A former gymnast starts competing in CrossFit, finds Olympic weightlifting, and has success in the sport. At this point, we’ve all heard that story a thousand times. Half the interviews I’ve done with female lifters over the last few years have shared this same beginning. However, most of them haven’t juggled emergency room nursing careers while training and competing. Most of them haven’t won the American Open Final a year after spinal surgery.
 
That’s the story of Sarabeth McLendon Jumper. As you’ll read, Sarabeth was a perennial CrossFit regional athlete and Grid competitor for several years, along with working her way up the national rankings in Olympic lifting at the same time. Disaster struck in 2017 when a horrific back injury dropped her to her knees and required a discectomy. For many strength athletes, this would be the end of the road. But Sarabeth has come back, regained her top results, and beaten the odds. She currently stands as a two-time American Open champion and one of our top American women. Competing now for Catalyst Athletics, her potential in the coming years is tremendous. And she has managed to accomplish all of this while working full-time in a hospital. Needless to say, we’re talking about a young lady with something special inside.
 
Also, Lynyrd Skynyrd mentioned her hometown in “Sweet Home Alabama.” How cool is that? Performance Menu is honored to share her story with you.
 
Tell us about your background. Where are you from, where do you currently live, what’s your occupation, family life, what kind of sports background do you have outside of lifting, etc.
 
I live in Muscle Shoals, AL and I am originally from here. I was away for 10 years in Tuscaloosa, AL for school and then moved back in 2016 to be close to family. I have been an athlete my whole life. I do not know anything else. I love training and competing. I was a gymnast growing up for 10 years. I traveled the world and competed all over. It made me into the person I am today. It taught me to give 100 percent to anything and everything in life, to chase perfection daily.
 
Throughout high school and into college, I was a cheerleader and then found CrossFit in 2008. A trainer at my gym approached me in 2009 and said, “Hey, you are pretty good at this. You should train with me for the CrossFit Games.” I had no clue what it was, so he showed me some videos of the Games. I started training two-a-days literally from that point forward. I qualified for the first regional ever in 2010 when there were sectionals. I came very close to qualifying for the Games multiple times but could never pull it off. I competed in every regional since 2010. Nine times. I was also a Grid athlete for all three years it existed. I played as an all-star utility player since I was good at both gymnastics movements and weightlifting. It was such an awesome sport. I played for the New York Rhinos.
 
I am a nurse practitioner for a pediatric clinic in town, and I graduated in August of 2018. I recently got married in November 2018. We bought our first home and are renovating it. We plan to put a home gym in ASAP too. #garagemind. My mom and dad live very close and I have two sisters and a brother that all live in town. I have four nieces and a nephew.
 
Describe your weightlifting history. When/how did you start? Who have your coaches been? What are your proudest accomplishments?
 
 In 2012, Spencer Arnold approached me at an Outlaw camp and asked why I had not tried weightlifting. So, I competed in my first meet that fall and qualified for the AO in Palm Springs, CA in December 2012. I always competed in CrossFit as my first sport and supplemented my training for weightlifting. I usually would do two programs: a CrossFit program and a weightlifting program. This was always stressful, but I was really devoted to both sports and knew I had it in me to do well in both. Spencer Arnold had always been my weightlifting coach and Mike Lee was my CrossFit coach.
 
This, along with Grid and moving weight at rapid speed, would eventually lead to me herniating and sequestering my L5 disc on Tuesday, May 16, 2017. I had just competed at Nationals for weightlifting the previous weekend and was full force training for regionals since they were three weeks away. It was a normal day of training and I built up to a heavy snatch complex. I stripped the bar to 125lb to rack it for front squats and when I power cleaned it, my back just gave out. It was like something was squeezing my spine. I immediately knew something was wrong, but I didn’t want to believe it.
 
