Disgust at the Youth National Championships

So, a few things I would like to speak up about from the 2019 Youth National Championships. For the most part, it was a great experience. Our lifters performed amazingly well, and the meet itself ran extremely well.

However, I must say I was appalled at some things I saw in the back warmup areas.

Remember, this was Youth nationals. Kids only as old as 17, and as young as 7 or 8. Hopefully what I saw, and heard about, was just because there are new coaches who may not know the unwritten rules of etiquette and sportsmanship at a Weightlifting competition.

Let's talk about coaches pulling plates off another athlete's bar to take to another platform, without asking. Not just grabbing a plate off the ground, which is bad enough without asking, but literally removing plates from a loaded bar, leaving one side completely empty, and the other side loaded. Proper etiquette would dictate that you ask permission to use the plate, or better yet, ask if your lifter can jump in for a quick warmup. You never just yank plates off another bar to take to your platform.

How about coaches refusing to share a platform, or refusing to allow an athlete to jump on the already loaded bar for a quick warmup. How about coaches asking other athletes to leave a platform because "we already have this one", when no one was actually there to begin with, and that athlete was actually competing on a separate competition platform(male coaches saying this to female coaches, by the way, but we will address that in a minute). Newsflash, no one owns a warmup platform. No matter how important we think we are, we are no more important than the next person, and everyone MUST share warmup space. Do the math, 17 athletes, 6 warmup platforms, equals 3 deep with the exception of 2 deep on one platform. It's great that "you already have this platform", but you are about to "have this platform" with 2 other athletes. 

How about 6 coaches for 1 athlete, all crowding the marshall's table. Yes, 6 coaches, 1 athlete. This is Youth Nationals, not Senior World's, and even there you cannot have that many coaches.

Let's talk about how female coaches get treated in the back. Female coaches and female athletes helping coach their teammates were completely disregarded and disrespected as coaches. They were the ones getting kicked off platforms, and being refused to allow their athletes work in. They were referred to as "that little girl". They were shoved around by male coaches and had to fight to find room at the marshall's table just to make a change for their athletes. Conversations completely disrespecting female athletes, and vulgarities referring to male anatomy all happening within earshot of female coaches, and teenage female athletes. Again, at the Youth National Championships.

As the husband to a female coach, and the coach to a plethora of female athletes, I know how much harder they have to work for respect. They have to act twice as aggressive just to get a warmup platform and coach an athlete. The ones that do get aggressive for their athletes are mocked in the back room by the male coaches using terms we are all thinking of.  Guys, we are not as important as we think we are, and a lot of these female coaches probably know more, and are better than we are. They have to know more and be better than us, otherwise they will not get any respect.

There were a lot of puffed out chests, and over-inflated egos this weekend, which I know would have made my coach sick to his stomach, were he still with us today. Maybe I am too old school, but I think we all need to pump the brakes a bit.

This was the Youth National Championships, and as coaches, we are supposed to be teaching our athletes how to compete, show sportsmanship, and treat other athletes and coaches with respect. While this WAS the case for most athletes and coaches, I saw way too much of the opposite. Coaches, and athletes, treating other coaches and athletes with total disrespect. The athletes acting this way were simply following in their coaches’ footsteps. What are we teaching these kids? Is this how we are bringing up the next generation of coaches?

We all need to keep things in perspective. Let's remember that this is Weightlifting, and while we may love it, it is not the NFL, MLB, or NBA.  Unfortunately, most people still don't even know what Weightlifting is, though we are all working very hard to change that.  Let’s remember how important we really are not, and coach and mentor, and bring these youth athletes up the right way. Let’s give them all the things we know this amazing sport can provide. Discipline, self-confidence, strength, athleticism, resiliency, and humility. Let’s teach them how to pick themselves up when things don’t go their way, instead of throwing a tantrum in the back. Let’s teach them how to be good sports and respect everyone else around them. Let’s teach them how to be thankful for the opportunities they have, that maybe we did not. Let’s let them develop the same love we have for this sport.

Maybe USA Weightlifting could require a coaching course, the same way Safesport is required, before anyone can register to coach at a National event, that spells out proper etiquette in the warmup room.

Good idea?

Etiquette such as:

Unless there are only 6 athletes in a session with 6 warmup platforms, you will share equipment and spaceChairs are for the athletes to sit inAsk before taking plates from a competitor's platformUnless your athlete needs the bar in the next 10 seconds, allow someone to jump in for a quick lift3 coaches max per athlete, pretty sure that is an actual ruleAnything else I am missing?

