"BOMB OUT" AT THE AMERICAN MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP

When I started this blog, my goal was to provide a candid, honest, and unedited view of my personal experiences on and off the platform.  I wanted to illustrate all of it, from the mundane daily grind of training to the thrill and exhilaration of victory and even the heart wrenching disappointment of loss and defeat.

The title of this blog post should provide a fairly clear and concise picture of my recent experience at the American Masters Weightlifting Championship.  My performance on the platform was shockingly short of my expectations, which has left me completely humbled and speechless.  I approached the American Masters with high expectations and beaming with confidence, only to leave embarrassed, disappointed, and frustrated.  However, there were plenty of memorable moments which weren't so bitter, like meeting coaching legends Tommy Kono, Bob Takano, and Sean Waxman.

Taking a moment with Coach Tommy Kono.

Coach Bob Takano, myself, and Coach Sean Waxman

So, without further delay, below is my experience at the American Masters Championship.

Training hall with my #1 fan (Jack).

The competition day started off well.  Warm up in the training area seemed to flow seamlessly, but I felt a little tight in the shoulders and hips -- my usual areas of stiffness.  I thoroughly rolled, stretched and mashed those troublesome spots until I felt comfortable and sure in my mobility and range of motion.  The weights leading up to my opening snatch of 110kg (a weight I have lifted successfully with ease in the past couple of months) weren't much of an issue.  Matter of fact, I successfully lifted 110kg twice two days prior to the competition.  My warm-up in the snatch follows:

Snatch:
50 x 3 (power snatches)
55 x 3
70 x 2
82 x 2
87 x 2
95 x 1
100 x F * (squat snatch)
100 x 1
105 x 1
110 x **

* The missed lift at 100kg took me a little off guard and was a premonition of what was to come.  100kg had been an easy warm-up weight and I was surprised to miss it.  I brushed it off and successfully made my second attempt at 100kg; however, the first attempt was noticeably forward as you'll see in the following video:

100kg Snatch Warm Up from Bison Barbell Club on Vimeo.

** 105kg in the snatch felt easy and I prepared to take a warm-up attempt at 110kg before stepping on to the platform but that never happened due to the constant shifting of athletes' opening and subsequent weights.  As I was preparing for the 110kg warm-up lift, there were three lifts ahead of me in the line-up, but after some unexpected adjustments by other athletes, I was on and it was my turn on the platform.  (In retrospect, I should have taken the 110kg lift in the warm-up room instead of waiting for the call, but hindsight is 20/20).

My botched attempts on the platform follow:

110kg (Attempt 1)

110kg Snatch Attempt 1 from Bison Barbell Club on Vimeo.

After missing the 110kg snatch, I made the decision to up the weight to 112kg -- thinking a little added weight may solidify my snatch.  I was dead wrong!

112kg (Attempt 1)

112kg Snatch Attempt 1 from Bison Barbell Club on Vimeo.

I should have settled in the bottom of the snatch before attempting to ascend out of the hole.  My haste resulted in a missed lift.

112kg (Attempt 2)

112kg Snatch Attempt 2 from Bison Barbell Club on Vimeo.

After the disappointing show in the snatch, I was reluctant to continue with the clean and jerk portion of  the meet.  Without a successful snatch there was no way to garner a total for the meet; however, after some consultation and coaching, I did decide to continue with the clean and jerk.  Initially, I decided on opening with 127kg but after the emotional blow of failing to make a successful snatch, my motivation dwindled and my strength was deflated, so I made the decision to adjust my opening clean and jerk to 115kg.  Below is the warm-up progression:

Clean and Jerk:
50 x 3 (power clean)
55 x 3
62 x 3
67 x 2
77 x 1
85 x 1
90 x 1
105 x 1 (squat)
120 x F ***

*** I made the decision to adjust my opener to 115kg after trying to pull 120kg in the training room.  As I had mentioned earlier, my train of thought, focus and physical strength were completely sapped after the huge blunder in the snatch.  Thankfully, a fellow athlete (Danny Henry) noticed my failed 120kg clean attempt and advised me to readjust my opener.  Luckily, the weight on the competition platform hadn't exceeded my new opening weight.

