“The people’s champ must be everything the people can’t be
I’m getting artsy-farsy, house full of some Hebru Brantleys
You must’ve missed the come up, I must be all I can be
Call me Mister Mufasa, I had to master stampedes
I made it through, made it through, made it through
And everything I gave to you, I gave to you, I gave to you
You got it, you got it, you got it, it’s coming”
– Lyrics from Song entitled “Blessings” by Chance the Rapper
It doesn’t take much for Bartram High School’s Jasmine Powell to get into her zone before a big weight lifting match. Simply throw on some “Chance the Rapper” , let her hear her favorite verse, and she’s ready to go. And that’s exactly what Jasmine did before her final lift at state, she got into her zone. ” I just kept telling myself.. I got this, I got this”, said Powell before her lift. And after clean and jerking 220lbs, she knew her blessing had come. “Holy Smokes, I AM THAT GIRL!” , was the feeling Jasmine described after taking home the State Weight Lifting Championship in the 183 pound weight class.
The lift that got me that title 🥇✨😭 I couldn’t be more happy right now ! 380 total!!!… I could’ve did more lol pic.twitter.com/2BkDPszkt1
— Jazzyyyy (@dorksterr3) February 2, 2017
Although she makes lifting the weight look easy, it certainly wasn’t an easy journey for Powell to become a champion. She’s had to overcome obstacles and heartache along the way, and none was greater than the loss of her father five years ago. Her father’s passing was particularly hard because he was very involved in sports and had an impact on her development. Coping with the loss of her Dad, Jasmine found herself unsure about many things, including her desire to participate in weight lifting. ” I wasn’t sure how I felt about weight lifting at first”, said Powell. “I was approached by the coaches and decided to give it a shot”. She was immediately impressed by the way her body responded to the training. “ Oh my God I saw a big difference in my muscle definition by cleaning. I thought track would do it but weight lifting really did it”. Powell competed in the 169lb weight class as a junior, her first year participating in weight lifting.
Even after a successful junior year Jasmine found it hard to get motivated for weight lifting her senior year. ” I wasn’t training over the summer and just kept eating. So when I weighed myself for the 169 pound weight class I kept coming in over that mark. 173lbs, 175lbs, 171lbs, finally I was able to get to 169.8lbs but just couldn’t get that down”. Eventually, she and her coaches decided to go up to the 183 pound division, a significant jump for a second year weight lifter. Jasmine would have reservations about making the jump in her final year in High School, but was reassured after observing another student athlete from another school lift weight in that class. Even still, Jasmine knew she would be one of the lighter girls in the weight division, another obstacle she’d have to overcome.
210!!!! I’m so content right now. Love seeing hard work pay off #roadtostates pic.twitter.com/fwe1ewtBvz
— Jazzyyyy (@dorksterr3) December 1, 2016
Her senior year was filled with several meets across the area. With every meet she gained more and more confidence and accomplished higher and higher weight. She recalls a St. Augustine meet that really boosted her confidence. ” I was warming up outside with 210 pounds, when members of the football team gathered to watch me lift. I heard some of them say that they couldn’t even lift that”. At that moment Jasmine knew she was apart of something special. She would compete in several weight lifting events during the regular season but wouldn’t be challenged until the state competition. Jasmine relied on extensive training as motivation and competition. She loves to max out and compete against herself. So it’s no surprise at State in Belleview Florida that her focus was more on her daily routine and not her competition.
“When we drove down to State in Belleview the platforms were sideways. We were so confused and was like is this really state? The warm up room was much smaller than state competition last year in Kissimmee. So that’s what I was more concerned about, is making sure I would be able to stay with my same routine that got me there” said Powell. Jasmine wasn’t about to let logistics alter her legacy. She had a job to do and she was focused on making sure it got done. “ I’m coming for you” she kept saying. But she was really nervous. She kept telling herself this was her last chance to win state because its her senior year. She would not disappoint herself or her supporters as she bench pressed 160 pounds and cleaned 220 pounds to win state. ” I could’ve cleaned 235lbs, but my coaches always tell me to save myself”. No surprise, Jasmine was competing against her personal best at State. Yet she is motivated by much more than just achieving personal goals.
Congrats to Jazzy Powell! 2017 State Champion in the 183lb wt. class! pic.twitter.com/JvCI03G9PD
— BT Strength (@BTWeightroom) February 2, 2017
“I was overjoyed when I found out I won State, but I was very proud to make a lot of people happy!” Jasmine’s mother is a big supporter of her athletic career. All season she would refrain from cooking some of Jasmine’s favorite dishes in order to ensure that her daughter remained disciplined with her weight for competition. ” I love my mom’s cooking, she’s the best. So it was hard not to eat her soul food for most of the year. I kept telling her I’m fine on my weight, but she just wanted to make sure.” said Jasmine. Powell also has a close network of friends, and sites them as motivators for her happiness. “I have a lot of fun with my friends. We do a lot of fun things together”. If your at the beach, you just might catch Jasmine and her friends hanging out and enjoying the surf and sun. They say all work and no play makes some people dull, but not Jasmine Powell. She loves to work at her par time job, loves to go to practice, and loves having fun at both. ” I love my job and the beach. It’s fun to hang out with my friends. During workouts I’m really playful. You wouldn’t think I was a weight lifting champ because I am so playful. I love weight lifting, I get to know everyone, and I can’t help talking to people and competitors.” It’s that type of joyful spirit that makes her optimistic in any endeavor she faces.
STATES WITH MY BAES 😍✨🥇 pic.twitter.com/9FoHM9IaWV
— Jazzyyyy (@dorksterr3) February 2, 2017
Next is college, and she plans on attending St. John’s River State College first and finishing up at the University of North Florida. However, she is hopeful that she may land a scholarship for weight lifting at the next level. I love weight lifting and I know I would do really well at the collegiate level”. Knowing Jasmine’s track record of hard work and success, it’s a sure thing to say “She’s got this!”
