Administrators come and go in Olympic weightlifting. I’ve been in the sport since the late 1980s, and it would take some effort to remember all the people who have been involved in running USA Weightlifting since then. I was on the USAW Board of Governors for almost ten years, and my coach was the vice-president of the Federation throughout that time period, so I got pretty close to the politics of our national scene.
 
I’ve always believed an administrator’s effectiveness is shown in how the organization is performing. By that measurement, it’s safe to say that Phil Andrews has had a tremendously positive impact on our sport in his short time as CEO of USAW. Lots of things have changed for the better in recent years. And trust me, that hasn’t always been an easy trick to pull off. Trying to make Olympic weightlifting bigger and better in this country has been described as “banging your head against a wall” by some pretty smart people over the previous decades. But right now, the entire sport is on a massive upswing, probably hitting its highest level of popularity with the general public in history. Several factors are involved in that improvement. It’s never about just one thing. But my experience has taught me that having a quality person at the top is always going to be one of the biggest components in the equation. Phil is our guy at the top right now, and things are better than they’ve been in a lot of ways. Enough said.
 
Catalyst Athletics is proud to give you a look at a very recent addition to the American weightlifting family whose contributions have made us all better: Phil Andrews.
 
Tell us about your background. Where are you from, family life, professional history, what kind of background involvement do you have in sports administration, etc.

Thanks for the opportunity to interview for Catalyst. I’m originally from a small town in England named South Woodham Ferrers. I have a wildly varied background but worked in professional ice hockey, in corporate student housing, and then on the 2012 Olympic Games for the University of East London where we hosted the London training site for Team USA. That’s how I met my now wife, Stacy, and after the Games moved to the USA.
 
Describe how you got involved in Olympic weightlifting. What led to your current position as CEO of USA Weightlifting?
 
When I moved to the US, I did some work with a number of NGBs, and felt that Weightlifting had a great opportunity at the time due to the large amount of growth in the sport through CrossFit. I joined USA Weightlifting full time on June 23, 2013, six months after my first day volunteering for USA Weightlifting part-time. In December 2015, our previous CEO moved on, and I was asked to become the Interim CEO by the Board of Directors and subsequently became the permanent CEO in late April. I hope to be doing this for as long as I’m contributing positively.
 
Several things have changed about weightlifting in America over the last ten years. Describe some of the biggest changes you’ve seen during your time in our sport, and what your involvement has been in these changes.
 
It’s probably easier to list was hasn’t changed than what has. The two lifts – the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk – are still the same, and perhaps not much else is the same as it was in early 2013 when I first arrived. Much of that has been due to the growth the sport has experienced not only in numbers but also in talent. We are seeing so much wonderful talent join our sport such as Mattie Rogers, Morghan King, Harrison Maurus, Megan Seegert, Hayley Reichardt, and many more who have taken up our sport in the last two to four years. It’s a team effort across our sport to see changes come to the organization, but I’ve probably become best known for our national event changes since 2014.
 
Describe some of the obstacles you face, or maybe some things that frustrate you in weightlifting. What kinds of changes would you like to see, either nationally or with the sport in general?

Every day is different in my job. Clearly, the biggest hurdles facing the sport are the need to address the worldwide doping issues this sport faces, and the need to modernize our program for the Olympic Games audience of the day. Domestically, our new partnership with the NFHS is going to be equally exciting and frustrating as we work to have more state sanctioned Weightlifting programs within a school setting, and continue to try to recruit the athletes we need to succeed at the elite level.
 
What are your plans and goals for your career as a weightlifting administrator? How do you see your future in the sport?
 
To continue to find ways to grow our sport and recruit athletes. I hope that I can oversee a period at the NGB when we finally return the USA its rightful place towards the top of the podium
 
Who are some of your major influences, people you look up to, etc.? Who are the people you want to thank for your success?
 
The largest reason I’m at Weightlifting is our former CEO who is now at the USOC, Rick Adams. However, within the sport there have been so many I’ve learned from and who have taken the time to share their knowledge with me. There are far too many to list, but those who have served on our committees and board are certainly amongst those who have shared the most. Honestly, I appreciate the fact that we have been able to come together as a sport to make the changes that we need to move forward.