Courtesy of Lift for Life Gym
Antwan, Destiny, Tanesha, and Jerome (left to right) attended the Youth National Championships in Atlanta, Ga. with Lift for Life Gym.
Late last month, 15-year-old Antwan Kilbert won the title of National Youth Champion in his age and weight class at the Youth National Championships in Atlanta, but he wasn’t alone at the top of the podium.
Two of his teammates—Jerome Smith, 16, and Destiny Snider, 13—from Lift For Life Gym in St. Louis also took National Youth Championship titles. Snider set a new American record with a 44-kilogram (97-pound) snatch, in which the weightlifter takes the barbell from the floor to an overhead position in a single motion. What’s more, all nine members of the nonprofit gym’s team qualified for and traveled to the competition, says Joe Miller, executive director of the gym, which is a separate entity from the school of the same name.
“Many of these kids had never flown on an airplane before, never left St. Louis before,” he says. “They got there—even though they were nervous and anxious—and competed beyond expectations.”
Smith and Kilbert are experienced at air travel and competing on a big stage: Both earned a spot on Team USA, which went to Bangkok for the International Weightlifting Federation Youth World Championships in April. The trip took 19 hours and marked Kilbert’s first time traveling internationally.
“It was just amazing out there,” says Kilbert, who also earned the title of Junior National Champion for his winning performance at the 2017 Junior National Championship in Kansas City in February, when he competed against people as old as 20. “I was kind of nervous on the plane ride, and when I got to the competition there were a lot of people there. It was just overwhelming.”
Weightlifting offers more than titles and trips for the children, though. In addition to its competitive weightlifting team, Lift for Life Gym hosts a variety of programs that are open and free of charge to boys and girls ages 8–18. Aimed at creating a positive environment for at-risk youth, the gym also provides transportation and meals to a population of young people who sometimes face hunger, homelessness, and dangerous conditions that make going outside for exercise unsafe or impossible.
“We’re trying to show them all of the opportunities that are out there and that if they work hard, they can achieve things and be successful. It’s not just the athletic growth; it’s the development in the child toward making positive life choices,” says Miller, whose gym serves more than 500 young people. “They’re using it as a platform for success. Many of these kids are lifting for their lives.”
Kilbert, who thinks he was likely obese when he joined the gym in grade school, believes it’s helped him do much more than burn fat and build muscle. “It changed my life all the way around,” he says. “I’ve learned that if you put your mind to it and put the work in, you can achieve.”
He hopes to take weightlifting “as far as it will go,” perhaps parlaying his talents into scholarships to study veterinary medicine and working as a coach one day. For now, he offers this advice to other young people: “Stay positive, and don’t let anybody bring you down. Be around people who are positive with you and will support you and your goals.”
Visit the website for more information on Lift For Life Gym (1415 Cass), including how to volunteer and donate funds or items on the nonprofit’s wish list.
