I first noticed Stephanie Lemmen when I was helping Greg Everett and the Catalyst Athletics team in the warmup room at the National Championship and Olympic Trials around 2014-2016. At the time, we were working with Jessica Lucero in the 58 kg class, and this was when Jess had a stranglehold on that weight class at the national level. When we coached Jess at those meets, she was usually winning by a comfortable margin. However, there was a blonde girl in her class that definitely got our attention. She gave Jess a run for her money in the snatch a few times, and she was clearly an up-and-comer. That was Stephanie.
 
Steph has been bouncing around the country for the last few years with her military husband, Kurt. She’s currently training in Tucson, Arizona, where she’s beginning to hit some of her career-best lifts so far. With an 88 kg snatch and 103 kg C&J in the 58 kg class, she’s knocking on the door of much bigger lifts and greater opportunities. As with many of our top female US lifters, she’s a former gymnast who has found her true calling with the barbell. Her talent and potential are terrific, and Catalyst is pleased to share a look at her life.
 
Tell us about your background. Where are you from, where do you currently live, what’s your occupation (if you work in addition to training), family life, what kind of sports background do you have outside of lifting, etc.
 
I grew up in Colorado and I'm currently living in Tucson, Arizona, with my husband, Kurt. When I'm not training, recovering, or eating, I'm a weightlifting coach at CrossFit 520. I did gymnastics for 10 years before switching to weightlifting my senior year of high school.
 
Describe your weightlifting history. When/how did you start? Who have your coaches been? What championships and international teams do you have on your record? What are your best lifts?
 
In 2007, I was seeing a physical therapist for a gymnastics injury, and he also worked on some of the lifting ladies from the Olympic Training Center. Pretty serendipitous, right? The PT encouraged me to try weightlifting because a lot of successful lifters had the same background as me, so he introduced me to my first coach, Andy Garcy. Andy was a great technical coach and I was lucky to start lifting with him. After Andy, Emmy Vargas coached me right before my first Senior Nationals in 2009. My coach since then has been Bob "No Mercy" Morris. I am also coached by Joaquin Chavez. I made the 2016 Olympic Test Event team and 2016 University Worlds team. My best lifts are 88kg snatch and 103kg clean & jerk.
 
Please give a basic description of your training. Just tell us as much as you can about your program, weekly/yearly planning, etc.
 
I follow the No Mercy Morris program, which is intense. Lots of squats and heavy lifts! I typically have 8 training sessions a week. This is year-round because there's no off-season in weightlifting.
 
Describe some of the obstacles you face, or maybe some things that frustrate you in your weightlifting life. What kinds of changes would you like to see, either personally or with the sport in general?
 
Training alone without the presence of a coach has been the biggest obstacle. It takes a whole new level of dedication to push through tough workouts by yourself. I don't even live in the same state as either of my coaches, so I email videos to them and get feedback that way. My husband serves in the U.S. Air Force, so we've moved six times in the last seven years! This has made it hard at times to maintain a consistent training environment. How much company I have during training changes based on where we're living. For example, right now, I have an awesome team of lifters at High Desert Weightlifting. For the future of the sport, I would like to see cash prizes at weightlifting competitions, both at the national and local level, to the top lifters in each weight class to reward the time and energy it takes to show up and compete.
 
What are your plans and goals for your weightlifting career? How do you see your future in the sport? Do you plan to stay involved in weightlifting after your top competitive years are over?
 
Make more international teams and ultimately the 2020 Olympics! I want to keep getting stronger and reach my full potential in weightlifting! I want help elevate weightlifting to a more mainstream sport and forever keep sharing my knowledge on how to properly lift weights.
 
Who are some of your major influences, people you look up to, etc.? Who are the people you want to thank for your success?
 
I think because of the year I started lifting, there are a lot of lifters from the 2004-2008 "era" that were major influences. Their attitude, hard work, and strength really inspired me and opened my eyes to the badassness of weightlifting. It's hard to list everyone but I really looked up to Amanda Sandoval, Natalie and Casey Burgener, Cheryl Hayworth, Melanie Roach, Carissa Gump, Jackie Black, Zach Krych, and Cara Heads Slaughter.
 
There have been so many supportive people that I could turn this interview into 100 pages by thanking them all individually, but I'd like to thank amazing my husband, Kurt, because he's always my biggest fan and the best loader in the warm-up room. Also, thank you to my family for learning what weightlifting is and staying for my entire 2-3 hour competitions. Thanks for reading this interview and I hope you enjoyed getting to know me just a little bit!
 
Have a great time in these future years, Steph. You’re one of our best and Catalyst Athletics wishes you success in your career!