2012 KANSAS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP AND OPEN RESULTS

After a long day of driving, terrible weather, and delay after delay, the 2012 Kansas State Championship and Open ended in success.  On Saturday, I drove to Olathe, Kansas to MidAmerica Nazarene University to participate in the 2012 Kansas State Championship and Open.  It wasn't the most pleasant drive considering the weather was foul due to rain showers and the drive took over 2 hours.  By the time I arrived, my old decrepit hips, back, and knees were screaming for relief.

Upon arriving at 1300 for weigh-in, I was informed that our start time for lifting was delayed until 1530 due to the unusually large turnout of athletes; thus, extending the normal two hour period between weigh-in and start time to two and a half hours.  This year's meet was the largest in history, gathering over 140 participants and the large crowd equalled more delays.  Ultimately, 1800-1830 became the start time for the Senior and Masters Division -- nearly three hours later than expected.  By this time, I was tired, bored, and relieved to start.

The warm-up room was hustling with bodies trying to prepare for their initial opening lifts.  All the lifters were courteous and accommodating in the warm-up room, graciously allowing each other to take turns on the limited amount of barbells and giving each other pointers and encouragement.

The wait and a healthy dose of patience paid off in the end.  I finished the meet with a combined total of 242kg at a weight of 107.7kg.  My snatch of 110kg and clean and power jerk of 132kg earned me 1st place in the 105+ Masters weight class for the Kansas State Championship and the 105+ Masters weight class for the Open division.  Furthermore, through the grace of God, I somehow managed to win the title of the Best Master Lifter for the Kansas State Championship and Best Master Lifter for the Open as well.  Four awards in one night, I couldn't have asked for more.

My loot from the meet

I was shockingly pleased with my results; however, my success at the meet would not have happened if not for the help of some friends that I'd like to thank.  First is Jerrell Barber of CrossFit Olathe.  He and I attended the USAW Level 2 Coaching Course in May of 2012.  He kindly offered his coaching services to "run the scorecards" for me; even though, he had his own contingent of lifters at the meet.  For this, I felt blessed and grateful, because I was at the meet without a coach.  His coaching and "pre-opener" prep work were top notch!  I couldn't have been happier -- thanks Jerrell!

The second person is Mike Rosewell of River Market CrossFit.  Due to my lack of sufficient planning and foresight, I arrived to the meet without an ample supply of food to sustain me throughout the evening.  Mike, who I had met previously at another meet, was gracious to offer food and drink to keep me going throughout the night.  Plus, he and I shared a barbell together through our prep phase and provided the necessary encouragement I needed to push through the long evening.  Thanks Mike for your kindness.

The third person I need to recognize is my coach, Javier Sanjuan of Olympus Barbell Club, who coached me throughout the past four weeks during my Conceptual Program.  It was his idea and encouragement which convinced me to compete.  All of his coaching was done via email and video analysis from Afghanistan.  Moreover, Javi's personalized recommendations and minor tweaks to various flaws and weaknesses in my form and programming helped to catapult my progress on and off the platform.  If you're ever in need of a top quality coaching look here.  Thanks Javi for getting me this far.

Fourth, I need to thank my beautiful wife, Stacie, and my number one fan and son, Jack.  They forfeit many hours per week with me so I can train and pursue this sport that I love.  Without their sacrifice and understanding all of my training, sweating, dieting, complaining, aching, etc... would be for naught.  Thank you sweetheart and without mention, thanks Jack for all your love, encouragement, and for being my number one fan.

Finally, I need to raise my head and arms up to the man upstairs and give praise and thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me the strength and will to continue in a sport that at times can become rather boring, tedious, and exhausting.  There have been numerous days when the thought of stopping, quiting, and overall apathy have lurked in the gym with me -- waiting for me to quit.  Instead, I've looked up to the Lord for his strength, confidence, and encouragement, and he has always delivered.  Thank you Lord Jesus for being apart of my life.