wittmer On His Way
By Justin McMillin

American athletes who have Olympic aspirations dream of having the opportunity that Jeff Wittmer once had: an invitation to train at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. But for Wittmer, a St. Louis native, that dream bordered on a nightmare.
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Wittmer is one of the country's top young weightlifters, ranking No. 7 overall in the United States and No. 1 in the 96 kilogram (206-pound) weight class. His short experience in Colorado, however, might have been a blessing in disguise.

"It was a combination of things that made me leave," he said. "I'm kind of set in my ways when it comes to my training and they tried to change all that. Plus, you see the same people over and over and it was not a good fit for me."

During his six-month stay in Colorado, Wittmer developed a relationship with then-assistant coach Scott Johnson, who left to take a post as Strength and Conditioning Specialist at St. John's Sports Medicine HealthTracks Training Center in Springfield. It was that relationship that led Wittmer to Springfield and its Community Olympic Development Program.

"I understood what he was going through in Colorado because I had gone through it myself," Johnson said. "When you are invited there, you are essentially a professional weightlifter from then on. You have six-hour workouts and every minute is spent with the same people talking about weightlifting.

"It's too much to handle for some 18- or 19-year-old kids and it's a predicament..."

Searching for what he calls a "college experience," Wittmer contacted Johnson and Brandon Ezzell, the Director and Exercise Science Coordinator of St. John's Sports Medicine HealthTracks in charge of Performance Enhancement. He enrolled at Missouri State last semester and is a junior majoring in business marketing.

"I had a lot of friends that went to (MSU) and I kind of wanted to experience the college life," Wittmer said. "And I found out I could train whenever I wanted and however I wanted with Scott and Brandon without being told what to do with every aspect. It was complete freedom."

It also allowed Wittmer to be closer to the coach he has known all his life, father Mike, a chiropractor in the St. Louis area.

"He wasn't happy (in Colorado)," said Mike Wittmer, who had a 15-year weightlifting career. "Jeff's been weightlifting so long, he has a really good understanding of what he needs to do to prepare. It's been a great fit."

Jeff Wittmer began training and competing at age 11 and won the first 50 meets he entered. He is a six-time Junior National Champion and three-time Collegiate National Champion, and qualified as an alternate to the 2004 Olympic team.

He is competing this week for the United States at the World Weightlifting Championships in the Dominican Republic. This year's and next year's championships will determine how many spots the U.S. team gets in the 2008 Olympics.

Wittmer's current bests are 150 kilos (330 pounds) in the snatch and 194 kilos (429 pounds) in the clean and jerk. Johnson estimates Wittmer will have to increase both by about 20 pounds over the next year to solidify his spot on the American team.

"That is definitely the pinnacle of the sport," Wittmer said. "It will make everything I've done worth it if I can get there."

The Jeff Wittmer File

Age: 21

School: Missouri State University, studying business marketing

Competitive division: Senior

National rank: No. 7 overall, No. 1 at 94 kilos (206 pounds)

Major accomplishments: 2004 Olympic Trials qualifier, won 2006 Senior Men's National Championship, three-time Collegiate National Champion, six-time Junior National Champion, two-time Best Overall Collegiate Lifter, silver medal at 2006 World College Championship in France