Powerlifting party

Just flew back from Las Vegas following USPA Nationals. I’m still coming down from the fun I had there – three wonderful days hanging out with other serious powerlifters.

The only disappointment I had while there was my meet performance. I did not lift well – my total was actually about 15 pounds LESS than it was at Worlds, and I did not set any new records, personal or otherwise. My best lift was the deadlift, where I tied my previous record at Worlds – 330 pounds.

Oddly, I am not particularly upset about this. Life comes with natural fluctuations in performance – true in powerlifting as well as many other things. And my numbers have been all over the place for the last few months due to stress and a relatively recent injury. So I wasn’t sure what I’d be able to do on meet day.

But winning isn’t why I went to Nationals. Yes, it’s nice to set records – personal or state/local/national – but I could do that at local meets. The attraction of Nationals is the same as the attraction of weaving conferences – it’s the opportunity to spend several days hanging out with people who share my passion and celebrate the pursuit that we love. Local meets are great (and I love doing them!), but Nationals is HUGE, with 100 lifters a day for five days. It’s a nonstop celebration of powerlifting.

Powerlifting competitions aren’t really competitions. Yes, awards and medals are given out. But there are so many age and weight classes that in most cases, everyone gets a medal for their age/weight class. (I placed first in mine – there were only two people in it!) 

You could say that this renders the medal meaningless. From a competitive standpoint, that’s mostly true. But I see it differently. It’s recognition of the hard work that the recipient put into training, and of the courage it takes to attempt something they’re not at all sure they can do, and in most cases have never even tried before, in front of an audience. Whether you’re a seasoned competitor or a novice, that takes guts. Every time.

What I love about powerlifting meets is that everyone knows this. And so we support each other – if you need help, you get it. If you’re having a bad day, everyone says something encouraging and gives you a hug. 

During warmups, I noticed an older woman hanging back, clearly nervous. It was only her second meet, she said. I asked her if she’d warmed up yet, and she said, “No, I haven’t started yet. I’ll wait until you all are done.” I said, “No, you should work in with us. When are you on?”

She replied, “I’m first.”

I said “WHAT???” And I grabbed her and propelled her over to the platform, and told everyone to clear out and let her in next. I told her fiercely that even if she was a novice, she had every right to be on the platform and to warm up with the rest of us. She said, “Yes, but I’m only here because I’m not in a competitive age class,” and I told her no buts. She earned her place here, and she really needed to warm up RIGHT NOW because she was going on in just a few minutes.

Everyone stepped back and let her in.

I saw her later in the meet and asked her how she was doing. She beamed at me, ecstatic, and said, “I set a state record!” I gave her a big hug and congratulated her.

During deadlifts (the last lift), a woman approached me and said, “How’s it going?” 

I said, “So-so.” 

She looked me in the eye and said, “It doesn’t matter how you’re doing – you inspire me. You inspired me at that meet in Southern California and you inspire me now. You’re going to do fine. I’m going to cheer you on. Do you want me to go out to the platform with you? Do you want me to take a video of your final lift?”

I said, “I’d love that.”

So she stood behind me as I walked out to the platform, and took a video of my final deadlift. I got the lift, tying my previous record set at Worlds.

I’ve got the official, professional videos, but I want to share the one she shot for me (complete with cheering).