2021 USPA Nationals DG Style
San Antonio...well who knew you were such a beautiful city?!?
The DG team took the show on the road to USPA Nationals 2021 this past weekend. Texas, recently relaxed COVID restrictions, which made for a spectacular weekend.
The crew had three competitors, Harley Adamson (90kg+ Junior,Raw) , Michael McCann ( 82.5kg Junior, Raw) and James Turner ( 75kg Masters, Classic Raw). Weigh-ins went smoothly, rack heights secured, openers put in.
Harley kicked off the weekend Thursday in a bustling room of 180 women over two platforms. The ballroom of The Hyatt was packed with competitors, coaches, and spectators. Very comfortably Harley was in Flight C on the Blue Platform...so no huge rush in starting to warm-up for squats, plenty of time to stretch and prep the body for the day!
Warm Ups moved like butter, and the team made some new single ply friends from Colorado. Warm up rooms can always get tense...I mean people you’ve never met before, loading plates, rack heights, so it's always good to make some friends, be kind, ask what people need...just generally keep the mood light...it’s a long day, so it’s always fun at least at large meets to be helpful and make some friends! Harley smoked her opener of 157.5kg, a 20Kg PR. She went on to miss the next two on depth, just being a little bit high…judging was tough, but it should be at nationals! No gifts were given, standards were held up consistently all day.
Bench came with some oddities, she smoked the opener of 70kg ...but the eccentric tempo got real odd on the second and third, then an interesting pause became inserted into the lift. Still this was a 10kg PR on an OPENER! Staying mentally present and active is super important while competing, especially on the bench. We need to make sure we are mentally aroused….but not so amped that we miss our judges commands or it pulls the focus to unnecessary portions of the lift. Since there are three commands on the bench press… the athlete MUST listen closely.
Harley came back though and rocked the deadlift with confidence finishing up with160 KG. Overall coming out the Junior, SHW National Champ after about an 11 Hour day of competing. 6 Flights over two platforms….IT WAS A DAY!
Next, up Friday were Michael and James….now Friday was just lightweight men. So the vibe of the room way way less bustling, and filled with about only 80 competitors. It was a quick start to the day with James on the Red Platform Flight A and Michael on Platform Blue Flight B...this made for very interesting warm-ups, and a very challenging day Coaching wise.
The wraps came out, the tension of the warm up room was palpable, and general lifter anxiety was up! Warm-ups went well for James; on his first attempt, he got called with a relaxed knee on his opener, and came back and smoked 170kg on the second going up to 180 kg for his third and a run at a national record. He came up just a hair shy, missing the record on depth, but a fricken FAST squat attempt! Timing wise, Michael was warming up while James was on the platform, and his confidence was through the roof! You could just tell, he was feeling the day! Michael’’s squat over the last months has undergone the largest transformation, he has put in the work to increase his leg size, strength and focus on technical changes...no small feat! This resulted in 10 kg PR with attempts being 180kg, 192.5, 200kg hitting all but the last on a REALLY CLOSE depth call!
Bench Warm-ups kicked off right after the squats! James had some similar brain farts as Harley on day one and...missed the press command on his second attempt. He blasted his third though and locked in a 100kg bench PR. The Red platform just kept slowing down throughout the day, bench shirts, knee wraps, significantly impacted the length of each round compared to Platform Blue.
This is why knowing how to compete is IMPORTANT, you must practice regulating your emotions and know the general flow of the meet very well...here and there, silly mistakes pop up for even the most seasoned lifter. Michael also revamped his bench, adding a wider grip press to his arsenal, finishing out with a 107.5kg bench and a great go at 110kg... those glutes popping off the pad.
Deadlift sealed the deal and the boys kept it rolling...now since platform Red was just slowly getting more and more behind platform Blue, Michael and James ended up warming up and competing on opposite platforms just within minutes of one another. The boys brought the heat here. James took a run at 200kg and Michael at 227.5kg. James ended the day as Men’s Classic Raw Masters (50-55) National Champ at 75kg and Michael came out 4th in a stacked 82.5kg Jr’s Class!
Thank you USPA for putting on an awesome event, in such a cool city...the judging was tight, the warm-up room fully outfitted with BEAUTIFUL GhostStrong equipment, and the days flowed very smoothly . I mean what else can a powerlifter need?
