This whole contest came from some harebrained idea that went "Oh, I could do that, that would be fun" after a conversation with a couple friends. I imagined a little contest, maybe 20 competitors, but we'd get sanctioned and make it a fun day. Somehow......it blew up into twice that number. I know there are bigger contests out there, but remember that we're talking about a competition in Michigan in December. Which meant we were stuck indoors. And as much as I adore my gym....it's not exactly big enough for a massive crowd and lots of heavy things moving at the same time. After a brief panic, I realized we'd be able to squeeze on in and be just fine, as long as I made the sure the events flowed back and forth between the upper and lower levels.
The support from Willie and Barkley coming into this was even more than I hoped for. They both not only answered my random questions, they regularly called and texted just to check in. Willie's decision to make Valkyrie a qualifier for the Women's Pro Championship was icing on the cake. Planning a show is interesting. There's a lot of things to do right at the beginning...then there's a lot of waiting around, collecting registrations...then the last two weeks hit. And you run like a maniac. Goodbye sleep.
Somehow, I made it to Friday. The majority of the competitors took advantage of 24 hour weigh ins, so I got to see a lot of the girls early on. Many of them made weight on the first try. A very determined few missed on their first shot....went to sweat it out for a while...just to come back and nail it. I learned I'm a softy; my inner competitor knows the feeling and wanted to let them slide. But every one of them had a great attitude about it and, in the end, every woman ended up in the weight class she planned for. Friday night we did a little prep to the gym, clearing out extra equipment and getting ready for the next morning. I was so wiped out, I barely kept my eyes open to shovel food in before dropping into bed.
Before I knew it, the alarm was going off on Saturday morning. Admittedly, I had startled awake several times during the night, convinced I had missed the alarm and was going to be late to weigh ins. One might say I was a bit anxious. We got to the gym in time to meet up with Jon, who was delivering the shirts. I thought they turned out pretty damn nice. Paul stepped up to run check in/shirts for the competitors and to collect the spectator donation (bless his heart), and Andrea managed the USS memberships. Mary assisted with the final few weigh ins, while I tied up some last minute details. I was reminded of what wonderful friends I have, as several more stepped up to help with weights and event setup, keeping us running smoothly all day long. Mary and Jessie kept scores recorded and got them to Crystal, who tracked the entire contest with no hiccups. The gym filled up quickly with competitors, and it was time for rules before I knew it.
We ran two platforms for 18" deadlift. The event flew by, and I hardly knew where to look to keep up with all of the lifts. It became a game of "turn and cheer and turn and cheer and turn and cheer" until I thought my voice might be gone already. These ladies pulled some incredibly impressive weight. Weighing in for the 123 class, Erin Janowicz pulled a whopping 405 - that's over 3x her bodyweight! Watching Rachael Thatcher effortlessly pull 505 was a thing of beauty. She's a continuously impressive athlete...as well as a fantastic human being. I've watched her compete in the past, and she sets the bar for sportsmanship every single time. She is a serious competitor when it's go time, but in between you can see her chatting with the other ladies, giving tips and advice, and joking around.
Conan's wheel came up next. Every woman visibly put in max effort on this event, whether they were practically sprinting or doggedly putting one foot in front of the other. Willie and I had a good laugh at the way the cheering would follow the woman on the Conan's in a wave around the circle, from the competitors to the judges to the spectators and around again.
Viking press followed. Some of the ladies repped out their weight like it was nothing. The overhead game in that gym was strong. There's not much more to say about this one. For going one at a time, this event seemed to be done before I knew it. Probably because I was busy running back and forth to get the carry medley set up.
Everyone moved to the upper level for the carry medley. Each division had 4 objects of varying weight, to be carried down 30' then run back up and over the line before grabbing the next. This had been a little....controversial....when it was posted. The weights were heavy and 4 objects is a lot to move in under 60 seconds. However, after running through it myself with the LW open objects, I determined it could, in fact, be done. Especially since the weight for the loadable husafell ended up dropping drastically. Many of the women got through 3 objects, some nearly finished with the fourth. But a handful completed the entire medley. See?! Told you it could be done! Christina Bangma finished it the fastest of any of the competitors, with 4 whole seconds to spare. I can attest, by the time you reach the last object, you end up damn near puke point. Every person who finished it should have gotten an award for that alone. An alarming number of people ended up body slamming the kegs, and I thought for sure one of the kegs would explode before the event was done for the sheer number of times they were slammed down. Thankfully, everything held together just fine. And so did all of the women, though some gained a few minor battle wounds.
Final event was stone over bar for reps. This was the most impressive display, after the deadlifts, as we were able to run three lanes at a time. These woman could move stones!! Someone even swore they saw Elizabeth Carpenter slam dunk the 175 one handed. The stones are fickle, and I personally have a love-hate relationship with the things. Some days they cooperate beautifully, and some days they fight back. No matter whether they got 0 or 10+, every single woman put 100% effort into moving those stones. It was beautiful. Badass award of the day goes to Grace Larned - she was running strong all day in the novice <148 class. When she got to stones, she tossed the first one over the bar...then the second...and slammed it right down onto her toe. Unfazed, she continued to rep something like 9 more in her 60 seconds. She later received a diagnosis of a hairline fracture and several stitches as an additional award for her badassery.
We had some great sponsors, as well as some beautiful handmade necklaces for awards. The 2nd and 3rd place finishers in every division received a necklace and a gift certificate from Ladies Lift Here. First place finishers received a mini sword (Novices) or valkyrie battle axe (Open), a pair of socks from The Sox Box, a gift certificate from Ladies Lift Here, a shirt and protein from Nxt Level Labs, and a necklace. Each 1st place novice qualified for Nationals 2016. The top 3 Open finishers not only qualified for Nationals, but also for the Pro Woman's Worlds in October 2016.
Becky from Tri-Covery came in and helped keep all the bodies tuned up throughout the day. Every one of the women was amazing to watch throughout the day. Our novice classes made up half the competitor list. I'm so impressed that so many ladies were willing to face the unknown and try out a competition. And, as always, I am equally impressed by the effort of our seasoned competitors. I cannot accurately describe to you the feeling in the gym yesterday. Everyone cheered for everyone else. Experienced women not only encouraged the novices, they willingly shared advice and welcomed them into the sport. The air buzzed with all of the excitement.
Overall....I'm going to call it a success. It's a very interesting experience being on this side of a contest. While I make a habit of thanking every promoter for shows that I compete in....I feel like I need to go back and send them gift baskets and hugs. This is not for the faint of heart! Holy cow. But it was so much fun, stress and all.
We raised $1,800 for a Detroit domestic violence shelter, between registrations and spectator donations. I'll be posting an update on Facebook after I talk with them tomorrow. I'd like to get the money to them this week, so hopefully it'll be especially helpful coming up on Christmas and the new year. My nice new friend Mike with Attack Hunger - a Detroit-based charity that raises money for 4 different programs that help at-risk women and children in the city - pointed me in this shelter's direction. If you're looking for a great cause to support, check out Attack Hunger.
So what now? Now I start a new program cycle and train toward my next contest as a competitor. And, after I catch up on sleep, I'll start planning for the July iteration of Valkyrie. So stay tuned, because we'll do it all again July 2016.
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