By Rhi Reynolds
5/18/14 Rhi(58k) Final Snatch(69k) and Clean And Jerk(89k)
Alright, so much for me not competing until Nationals. I couldn’t resist. There was a local meet scheduled for Sunday, so I couldn’t pass it up! The location was so close I could practically hear the barbell drop on the platform from my house. All of you weightlifters out there know how much you have to travel if you want to compete. Local competitions seem to be few and far between. This was a must do.
Any other competition besides the American Open or Nationals is considered a “training meet.” No pressure of weight cutting, peaking, tapering, etc. You just go out and lift. We treat it like a heavy or max training session. For me especially, it is used to practice consistency and hopefully turns out being a confidence booster. It has been 2 ½ weeks post MDUSA tryout, and I have had a wildness inside me that had to be set free. It stems partially from the unfinished business I left in South Carolina: 2/6 attempts was just not cutting it for me. I may have had a PR total and PR’ed each lift, but I want consistency. Consistency is key. The 2014 Larry Mintz Memorial, held in Garden City, NY, was a perfect opportunity for me to let the beast out of its cage. I weighed 57 kilos, have only been training in the 68-70% range, allowing for consistent quality reps, and am pain free. Perfect.
Last September, I competed in the 2013 Rudy Sablo Memorial, held in the same facility. I decided that this was a home court advantage. Unfortunately, as well all know, at smaller meets you need to be ready for anything . To start the day, it took at least half an hour to weigh in…for 12 females. Not only was the meet not running according to schedule, but there were only 3 women’s bars in the whole joint, for 12 girls of varying ability to share for warm ups! 1 bar out of the 3 had rusted collars: no spin whatsoever. Make that two bars for 12 girls. The icing on the cake was the bumpers: an assortment of aged random lb plates and rusted, chipped, random kg plates. I would still recommend competing to anyone who loves the lifts, but be prepared to handle the outside adversities on meet day(maybe a new article idea?).
The event may not have been the best, but I made the most of it. A bunch of the other competitors and I actually exchanged friendly banter while sharing platforms. It was fun, we laughed and joked amongst ourselves about the situation and helped each other through it. After all, we all shared the same love of iron. While I had fun, I made sure to remain focused. When it came to taking my final warm-up attempts, I retreated to my dark space. I wasn’t going to let anything distract me. Time to flip the switch. My warm-ups this time were different…they felt more calculated. I felt in control. I was the second to last card on my opening snatch, so I had awhile backstage. I set my openers lower than the MDUSA meet because I wasn’t sure how I would feel. In retrospect, that was the best move I made. It was only a kilo lower on each lift, but it made a huge difference. I opened with 66kg on the snatch, walked out to the platform, and fortunately made it easily. That was the goal: nailing lifts. As I walked away from my first attempt, I felt adrenaline, but not the same way as I had in past competitions. That was the first hint that today would be a success. Next up was 69, a new competition PR attempt. As I emptied my mind, my hands grasped the bar, and I let my mind go. I then stood up with a new PR. I was pumped. I chased another PR right after. 72 kilos is now my unfinished business. I can’t wait to put that over my head.
At local weightlifting meets, you never know what the quality of the other competitors will be. Today brought out a stud 63k girl from Lost Battalion Hall. We finished tied in the snatch and she was opening with a heavier clean and jerk than me. Now, this isn’t Nationals, so I wasn’t too concerned with what she was doing. I was there to make lifts. I was opening with 82, and she was at 85. This seemed perfect for me, since my planned second attempt would be 85.
I then discovered the killer instinct.
This is the first time I have ever had someone trying to mess with my attempts and limit my rest time. I went and made 82, walked off the platform to the scorekeeper’s table and announced my next attempt for 85. The moment I said this, she quickly said, “I want 86.” I immediately looked at her with an eyebrow raised almost as if to say, “Really?” I have heard of this happening before and seen it mess with other ladies in meets I’ve done prior. It forces the other lifter to have to follow themselves with less rest or increase their weight. I was there lifting against myself, there to make lifts, but the moment I heard that, I felt a new sensation rush over me. And then I found it…actually found it. Confidence. True, unwavering confidence. The reason it felt so new was because I’ve only experienced flashes of it. All those times where I felt mildly confident were gone: replaced by true belief in myself.
Sunday, not only was the bar my friend, but I was my own friend. I went out and made 85, for a new competition clean and jerk PR. I announced my next attempt at 88, which is my all-time PR. Things were getting gritty. Again, she said, “I want 89.” And she looked me right in the face as she said it. I smiled to myself, now knowing where to stash away my fears.
“You know what? Make my next attempt 89 as well.” I was fired up, and ready to take it. If I had more attempts I would have lifted all day. It forced her to go out and take her first attempt at 89. She made the lift, good for her, now it’s my turn. I walked out with my eyes up and my body ready. This lift marked the first use of a “battle cry” at the bar: something I do on the regular in training. In seconds I was standing with 89 kilos over my head. Good lift.
There always comes moments in your life where everything seems to stop completely and change. This can be for better or worse, but you have to keep your determination. I was determined to be a confident athlete. I have had so much progress over the last two years but it wasn’t the same feeling that I felt on Sunday. Sunday was a turning point: when you realize you must continue down the road less traveled, instead of falling back into your familiar past. As you become increasingly more confident in whatever you do, expect the competition to raise. “If you build it, they will come.”
There will be wins and there will be losses. Yet in the case of a loss, the trick is to retain the confidence you have, and use it to drive you towards improvement. Sure, it’s easy to continue to let painful memories or a failed attempt eat at you and steal your last shreds of confidence when it gets tough. But when you keep that faith and determination, it feels great looking back at your former self as you keep climbing.
I received Most Outstanding Female Lifter for the second time in 3 months. This is great, but I still have a ton of kilos to add to my total to be considered one of the best. I will continue my climb. I know I will face obstacles up ahead, but now I’m armed with grit, tenacity, and confidence. Embrace the struggle. I’ll see you under the bar.