Rhi Reynolds
It’s all over. All the training and hard work for an hour of glory…and it was marvelous! There were too many great moments that could be taken away from this weekend, so I condensed it into a few distinct points. At these type of events, it’s all about the experience. And it was a priceless experience, indeed.
Firstly, I want to point out how real this competition was. Although I’ve done only a few competitions, I take each one seriously. But this was on a whole different level: a separate type of seriousness. Behind the scenes, the judges table with all of the attempt cards was a competition in itself. Novice me had no idea that coaches will list a light attempt for their lifter and then end up changing it at the last minute. That can completely mess up someone’s warm up lifts and leave the next lifter completely unprepared for the platform. Thankfully, that didn’t happen to me. I had written down what weights I wanted to do for my warm up as close to what I was used to doing in training. Joe did a great job with securing a platform and getting me the weights I needed to take before my opener. That’s another struggle as well: you can’t count on having everything you need within reach. Hungry coaches come by and swipe your weights as fast as you can blink. That’s just how it is.
As I was warming up, I finally started to feel at home. I was much calmer than anticipated. What was also great is that Joe had collaborated on my warm up with the queen of weightlifting herself, Ursula Papandrea. She briefed him on what weights should be taken at what time. I sat down between each warm up attempt, and took the weight when I was told to go. I actually missed my warm up attempt before my opening snatch. In the past, I would have freaked out. But I was confident that 57kg wasn’t going to give me a problem. This is the first meet where I hit my opening snatch without a problem. A small battle won for myself.
My second snatch attempt was 59kg. I got two red lights on this lift, but no big deal. I went up to 60kg and got three white lights. That’s my best snatch in a weightlifting meet so far. Small battle number two conquered in my favor. I couldn’t wait for the clean and jerk.
I had a while before I had to start warming up for the clean and jerk. I looked at the cards, and to my surprise, I was taking the last opener. I didn’t trust this completely for the aforementioned reasons. I was cautious that the other lifters may change their weights suddenly. Thankfully again, this didn’t happen. I was focused during my warm ups, hitting 73kg before my opener at 77kg. I marched out and easily hit my opener. I went on to get a no lift on my second attempt at 80kg, and then missed it again after following myself. I went 3 for 6, but was (and still am) extremely pleased with my success.
Ok, so now I’m done with the news report on the actual lifting part. Back to what I observed and learned from this event. One major point I took note of was the quality of the lifters there. Since I finished Friday afternoon, I had the wonderful opportunity of being able to sit back and enjoy some great lifting. I left on Sunday on a cloud. I am so inspired by the strength and finesse that these male and female athletes possess. I watched the female 53, 58, and 63 A group right in a row on Saturday. As I sat there in the audience, all I could think of was how much I wanted to be just like them. I admired their focus as they stepped on the platform, approached the bar, and aggressively attacked it. Each person had their own technique: perfected in a way that will take me a little longer to understand. This may be redundant, but I then realized that you have to own your weightlifting abilities. You have to walk up and face an audience that is always full of questions. You have to walk up to the bar and you have to possess a great platform presence. You have to be competitive. And you also have to have fun.
Another major lesson learned was that I simply learned more about myself. That might not make sense to many, but that’s fine. It doesn’t have to. But, while I was there, I had a small epiphany. Growing up in conditions that were less than optimal, I’ve had a lot of complications I had/have to face within myself. Now, I’m not saying this to appeal to the public or have it sound like a sob story. All I can say is that everyone has their own demons, for one reason or another. This weekend, I was able to look right through them. For someone who has always struggled with confidence and self-doubt, I finally had that “light bulb” moment. The rays from that light bulb illuminated the dark spots on the page. And on that metaphorical page there were truths written that I’ve never been able to see until now.
Firstly, I realized that this was a place I belonged. I might not be the best weightlifter in there, but we’re all there for a reason. This was an event that you had to work your ass off to qualify for. The American Open brings out the best weightlifters in the country. I may be new compared to many, but I’m still good enough to compete with everyone else there. If you’ve never struggled with confidence in your lifetime, then this may not apply to you. But if you can empathize, nothing feels better than slaying the demon of self-doubt.
Secondly, I learned to be competitive and simultaneously appreciate the abilities of other athletes. When you’re consumed by self-doubt, you let the abilities or things that others have intimidate you at times. What you need to realize, however, is that you can have the same things that they have, in the same way that they got them: through working for them. I know I’ll be in the A session eventually. I know that I’m going to get a lot stronger and more technical for the next weightlifting meet. I now know that I’m able to put myself in positions such as these to allow for positive development. And lastly, I know that all of these victories will be brought about through hard work, sacrifice, and commitment.
Last, but not least, I realized that an athlete is no one without his/her coach. I want to thank Joe for all of the work he put in for developing me into the lifter I am today. If I never would have curiously asked him over a year ago to help me with my Olympic lifting, I wouldn’t be in the position I am today. He’s seen me during my best, as well as my worst, moments in weightlifting and still has faith in me. He’s done a great job at preparing me during every competition and keeping me motivated to train on the days that I don’t want to even look at the bar. Anyone can be blessed with undeniable athletic prowess, but can only go so far flying solo. Finding a great coach can make all the difference in the world: it is the coach who can cultivate that athletic potential into true, unconquerable power. And for that, I want to thank Joe for seeing that in me before I could see it myself.
I am truly thankful for competing in the 2013 American Open Weightlifting Championships with all of our country’s talented athletes. Now, it’s on to the 2014 Nationals. I’ll be there, and every day I’m going to be stronger than the day before. Thank you all for reading.