20 Feb Perseverance and a Battle out on the Bay

The Battle Axe Clan had the pleasure of traveling up to Tampa, FL this past weekend to compete in the USPA’s Battle of The Bay hosted by Gorilla Bench and Rich Ficca’s staff. This is the largest powerlifting competition in Florida and typically I have several lifters compete. So I packed my gold shoes, by best drawers, and my favorite hat and was off to do what I love. One long morning and a rental car ride later and I was up in St. Petersburg staying about 25 minutes from the venue. I was  at a phenomenal little Airbnb with a few of my lifters because I hate myself and enjoy anxiety. Hahaha but in all seriousness, spending a night before a meet with my lifters and being able to share in their journey of Strength sports is an amazing feeling. This feeling is one I’ll never take lightly and one I continue to wear as a badge of honor, despite the years taken off my life being a coach and gym owner!

The Gift of Coaching (see what I did there?)

It’s 6:30am and here I am, grumpily reminding my lifters to eat, drink, and prepare post weigh in meals. I’m cranky, it’s 6:30 am and I am MDLP’s lack of sleep and emotional foot stomping. I’m watching them scramble, reassess  and re-engage their mornings as some quick and stern reminders of proper preparation  are barked in their ears. I’m observing it all. The dance of nervous jitters, courage mantras, and a realization that months of hard working will be exposed on the platform is settling in like a morning fog. This waltz never gets old to me. As an athlete I was too lost on the dance floor to realize the rhythm but as a coach, I am fortunate enough to see this from these invaluable front row seats.  Watching them prepare mentally and eat diligently,  despite being past the final stages of stuffed pig, is what this is about for me. These very moments are all part of their stories and the weekend would only prove that one day, on a distant and creaky porch, they will have amazing stories to tell…

The Battle Field

Things never go according to plan do they? I mean why would we even do strength sports if it all went to plan which we so perfectly prepared for… under perfect conditionings, with perfect PR songs, in our perfect gyms. Who doesn’t love inexplicable results and mountains of stress and anxiety? I apologize, I’m being sassy and sarcastic but in all seriousness, this is exactly why we do it, isn’t it? The chance that things could go so drastically wrong or so disproportionately right leaves us speechless… despite the post meet beers. During this weekend I saw just that. Lifters who felt the filet mignon cut of redemption, some long sought after PR’s and that sweet, sweet ride of a barbell grind (not a porno). As with all great competitions though, one could not have the light without the dark.There were lifters who felt the bitter jab of humility, the wear and tear of a long meet and the gut wrenching feeling of unexpected mistakes. In the heat of battle, in the trenches, things will never go as planned. We can prepare for months and months but we have to sober our emotions to allow us to understand that this ebb and flow of possible outcomes is part of the process. It is a major player in why we do this and an even greater catalyst to our growth. Despite the ups and downs, the anguished faces, the elated emotions, as every single one of my lifters looked back at me after their final deadlift… I couldn’t have been more proud. Let’s not fool ourselves, the ultimate goal is to win but one cannot achieve this level of opportunity until we learn to eat our shit sandwiches. These obstacles are embraced, tackled and destroyed on the front lines of both unicorn and humbling meets. Victory is what we came to do but the road is often paved with challenges and “defeats”. Despite the tone of this last paragraph The Battle Axe Clan came home with very successful totals, hardware, and undying love for strength sports. I am more and more proud each day to be surrounded by such driven individuals who not only come to compete but also to help out their team. People with professional lives, families and responsibilities driving 4 hours plus to load plates, grab food, hand off benches and scream their lungs off for their friends.  It is a culture, it is a movement, and it is something I am beyond proud of belonging to. So to my team, my clan and my lifters… Thank you from the bottom of my icy heart.

MDLP’s take home notes

Before competition we have a standard set of goals and desires planned out and prepared. We sacrifice time, family, money and our bodies to go out there and attain our dreams. The novice expects nothing less and often times crumbles when hit with the bitter reality that some times things just go wrong. The seasoned warrior will take the cards dealt to them and do whatever is in their power to persevere. Out there on the front lines of our sport there is no room to second guess why things are falling apart, why you dropped the bar, why you got hurt, or why you’re anxious.  There is no room for undisciplined emotions, chronic doubt, fear and forgetting where you came from. No, out there where only the strong claim first, there is only room to fight for your life and execution. An outlook that is forged by falling in love with the process of battling obstacles, facing fears, and never bringing yourself down when the time calls for courage. Compete, persevere and LOVE every single moment of the climb.

Don’t be a pussy… everything ends

MDLP

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Mike De La Pava

Michael “MDLP” De La Pava is currently a competitive Strongman and owner of The Battle Axe Gym. Born in Miami, Florida into a Colombian household, Michael finished his schooling by attending Penn State University where he graduated with a Degree in Psychology. Having his roots in martial arts, he would go on to compete in various sports as a Muay Thai fighter, Powerlifter, and rugby player before committing himself fully to Strongman. During this time, he opened Miami’s first Strongman gym, The Battle Axe, where he currently coaches athletes from various disciplines including powerlifting, MMA fighters, Strongman, officers of multiple authorities and enlisted and active military operators. Competing in Strongman for over 6 years has given Michael the opportunity to rank as high as 15th in the nation (105kg), won Florida’s Strongest man (1st in 2014 and 2nd in 2015 in the 105kg class), lift and load a 420 pound Atlas stone, log press 335, pull 700, and most importantly, share the competitive battlefield with some of the best in the game. During this journey, Michael suffered what some would consider a potentially career-ending spine injury. It was at this time that Brian and Michael would begin working together to not only rehab his spine, allowing him to return to Strongman but also develop a new Strongman training program revolving around the 10/20 philosophy. Strongman and coaching have given Michael the opportunity to travel around the nation and the world to train, coach and be coached, as well as share ideas with various leaders in the strength community. Michael’s experience and network in strongman brings a welcome connection with the ever-growing sport of Strongman to the 10/20 team and PRS family.

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