THOUGHTS ON THE USAW MEET: “DID YOU WIN?”

UBC pictured with Hawaii’s weightlifting great, Tommy Kono (lei, right), who shared his knowledge of lifting with our beloved coach, Frank Tam (lei, left)

Coach Tam is pictured with his son, Kenyon, who’s a King Kekaulike graduate and current Oahu resident.

UBC all smiles after the Hawaii State Games meet is pau.

Hawaii has a strong legacy of lifters: Coach Tam pictured with history-making US weightlifter Tommy Kono, who helped train our coach back in the day.

These are some strong ladies: Elyse Umeda (owner of CF 808 and top lifter of the day; she holds state records for her weight class; Oahu Barbell Club coach and national-level lifter Michelle Downs; 2010 CF Games champion Kristen Clever; CF 808 affiliate Games athlete Kyla Evers; oh, and then there’s me (it was nerve-wracking to lift with the top girls, but it was also pretty cool).

Weigh-ins are sometimes the worst part of the USAW meets. Andrea’s pink slippers look pretty cute, though.

The meet is pau so I snagged a photo with Games champ Kristin Clever.

Our COUNTRY STRONG girls! Krystle, Andrea, Kehau, Ema and Anna; Diane is missing from photo.

Upcountry Barbell Club pictured during Singlet Saturday, a couple weeks before the meet where we get used to wearing the extra-tight uniforms.

REWARDS CAN BE FOUND IN RIGOR OF TRAINING

CFUM’s Upcountry Barbell Club, which comprises about 10 lifters who practice Olympic-style weightlifting under the direction of USAW coach and weightlifter Frank Tam, trains for about two hours, four days a week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Practice looks something like: Warm up. Mobilize. Snatch. Clean and Jerk. Heavy squats. Good mornings. Anything else coach says we need to do.

It’s not glamorous; I would be lying if I didn’t admit that it gets somewhat monotonous. Hours and hours. Days and days. Months and months. Clean. Jerk. Snatch. Snatch. Snatch. Clean. Jerk. Jerk off racks. Full clean. Power clean. Power snatch. Pulls. Then do it all over again tomorrow.

Sometimes I feel strong; most days I’m wondering why I can’t get my body to move right or recover quicker. I search for some sort of reward, only to hear the dense thud of bumper plates as they hit the floor, as if that’s some sort of response.

So when a lifter decides to enter the competitive realm, it’s mind-boggling to think that all of his or her tedious practice amounts to approximately six minutes on a stage in front of three judges and a slew of strangers.

Six minutes. For six unforgiving attempts. Just six. No additional tries. No do-overs. No grace.

Talk about little room for error.

As I reflect on the 2013 Hawaii State Games USA Weightlifting competition Saturday at Ward Warehouse Center Stage in Honolulu, it’s no wonder that it’s peppered with mixed emotions. Joy, anger, frustration, relief, fatigue, confusion, comedy – it’s all part of the journey.

Would I trade it? Not for anything.

You see, about a third of us have been training since April; two-thirds have been onboard since July. That’s not very long to practice. Granted, even though we’re lucky to have a coach who’s trained under one of the most decorated weightlifters in history, along with other Hawaii greats – this sport still demands a good deal of time, and a bottomless well of patience.

Our lifters are just beginning their journeys, which are as unique as each of their personalities, in the phenomenal and frustrating sport of Olympic weightlifting. It will take much time to see the fruits of our labor reach full potential, but the key – the treasure – can be found in savoring this journey of learning.

Blessed with the instruction from a skilled, caring coach, along with the camaraderie that’s found in a great community, we daily find things that make us happy. Small discoveries about our technique, our body awareness, our mindset, that we can refine.

As friends are asking how we did, my response takes some time to articulate. Did we “win”? Not exactly. These meets don’t yield typical scoring systems for first, second and third places. Did we make all of our lifts? No. Did we make many of our lifts? Yes. Did we learn a lot and enjoy the process? Definitely. Will we do it again? Undoubtedly.

More than ever, our team seems excited for this path, grateful for the inner strength found when the barbell strips the other stuff away.

So on that note, Saturday was a great success. We can’t thank our coach and mentor, Frank Tam, enough. And we are so appreciative of friends, such as Toby, who flew over to cheer for us. Also, mahalo to each of you for following our journey. We definitely couldn’t do this alone — and our gratitude stems from various miracles coming together at the perfect time to produce our gym, our teachers, our equipment and our members.

No matter what you’re training, relish the lessons found in pushing your body, and your mind, to the brink, far beyond that place of discomfort. That’s where the good stuff happens, even when the scoring system, whiteboard or judges may not reflect that.

Until our next meet in February, happy lifting!