19 Sep Dain Soppelsa Meet Write-up from 9/16/17
My weekend started out well with weighing in at 303 on Friday afternoon. Dan had to get a bench session at a local gym, so he dropped me off at the hotel where I just hung out until dinner time. We met up at Outback after Dan was through training. I ate as much as I wanted, without over doing it. I felt bloated, hydrated and my body was feeling great when I laid down for bed for the night.
I slept decent and got all my stuff around before we all headed to Bob Evan’s for breakfast. I felt great at breakfast. I was very energetic and felt more than ready to lift that day. We all ate plenty and had come coffee to wake up and then we headed to the meet site.
My training partners Chris, Dakota and Cody were also competing on this day. We were all spread out over 3 flights of 15 people. I had some time to get my mind right while I waited until it was time to start warming up. I got my McGill Big 3 and Goblet squats in and was ready to start warming up with the bar when the second flight started.
I had planned to take just 4 warm-ups which has been working out just fine and has been just enough to get me warmed up for competition. I intended to pace myself because I was the very last lifter in the flight. So I got my raw warm-ups out of the way and got ready to get my briefs on. It was at his time that I realized that our handler Dan was spread way to thin. He was wrapping and calling attempts for 3 other guys and it was hard for him to get back to help me with my equipped warm-ups, which I needed wraps for as well.
I should’ve been much more organized in my warm-up strategy and I take full reponsibility for it. The meet had started out slowly and so I took my time at the beginning of my warm-ups. I didn’t realize how fast a flight goes when it’s only raw lifters. I quickly became aware that I was not going to have time for both of my last warm-ups. So I decided to pick a spot between and just hit one. So I went from 405 in briefs to 750 in full gear and then I would open with 898. This definitely was less than ideal, but once you’re in that situation, you just have to react and plan better in the future.
I still felt confident that it would be fine going leading up to my opener. The arms on the monolift were looser than I’m used to and it definitely through me off. On my opener I set up too far foward and I immediately lost my balance backwards when I unracked it and so, it was a miss. Dan suggested that he and Dakota should hold the arms of the monolift while I was setting up, so the racks didn’t swing forward so much. This worked great, as I smoked 898 on my second for a good lift. Dan called for 959 on my third. We did the same thing on my third attempt and I just couldn’t not get the weight to settle when I unracked it. I held it for what felt like forever, waiting for the bar to settle and I just ended up losing my balance backwards again, no lift again. Onto the bench.
I was much more proactive in my warm-ups based on how I dropped the ball during squat warm-ups. I made a concrete plan with Dan for when he would come back to the warm-up room and handoff to me. Warm-ups felt light and after my last warm-up of 605, I was ready to bench.
On my opener of 672, I had some trouble touching, this was a loaner shirt and I wasn’t sure what it would take to touch. I did get a touch with some effort and threw the bar into the rack after I got the press command, no lift. Dan put in 694 for my second attempt to make it easier to get a touch. I brought the bar down much better and everything felt right on this one on the way to my chest. I got a press command and pushed it up halfway quickly and then lost it into the rack yet again, no lift. We went with my back-up shirt, which has saved me a couple times before, to try to just get one in. I brought the bar down funky and the spotters took it after I threw it towards the rack off my chest yet again, no lift. I was out of the meet at this point.
This is my second bomb in a row, which I don’t have to tell you is rather terrible. I can say what I want about equipment and meet conditions, but it still comes down to doing what it takes no matter what the conditions, to get through the meet. I simply didn’t do this. I learned some things and I have plans going forward. I will detail this in my next log entry. Until then, just call me Lieutenant Dain of the bomb squad…
Dain Soppelsa
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