A First Time For Everything: Seattle Summer Classic

On Saturday I competed in my first ever powerlifting competition, the USAPL 2010 YMCA Seattle Summer Classic (go here for videos and images). Thanks so much to Disciple Training Gear for my shirt and singlet, to Mark Noeson for training me, to Jill Joiner-Wong for coaching me in Mark's absence, and to my family and friends who came to support me: My wife Starr, my kids Brandon, Logan and Sawyer, my mom Shellie, and my friends David, David and Stefi. Your presence and encouragement was a tremendous blessing.

Leading up to my first lift, things had not gone terribly smoothly. I had struggled to make weight, and was uncertain I would do so as recently as the night before. My nerves kept me up until nearly 3:00 in the morning, so I was running on less than 3 hours of sleep. At check-in the officials questioned my knee sleeves and I was nearly prevented from competing in the raw division. My singlet's legs touched my knee sleeves and had to be rolled up to qualify, and Jill's husband had to bring her knee socks as mine were not tall enough for the deadlift. It was a hectic, nerveracking morning.

With all those issues out of the way, after adjusting my opening attempts with Jill and warming up, I approached the rack for my first squat attempt: 182.5 kg. (402.2 lb.). I was nervous and my heart was pounding; it's psychologically important to nail the opening lift, as a failed first lift can haunt you for the rest of the day. But as I unracked the bar and began my descent, everything felt perfect and I knew I would succeed. After finishing the squat and racking the bar, a look at three white lights confirmed that I'd done it, and for the rest of the day my nerves were gone and were replaced by a confident excitement. I went on to successfully squat 200 kg. (440.7 lb.), followed by a final attempt at 217.5 kg. (479.5 lb.) which although difficult was successful as well.

After a long break it was time for the bench press. I wasn't certain how well I'd do; I had struggled for a few weeks, and though I had spent some time several days earlier with Mark to fix my form, I was not sure it would be enough. But the guy handing me the bar was so strong I exerted no energy unracking it, and the judge called "press" after only a fraction of a second with the bar on my chest, which combined to form a recipe for success. My first attempt at 135 kg. (297.5 lb.) was a breeze, and my second at 147.5 kg. (325 lb.) was not much harder, so I decided to try and break the Washington State USAPL record for raw lifters in my weight class. I was overjoyed when I successfully lifted 155 kg. (341.5 lb.); even that was not all that terribly difficult!

I was on a roll, and now only needed one successful deadlift to get a total. Despite the previous heavy lifts and serious lack of sleep, I was still energized and excited for my final lifts. It was a huge relief when I saw the three white lights indicating success at my first attempt of 227.5 kg. (501.5 lb.). At that point, since I'd gotten a total, I didn't care much if I succeeded on the next lifts--which was good, because I failed both attempts at 245 kg. (540 lb.). I had trouble locking out at the top and inadvertently "hitched" the bar with my thighs, which is not legal. I realized I'd spent a lot of time with my trainer working on squat and bench press form, but not much on the deadlift. Something to remedy moving forward.

So with that, despite a tiny bit of sadness at my two failed deadlifts, I was glad it was over. It was a long, grueling day, and I was tired. In the end, I'd squatted 480 pounds, benched 341 and deadlifted 500, for a total of over 1320 pounds--not too shabby for my first ever competition. I was the only raw lifter in my weight class, so I guess I won simply by getting a total, but I was really competing against myself, and I'm pleased with the results.

The question now is, Where do I go from here? Looking at the photos and videos, I see how much fat I'm still packing, and I think I can easily manage to lose 30 pounds and compete in the weight class lighter than mine, where I'd be much more competitive. The Columbia City Classic is in October, and if I can't lose the weight by then, I should be able to manage it in time for the Fife Holiday Classic in December. The challenge will be continuing to get stronger while at the same time losing a bunch of fat, but I'm confident. Your prayers and encouragement are much appreciated, and thank you all for your support!