Final Reflection Before Competition Tomorrow
There seems to be a pattern that is emerging before a competition lately. This week was total chaos and I am feeling a bit discombumberated, actually a lot.
Tomorrow is the big day and I am just now sitting down to calculate my goals. There are so many variables tomorrow with Mas Wrestling that it is best to say I want domination and not be too tied into numbers. The format is last man standing so I am not sure how that will play out.
I have numbers in my head, but depending on wrestling, things may be open to revision. I have modified my original goals down just a bit, simply to prepare my mind and body for Mas Fatigue and potential variables with competition format.
Best case scenario:
Mas Championship Winner
Grip Record Breaker Winner
(4) world records
(1) American record
Mike and Amy
Realistic worst case scenario, factoring out total disaster:
Grip Record Breaker Winner
(2) world records
In grip there are three entities of records. Tomorrow's competition ties all of these records into one location. Training has consistently smashed the records, but it only counts in competition.
Double Overhand Axle Deadlift
Goal: 275+ pounds
Rolling Thunder
Goal: 136+ pounds for the American Record
Silver Bullet With COC 2
Goal: 24+ seconds
Hub
Goal: 45+ pounds
Little Big Horn Anvil
Goal: 120+ pounds
Now to jot it all down on a piece of paper with current records so I can stare at them all day tomorrow, get my head right, and demand that I exceed all numbers. Tonight I will lay in bed for about an hour visualizing the entire competition and every attempt.
In the morning I will start swearing-in my head and I will be ready.
***
Odd Haugen Strength Classic Results: An OUTSTANDING Day!
Today was the best case scenario I had hoped for at the Odd Haugen Strength Classic! My plan of attack was to win each event and then burst through the records one by one. This morning I was thinking that becoming the the HWW American National MAS Wrestling Champion was not a priority but it would be a nice accomplishment. I am very pleased to say that I did that too.
I competed with two other females in the grip competition. I love that Lacy and Amenah competed to support women grip and they did awesome. Going into this, I knew for me, the competition was about beating the records and I cannot thank the ladies enough for sharing the journey with me. The judges were VERY patient with me and calculating attempts and verifying past records. I am very grateful for that and cannot thank them enough.
My results are based off the best I can recollect right now. There might be a 1-2 pound variation from official results, either up or down. On many events I tried to end on a positive note, rather than with misses. I am comfortable with that decision because I know next time I will be able to push the bar higher.
Rolling Thunder
I do not even recall the opener. I did something past the opener with my off hand to get on the books. My final lift was 138 pounds for the American women's record. Becca Swanson has held the American record for a very long time and my only goal was to break the record—check! And I was preserving my strength for a consistent performance in the upcoming events.
Double Overhand Axle Deadlift
Again, I do not recall all of my attempts. After several previous attempts, it was time to get serious. 275 pounds was a good lift! I then moved up to 285 pounds. Good lift and I stopped there to preserve my grip. I also beat my previous world record of 270 pounds.
I did have to laugh because Jon Anderson was the announcer and I heard him talking over the mic that I was getting a last few words in with the refs. What I was REALLY asking them was how my hair looked, making sure it wasn't sticking up all crazy. The humidity in Santa Clara made my head wet the entire time I have been here. I cringe at the thought of how gross it is going to look in the official photos. Lame, I know.
Silver Bullet with 2 COC
This felt effortless and I was so happy to feel it so light in my hands. I kept my eyes closed the whole time so I wasn't distracted and could concentrate. Jon was announcing my times and I heard him say I had beaten the previous world record of 24 seconds. I immediately started smiling and opened my eyes. The result of that was a loss of focus at 30.33-ish seconds, but I set a new record.
Mas Wrestling
Amenah and Amy
There were only three of us. Amenah and Lacy wrestled each other and Amenah won. So it was myself and Amenah. There is a skill of turning the bar to offset your opponent and it worked like a charm and I won with two matches. I seriously had to restrain myself from screaming, "What now bitchezzz!" and throwing the stick at her because it was that awesome. Mas Wrestling is a good time and I think every man should have a wrestling pit set up in their back yard for barbeques. It is THAT fun.
I am still a little unclear why I did not have to wrestle Lacy, but we did a friendly match at the end of the day. We both changed our foot position and she was tough. If your feet are higher on the board, it minimizes the possibility of getting pulled up and over.
The twisting trick wasn't working. My new strategy was to just pull like a work horse. I knew her grip would give out before mine, which is exactly what happened and I went flying back with a major "Umph!" upon landing. Heavy Weight Women's American National MAS Wrestling champion, CHECK!
Hub
I am unsure of my attempts and Amenah pulled 40 pounds. She had me sweating. I was thankful that I was able to pull out an easy 42 pounds. The bar was loaded, taking me up to 49 pounds. In hindsight, I wish I had spoken up and gone with smaller increments of 45 then 47.5. I am confident I would have gotten at least the 45 pounds, but it is what it is. World record, check!
Little Big Horn Anvil
This was a new event and any attempt I made would set the new world record. Again, I am not sure of all of my attempts. I ended with 128 pounds which is an AWESOME place to be. I ended it there and went out on a high note. After such a long grueling day, I was very pleased.
This was the first time the women have been included at a major grip event. I am very thankful to Odd Haugen for including the women and for running such a fantastic competition. I truly love the friendly and supportive nature of grip. It was such a pleasure to watch Mike Burke and Alexey Tyukalov battle it out on the men's side of grip in a very exciting battle, watch Robert Oberst lay the hammer down, and become the Men's HW American National Mas Wrestling Champ. I got to meet some amazing people and got to catch up with many faces I have not seen in a long time. Amenah and Lacy had solid grip performances and put up very respectable numbers. My goal was to make a standing mark in grip and I cannot be more pleased with the results of the day.