I had numbness in my foot and severe hamstring pain which later would be revealed as severe sciatic pain. I pushed past the pain and continued training for regionals. By the time I took the floor, I remember getting on the treadmill for the first event and thinking, “OMG, I can’t use my leg.” My entire right leg was just numb, and I couldn’t use it and I remember thinking, “I am so exhausted” from dealing with the pain and trying to mask the true problem. I knew I would just hang on for dear life and make it through the weekend because I am no quitter. I ended up in emergency surgery four days after regionals when an MRI revealed serious damage. My surgeon said I would have permanent damage if I didn’t have surgery immediately.
 
June 8, 2017 was my surgery. I had an L5-S1 discectomy. I knew I would come back stronger than ever, but I didn’t know how hard it would be to get back. There is no program or literature out there for athletes that have had that surgery that want to get back to the platform or competing in CrossFit, so I reached out to friends and PTs around me and we quickly came up with a plan. The day after surgery, I walked two miles. Day two, I was on the bike and it continued from there. No coach wanted to touch me with a ten-foot pole. Everyone thought I was done. It was like I was broken and I would never come back. That fueled me even more.
 
My surgeon promised I would be back to 100 percent in 12 weeks. Well, with a little strength loss to be expected, I was back at 100 percent, but it took so much blood, sweat and tears, like anything else in life that is worth going after. Tino Marini took me on in August/September of 2017 and he helped get me back to Regionals and to get back into competing in weightlifting. I took 4^th place at the AO Finals in December 2017, six months after surgery. I qualified for Regionals in 2018 but knew I was done competing in CrossFit and wanted to give weightlifting my everything and see where it would take me. There have been many years when I wanted to give up CrossFit and do weightlifting full time, but I could never give it up until this year.
 
After I bombed at the AO2 this year, I knew I needed a coach that was the best. I wanted a female coach, and I always looked up to Aimee and felt a connection with her. It was such a natural match. I’m so excited I was led to her and, eight weeks later, competed at AO Finals and felt I was at home with the Catalyst family. Being out on the platform with Aimee and Greg and the whole Catalyst family at my side supporting me meant the world to me. I can’t wait to see where this new year leads us. I was AO Champion in 2014 and 2018.
 
Please give a basic description of your training method. Just tell us as much as you can about your program, weekly/yearly planning, etc.
 
Aimee just tells me what to do and I do it. I have a philosophy, though; when in doubt, always add more weight and, “If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” You don’t know unless you try and always go for it.
 
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?
 
 I just recently graduated from Nurse Practitioner school, but until then I was an RN (Registered Nurse) in the ICU and ER. If you don’t know, it is extremely demanding and hard work, emotionally, physically and mentally. I used to struggle with training on my work days. Training before or after a 12-hour shift is very hard, but I kept my goals in mind and pushed through. It was super hard to juggle it all: training, school, work. Now as an NP, it is similar stress, but it’s so much better. I only work part time so I can focus on training, but it’s still hard to juggle training on days when I work. For example, today I worked 8-5:45 with no lunch break and then went straight to training. I didn’t get home until 9:15pm. The biggest thing is just staying focused on your goals. It’s easy to feel sorry for yourself but I keep asking myself, “HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?” That usually does the trick.
 
 I also classically struggle with my mental game. Weightlifting is so mental, so I have been working as much on that lately as I have been physically. Aimee is also a huge part of this and has helped me so much.
 
What are your plans and goals for your weightlifting career? How do you see your future in the sport?
 
 My focus right now is the Pan Am Trials at Junior National Championships in February. I’m taking this next year one meet at a time and really one day at time. My focus is the process and getting better every single day, trusting the plan. My overall goal is Tokyo, but I’m not focused on that.
 
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 really admire top-level female lifters in general and the differences in technique. I could not be where I am today without my husband, Tyler. He pushes me to be my best and knows this is my calling. He goes above and beyond to help me the best daily. I also couldn’t do what I do without my family. They are my #1 fans and the reason why I am called #SaraBeast for sure.
 
Congratulations on your comeback, Sarabeth. You’ve got incredible things ahead, and we know you’ll represent the Catalyst name with pride!