Below are my attempts in the clean and jerk:

115kg was fairly easy.  This was a weight I planned on snatching but you know how that story goes.

115kg

115kg C&J from Bison Barbell Club on Vimeo.

Somehow, I managed to inadvertently power snatch 120kg.

120kg

120kg C&J from Bison Barbell Club on Vimeo.

Possibly the best lift of the day was this 127kg clean and jerk.  I was glad the nightmare was over but you can see the disappointment in my body language as I left the platform.

127kg

127kg C&J from Bison Barbell Club on Vimeo.

At first glance this meet was a complete disaster.  I spent a small fortune traveling to Monrovia, California only to "bomb-out" in the snatch and fail to obtain a total.  Further, I had to reduce my opener in the clean and jerk, which was another disappointment as I originally had hopes of successfully making 135kg-140kg.  Furthermore, I was mentally crushed, emotionally spent and downright pissed at my unsat performance.

However, after having a few days to reevaluate, review, and ponder there was a silver-lining in this dark cloud and a lot of lessons learned which included:

Technically:

- Focus on finishing the second pull and stay on the mid-foot to heals.
- Turn the wrists over quickly and with snap and purpose.
- Keep the barbell centered over the area of the base (mid-foot) throughout the lift.
- Lightning fast speed of movement under the barbell in the warm-up is critical and must be obtained before increasing weight.

Strategically:
- Take an opening weight in the training room, prior to the platform.
- Open with a "near-for-sure" weight to obtain a total first, then go for broke!
- Never, ever, ever take a given weight for granted!
- Stay focused on the task at hand.  Devote 100% of your energy, focus, and attention on each lift before moving on to the next.

Personally:
- I feel as if I failed and let people -- especially myself -- down, as I know there were many who were cheering me on.  Meets are a venue for competitiveness and personal bests; however, we can't always make those desires come to fruition.  Instead, some days are filled with failure, frustration, confusion, and less than desirable results.  Learn from them and move forward.
- Having friends and family alongside to provide support and championing your efforts is priceless.  It's worth more than any medal, trophy or title.  Relish in their applause for you and reciprocate in kind.

I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to compete with so many weightlifters from around the country.  There were a lot of great lifters, coaches, and fans who helped make this a very memorable meet.  The meet was exceptionally well orchestrated and organized from start to finish.  I was very pleased with the professionalism of the staff, loaders, and referees, and the facilities were spot-on.

Furthermore, I want to personally thank my friend and fellow coach, Gregg Hadley, who placed second in the men's 45 year old, 85kg class.  He helped by coaching, counting cards, encouraging, and memorializing my experience with the above video footage.  Congratulations and thanks Gregg!

Additionally, I want to thank my coach, Javi, for motivating me and keeping my spirits up through this ordeal.  Although he's deployed in Afghanistan, he took the time out of his very busy schedule to send me words of encouragement to "fire me up" before, during, and after the meet.  Thanks Javi!

Also, I'd like to acknowledge and thank everyone -- family and friends -- who sent well wishes and words of support via email, phone calls and texts.  Thanks guys.

Finally, I'd like to thank the Lord and my family for going through this experience with me and giving me steadfast support, unwavering encouragement, and a bright smile when I needed it most.  Even though the thoughts of quitting raced crossed my mind, it was my family -- namely, my son, Jack -- who's uplifting words said, "I still love you dad even though you didn't get a medal" and "we don't quit dad." (words of wisdom from a four year old), which prompted me to finish the meet.  Plus, I can't close this post without thanking and commending my lovely wife, Stacie, who endured the long trip with me; felt and shared my disappointments; gave me unyielding support and boosted my morale at my lowest moment; and most of all, continues to love me regardless of my placement on the platform.  Thank you!

Now go lift something REALLY HEAVY!