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Articles of Interest to Those New To Powerlifting,
As Well as Sport Veterans. |
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The Good, The Bad, and The Remarkable
By Donna Marts
Recently, I was presented with an opportunity that I couldn't say no to but as soon as I said yes I wondered what was I thinking. I had planned on going to the 2006 IPF/NAPF North American Regional Powerlifitng Championships & Tournament of the Americas Open Powerlifting Championships in Dorado, Puerto Rico. I planned on competing in the Tournament of the Americas Open competition since it seemed like a great opportunity to get a taste of International Competition without really jumping into the higher level/higher pressure Team Competition scene. Besides, since I had to make weight, it seemed like my best opportunity to fit into my swimsuit and actually venture out in public while wearing it. Well, I am fortunate to have great people mentoring me and helping me progress as a powerlifter and somehow with their help/encouragement I ended up on the USA Team in the 67.5Kg class.
The Good. I often joke and refer to my husband, my trainer, and a group of extremely supportive friends as "Team Donna". If I didn't have their help I would never get to or through a competition. Well in Puerto Rico I got a wonderful taste of Team USA and it was amazing. While my Husband was getting my gear checked, one of the other Husbands was making sure I ate and stopped pacing (I get really nervous). When it was time to lift I had help with wraps, straps, chalk and belt. When the time came to get into my gear I didn't even have to look around, help was already there. I have never felt so focused on just lifting because there was so much support that was all I had to do. No thinking, no wondering what weight to attempt, nothing but lifting.
The Bad. The reality of my "Novice" status was quite evident from my 4 out 9 performance. I could try and weave some story on how the officials were picking on me but the truth is my technique just isn't to that level of competition yet. I can say "yet" because I came away from Puerto Rico with knowledge that would have normally taken me two or more years to gain. This experience accelerated my learning curve and I ended up way ahead of my "schedule" and I intend on taking full advantage of it. Nothing takes the place of consistency and nothing promotes consistency better then getting back to the basics of doing your lifts in the gym: repetition, repetition, and repetition.
The Remarkable. I was fortunate to witness a new World Record and I still get tingles when I think about it. Priscilla Ribic pulled 250 Kg like she was picking a sock off the floor! It was a thing of beauty. The remarkable part was watching all of the men, women, boys, and girls came up to Priscilla to congratulate her, get their picture taken with her, share her lift with her. I don't know if all of these people were lifters themselves or just fans but it was obvious they admired and appreciated Priscilla's performance. I have heard people remark that powerlifting is slowly dying out and loosing it's appeal but if you ask me, as long as there are boys and girls who are dreaming of pulling like Priscilla, I think our sport is going to be Ok.
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