News Post

Chance Hester has been named head coach of the St. Joseph’s Academy powerlifting team. He has served as an assistant coach for the SJA and Catholic High School powerlifting teams for the past two years and assumes the head job after previous coach Matt Shelton was named athletic director at CHS. 

“Coach Hester has been an integral part of the SJA and CHS powerlifting program over the past several years,” said SJA Athletic Director Erin Hart. “We are thrilled that he has agreed to step into the role of head coach for SJA. Coach Hester’s enthusiasm is infectious, and his knowledge and skill will remain an incredible asset to SJA powerlifting.”

SJA established its powerlifting team in 2021. Hester said he is looking forward to the opportunity to lead the program into the future. “In my two years as an assistant, I have seen the incredible foundation that has been laid by Coach Matt Shelton, and I am extremely excited to continue his work of creating a first-class program that centers on holistic development,” Hester said. “We want our young ladies to know first and foremost how much God loves them while also developing them physically and mentally.”

Hester, a 2018 graduate of the University of Louisiana Monroe, said he’s especially excited to take the helm of a relatively young program. He said the team has a solid core of lifters who are committed to the program’s growth and to leaving a mark. “Being a young program means we are still on the rise,” he said. “It also means we have more time to help our student-athletes grow into the young ladies God has called them to be, more time to grow together as a team and family and to help them become women after God’s own heart and to one day be elite leaders in their community.”

In addition to his powerlifting coaching experience, Hester has been a football coach for 12 years, currently serving as head coach of the CHS freshman team and special teams analyst for the varsity squad.

While coaching female and male athletes may seem to require different approaches and mindsets, Hester said his natural approach to coaching works well with young women. “I have a 4-year-old daughter, and I ask myself, ‘What type of man would I want coaching her?’ That’s a great place to start, in my opinion,” Hester said. “I believe almost every parent is looking for the same type of attributes when they ask themselves that question. I believe being a ‘Girl Dad’ puts me in a good position for this role by putting holistic development at the top of my priority list, just like I try to do at home.”

Hester said the dedication and energy he has witnessed from the SJA powerlifting team is amazing. He looks forward to the next steps in the program’s development. “I am extremely excited and blessed to have this opportunity to not only lead the program, but also to be a small part of making SJA powerlifting the standard of holistic development in the state of Louisiana,” he said.