Senior Jad Shalhoub traveled to Kissimmee last week to hoist St. Ed’s banner in athletic competition for one final time at the Class 1A state weightlifting championships.
On the last leg of a three sport journey that started in middle school, Shalhoub had to put everything on the line inside an extremely narrow window of opportunity.
“It basically boils down to one moment, yes or no.” Shalhoub said. “I had to focus everything I learned in the sport over the past five years into essentially five seconds.”
Shalhoub made headlines in his cameo by finishing third in the 219-pound weight class to become the first state medalist in Pirates history.
His 320 pound bench press equaled a personal best – and 335 pounds for the clean-and-jerk established personal and school records. The 655 total also set personal and school records.
Crediting his training under Coach Les Rogers, Shalhoub said, “I did a lot of thinking going into the state tournament. You have three attempts for each lift. Coach Rogers always says lift smart. Your third lift is where you should improve on your previous best and establish a personal record.
“Coach Rogers is not a wordy man. He exemplifies the concept of humility. I always tried to take the essence of how he approaches his work, and his diligence, and apply that to myself.”
This was the second year in a row Shalhoub qualified for the statewide event. It would have been his third straight but for a scheduling conflict two years ago.
He missed lifting at states as a sophomore in order to attend a Model United Nations Conference in Ireland. It was a tactical tradeoff in favor of a once-in-a-lifetime trip, knowing he would gain strength and fare much better in subsequent state meets. He placed 11th in 2013 before climbing to third this year.
Shalhoub started weightlifting in eighth grade to enhance his prospects on the gridiron. His accomplishments as a five year varsity football player confirmed the crossover value of weight training.
“When I started playing football for the first time on the sixth grade team, my skills were not the best,” Shalhoub remembered. “I didn’t come from a football family. It was a gradual process coming to realize that I could be a force on the football field.”
Back-to-back Class 2A All-State honors as a junior and senior define the concept of force. He toiled on both sides of the line for Coach Bill Motta going back to the state championship season as a freshman in 2010.
The role of football Iron Man was a natural for Shalhoub. He actually dressed for the part while working St. Ed’s booth at the Relay for Life in early April.
“Coach Motta left me with a lot,” Shalhoub said. “At first I was awed because he looked almost like a deity. Actually, I was truly intimidated. He helped me overcome that quickly when I realized he wasn’t there to scare anyone. He was there to make men, and that is what he did.”
When Shalhoub was chosen for a postseason All-Star football game, another scheduling conflict forced him to decline the honor. It was his senior year and he was swayed in the direction of his commitment and loyalty to the school soccer team.
“I was definitely having a lot of fun out there playing soccer,” Shalhoub said. “Despite running around and expending a lot of energy, you still have to have finesse. That was not one of my skills. Finesse was not on my side.
“I really didn’t start until my junior year. It was the true experience of a varsity sport, working your way onto the team, and into the starting lineup. That’s not to say I didn’t work my way onto the football team, but I had to work hard and acquire some skills before I could be on the soccer field full-time. Coach (Bill) Keating helped me achieve that.”
Soccer didn’t flow easily at about the same time the classroom was admittedly giving Shalhoub a bumpy ride.
“Starting as a junior in soccer coincided with a turnaround in academics. Coach Keating was definitely an athletic and academic mentor. It created a nice parallel and for the first time I found myself putting as much effort into academics as I did into athletics. Mr. Keating was responsible for the wake-up.”
His best moment in football was off the field at a postseason team banquet when he was named 2013 Code of the Brethren Player of the Year for displaying extraordinary character.
In soccer, a three goal second half comeback for a district soccer championship in 2012 stood out. Ironically, he sat on the bench for that entire game.
Nailing that 335 for a state medal was certainly the coup de grace in weightlifting.
The University of Central Florida is likely the next destination, with the University of Florida an outside possibility.
