James Hart can certainly lay claim to being an all-round sportsman because the 15 year old plays rugby for St Davids School and Haverfordwest RFC in their junior section, is a useful high jumper who has trained with Pembrokeshire Harriers, has played football this season for Camrose Juniors – and most recently can rightly be proud of the fact that he is now a Welsh weight-lifting champion!
 
James’ achievement in weight lifting at the Strength Academy Wales is all the more creditable because he hasn’t been involved for a year yet and has shown his potential because since his success in the Welsh Championships he has also competed in the British Schools’ Finals in Birmingham and can be immensely proud of the fact that he won the silver medal in a quality field.
 

Warm welcome at SAW

 
He first went to SAW last October, initially with the idea that he could take part in a conditioning programme which would help his overall fitness for his rugby, and was given a warm welcome by owner Simon Roach and Owain Rowlands, who also coaches there.
 
James really enjoyed the friendly atmosphere at SAW and as well as working hard at his upper body strength for the oval ball game was soon trying out the ‘Clean & Jerk’ and ‘Snatch’ techniques used by weight lifters, encouraged by Simon and Owain to develop these skills.
 
“I had watched some members my age lifting quite large weights for their size,” said James, “and decided I would like to give it a go.
 

 

Steady start pays dividends

 
“At first Owain had me just using a bar, without  any weight attached at the ends, emphasizing the need to polish the techniques before going on to any serious weights, and reminding me all the time of the need to get under the bar and let it do the initial work for me.
 
“At first I must have looked very clumsy,” he admitted, “but suddenly things clicked and it became almost second nature, so he let me add weights, slowly at first but increasing gradually as I gained in confidence, but always closely monitored so I didn’t injure myself.”
 
Like most participants, James found the ‘Clean & Jerk’ technique easier to master, since it consists of an initial explosive lift from the floor to the upper chest, followed by a chance to get your breath before lifting the bar above the head, locking the arms and standing still to receive the three white lights from the judges that indicate a successful lift.
 
The ‘Snatch’ technique seeks the same outcome but must be completed in one movement and so demands greater co-ordination to successfully complete, as indicated by James’ initial Personal Bests.
 

Huge increase in Personal Best lifts

 

“At first he achieved a PB of 45kgs in the ‘Clean & Jerk’ and 30kgs in ‘The Snatch’,” Owain told us, “which I thought was pretty good start, but since then his willingness to work hard and listen to good advice has paid off because his respective PBs are now 73kgs and 55kgs.

 
“This makes for a combined total of 128kgs, which is a massive increase of 53kgs in just seven months, and which is fitting reward for attending as many as three two-hour sessions each week.”
 

Great family support and football involvement

 
James plays football as a central defender for Camrose Juniors and they reached their age-group final before losing out to Herbrandston at Marble Hall, the home of Milford United.
His father Neil has played for a long time with Camrose in the Pembrokeshire League and is a great follower of James’ sporting activities: as is mum Lucy, whom James describes as,
“My biggest supporter and an amazing taxi driver who takes me everywhere I need to go in all my sports.”
 
“Then there’s my older brother George (17), who plays rugby for Llandovery College and was part of the Haverfordwest RFC’s under 18 team which recently won the Griffiths Cup in Neyland.”
 

High jump in athletics

 
On the athletics’ front, James has dabbled in in the high jump, with the help of Ms Rachel Thomas in school, adapting to the technically-difficult Fosbury Flop with relative ease, and attending training sessions at Pembrokeshire Harriers, where Liz Rowland is coach, and improved his personal best from 1 metre 15 centimetres to 1m 55cms.
 
“I just turned up and was made very welcome,” James told us, “and I came third in the county sports.
 

Love of rugby

 
Until his recent involvement with weight lifting, it was rugby that James regarded as his main sporting interest, after starting out in tag rugby at Haverfordwest, initially going along to watch his big brother.
 
By the time he was playing at under 11 and coached by Huw Jones, he had gained a regular place in the three-quarter line but in one match no-one seemed to want to play as open-side flanker so James volunteered and he has enjoyed playing there ever since.
 
James has taken part in two county junior finals with the Young Blues, losing on both occasions to Crymych, firstly in Crymych and this season just gone in Pembroke.
“But it was a great day out,” said James, “especially since all my family were there to watch.”
 
“I also enjoy playing for St Davids School, where we are coached by Colin Reynolds, and although we are not the best team in the county we enjoy playing together.”
 

Hard work is paying off

 
Back on the weight lifting front, James thrice-weekly sessions are very demanding as he usually does four sets of whichever technique he is working on, breaking down both lifts into their component parts and going over and over again until they become second nature.
 
It’s even more intense in ‘The Snatch’ because of the need to make sure that he is aware of where the bar is at every moment in the lift – aiming for total control from floor to completion.
 
He also has to develop confidence for the actual competition because,
“You can work as hard as you like but there’s nothing can prepare you for that moment when your name is announced and you take centre stage with all eyes on you.
 

Overcoming natural nerves well

 
“When I entered the Welsh Schools’ Championships I was every nervous but I’ve learned from that and although I was still nervous when I went to the British Finals it was nowhere near as bad, despite there being more competitors and a bigger crowd!
 
“But I failed in my opening two attempts at ‘The Snatch’ but I managed 42kgs in my final lift and was delighted to get on the podium in second place.
 
“It was a great experience and will be of help when I compete again.”
 
Now that’s the kind of positive thinking that is appreciated by Simon and Owain and we can understand why they have such high hopes for James Hart after our short chat with this talented young all-rounder at the Strength Academy Wales!