JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================K" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?|E< wtsֹ呡]NNs]WV*pTƹG×6P^LPYܾ5ՍuX9%'8e?4z&]bvRP$_ƺ l)Cc7n+k\wh,.G^B<Iۣ_}W΍:0=Κ-GJJb[YYmr#X ;²zl5U.yV)8+)c!qa«L{2l ?/JuΑ_jH\*=~+}0DFs\v~!(@9Rwp^kE+>m-ٛ Aq.Xz9j^8|㍌]:}V>9]9P?z_Ĵ3Zׇx&3"*j7L** ڨh>ӗG^G6P KX~&Aw8vHXVZ%dSy=F&!C&0֫ZdG,\(D>'OdrXI v79fX.w&[ZYI* rH5q2[1=] PvAU|79% ɂ~I![#;] rPXIkv ,rkA3krk J,}M]M\`;9_je4wv2+Ƥ鸥cYMt P\+u :0JMR;돆>3MreX}xSEΤ$ 1aץo̔ns(9I"X]iP>f{YM8Q䴽>Z RU{s+j,fv;;֗kC)c|$:H*a>mJ_~S=1u=G7zgn4Y Г 2Oxr=ZWP JWV\kyG!)냟ҵr%jG7PrͨKqw[LObO-,B[fU%c#qL,᷷#F0ZD/U<%MXM̝{piDާG4ǚ`;!p@ށ&9>͹A:$ Zq$$d}1+[{h-b;TUe鹷DwHkĒ ϿjŒ)dve9rI;N-po HzޫZF ) ܫ*S9+v*c=4CL*+I%5ݜזv``yh\?Z]u 2a:=UIi< U<*ΤFjuffL/jnt"縎Yʇ*z\|Ycou8 u85xsºj\۳NC#>C5Ťdg9t.Z=mny%;L> fVڄy$rPbmbSm|/)Y<[h2q.$jx>;t==W/K76pGlc&c}1'"ŗ6uc,MG.&2-/-&ԡr\dÒqꏄFI-WYxn^vh6b2\c [}-`I;Xn9#'wXs?Z/i 0ߔ9VETF!܃WO=Wd(x䌩SU1BW<þ*/"x1 o.d~PkWZ y( ʤssahݝ |F*m:Q9këgu}jFrX :oZ] JvPye6Qm+o=B,(={9э6s\H,ڿ/ zGrw#g _8YDzڶ[*2 <[MQB&F;OM1+H'Q0BIQӎɪie~Ⱦe«qf,o?J)kڭmJ<[UeGXu, k2ʚ<@ַ<e) A&:Vjk*^ZM FAa\J!v95&Am @ҦP'ʡ;!JΙ{^$`kRx+/Gt$^\7l2x^4Gc}H浲(l7}6w_+igsJ8&Ap?Ts>!Zc%c8vBA1Mye@w"ʭ}Z.!ɲ6(xt;I_3KI|x?Ҫx0cb ,U@\k؍d={M˥h ">cnqЁ):~Q7o d9c\>i!kf;`ߥ;OlbXy*|{Z N=*\Z Uz`S-Bh9)閱g>ML-!E}ê]! !N{t {Pxok[RO$0qvծcmf]}?]&F~*?Z-/SYhkMHѤ+ut- F@;EXiѓP"#@@9zSS;PhځE(#latively new field, Schmitz learned the basics of Olympic lifting, as so many athletes did in those days, by reading magazines and studying the now classic books on strength training such as those by Joe Bonomo. A 1968 graduate of San Francisco State College, Schmitz played on the defensive line and earned MVP honors for his team. But at 5 10 and 200 pounds he didn t have the size to play in the NFL, so when his final season ended on the college gridiron he decided to change his athletic focus to Olympic-style weightlifting.<br>After receiving his degree in physical education in 1968, Schmitz became a co-owner of Alex s Sports Palace Gym in San Francisco on Mission Street. The gym was a hardcore, free weight facility, or as Schmitz says,  The Sports Palace was a triceps and biceps, squat and bench, snatch and clean-and-jerk type of gym. It had two lifting platforms, but when Schmitz came on board there was only one member who practiced competitive weightlifting, Walt Gioseffi. Gioseffi and Schmitz became good friends, and Gioseffi helped Schmitz learn many of the finer points of the classical lifts: the Olympic press (which was dropped from lifting competition after the 1972 Olympics), the snatch and the clean and jerk. Schmitz eventually reached a level where he could Olympic press 281, snatch 275 and clean and jerk 347 at a bodyweight of 200 pounds.<br>As Schmitz s training knowledge grew, so did the number of Olympic lifters and potential Olympic lifters interested in training at Alex s gym. One of the first was Dan Cantore, a future Olympian and American record holder who peaked with best lifts of 281 in the snatch and 358 in the clean and jerk at 148 pounds bodyweight.  Cantore and the other lifters who were now training at the Sports Palace were really good, says Schmitz.  I watched them