I have been in this sport since 1995, and have loved it since day 1, and want nothing more than for it to continue to grow and become mainstream. I just think we need to be careful and conscious of how we are bringing up our youth athletes. Just my opinion as a very unknown Weightlifting coach.

Dan Rose - Harrisburg Weightlifting Club

The Smolov Experiment Part 2 - The Mentality

Yes, on the surface this was just a silly little competition, but it was really so much more than that.                
I've always wanted to go through the entire Smolov squat cycle, but have only ever done the base cycle.  The reason to complete the entire cycle was a contest to try to out squat the 173kg that 71kg female lifter Aria Bremner hit last year.               

This experiment began on 1/7/19.  42 years old, 69kg body weight, 130kg estimated max Back Squat.  No real training since February 2018, just an occasional workout, no real squatting.  Lifetime best squat of 205kg at 64kg body weight in the early 2000s.  The entire goal of the cycle was to hit 174kg.  44kg in 13 weeks, to beat a girl.  So much wrong with the entire premise, but I said I could while many said I could not.

I really did not look forward to the cycle.  I wanted to do it because I never had, but I REALLY did NOT want to do it.  I did, however, REALLY want to win. 

The predominant mindset during the 13 weeks was not "should I do it", "can I do it", "will I do it", or "do I want to do it"?  Rather, it was "I have to do it".  In my mind, I left no choice.  I simply had to do it.  Why?  Multiple reasons:

  • I hate losing

  • I hate failing

  • I said I would, therefore I must

  • I did not want to hear what would be said upon failing, or worse yet, quitting

  • How can I lead, if not from the front

  • People said I couldn't, so I have to

  • People said I could, so I can't let them down

  • People needed reminding that I once was an athlete

  • I had to prove what I preach daily, that you CAN do what you TRULY believe you can do

For all these reasons, I had no choice.  It had to be done.  This mindset is what drove me through every squat session.  I did not WANT to do a single session, but I HAD to.  The last 4 weeks was absolutely terrifying.  Looking at the daily programmed numbers literally caused fear and anxiety.  I lost sleep thinking about what I had to do the next day.  I had to go back into a dark place that I had not been since my competitive days.  Missing reps during the 1st week of the final Intense cycle caused doubt.  I had to hit the daily numbers on the sheet, or I would not hit my goal, and I can't make the reps on the first week? 

The pain in the legs the last 3 weeks caused serious doubts about the outcome, but I was now hitting my reps.  Every rep of each heavy set was done anticipating a serious injury, but I was still making them.  The knee tweak on the last heavy day the week prior to the final max made me question a lot of things, but again, I had no choice, and I was still hitting my reps.  So many people said I couldn't do it, so naturally I said "watch me".  Only a catastrophic injury was going to prevent me from hitting the goal, and I waited for it to happen every session.

The entire cycle, I trained primarily alone, in the morning or early afternoon.  Last minute, everyone wanted me to do the max at 6:30pm, in front of a crowd.  Great, my body normally starts slowing down at that time, so that was another thing to cause doubt.  But again, no choice.  It still has to happen, and the crowd will boost the adrenaline.

4:30pm, day of, I start getting anxious.  I began pacing a lot while coaching the other athletes in the gym, trying not to, but starting to think about having to make it happen.  6pm, took ibuprofen, put Tiger Balm all over the knees, began general warmup, and turned on the music of choice.  Historically, I have trained while listening to Broadway musicals, such as Les' Miserables and Phantom of the Opera.  Today, it is Les' Mis.  For whatever reason something about it reaches me very deep inside.  I get lost in it.  A gym full of noise, distraction, and shit talking goes silent.  There is only me, this amazing story performed by extremely talented artists, and my task at hand.

Before each heavy attempt, I get up, walk a lap around the inside of the gym, and zero my thoughts into what  I have to do.  Sit back down, wrap the knees, get up, grab the belt, embrace the nerves, tighten the belt, harness the adrenaline, and go.  Each attempt builds more confidence.  It feels light, it feels fast, and there is no pain.  6:45pm, success.

As I said before, for everyone on the outside, this was just a silly, fun competition.  But for me, it became my "it".  Whatever you decide your "it" is, if you dedicate yourself 100% to getting "it", you can.  If you decide nothing will stop you, you can make "it" happen.  Regardless of what the outside world thinks, what matters is what you truly believe.  Regardless of how important, or unimportant "it" may be to everyone else, if "it" is that important to you, then go do "it".  Do what you believe you can do, and don't let anyone change your mind.

What is your "it"?

Thanks to everyone for indulging me during this little saga. Hopefully someone finds some relevance, and can apply it to their own situation.   I especially appreciate everyone at the HWC for getting me back under the bar.  It felt great.