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Ill. (WGEM) – A fitness competition happening in Pittsfield on Saturday is more than just a typical competition
The “Lift Like Jesse” fitness competition is being hosted in the memory of Jesse Davidsmeyer
Jesse Davidsmeyer was just 18-years-old when he passed away in a car crash in May of 2025
“My nephew was an inspiration,” Jesse’s aunt Carley Taylor told WGEM News
The fitness competition is a way for Jesse’s family to remember him and bring community together
“We wanted something that was going to remember Jesse. We plan on doing this for years to come,” Mallory Davidsmeyer, Jesse’s mother, said. “We also wanted something that was going to bring the community together. Our motto is ‘Lift Like Jesse’, so we want not only to have them lift fitness-wise, but to lift others up.”
The competition will be hosted at Jesse’s favorite gym, Bodyshop Fitness in Pittsfield, which the family called his “home away from home.”
The main competition will be a halfrox, comprised of exercises like sled pull, broad jumps and lunges. Lifting stations including bench, deadlift and squat will also be available throughout the day
“Fitness wasn’t something that was, say, in my genre until my nephew passed. Now I do it for him,” Taylor said. “He lifted everybody up. He didn’t care who you were, what you did in life. He was there to show you that it’s okay to do things that are way out of your comfort zone.”
All funds raised from the competition will go back to the community
“As a mom, I want to continue giving and I still have all this love to give,” Mallory Davidsmeyer said. “His dad, and his brothers, and his aunts, and uncles, and grandparents, and everybody, we just want to continue giving what we would pour into Jesse, into others and I think that’s what motivates us.”
Taylor also described Jesse as the “life of the party.” To honor that, a pool party will be hosted after the competition
The competition begins at 10 a.m. Saturday. Registration begins at 9 a.m
The free pool party will begin at 6 p.m. at King Park Pool
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