BCPA Provincials Review

The BCPA Provincials was an experience I'll never forget - and the beginning of a new era of my life. On Saturday, I took the platform and gave it my all. It was the ultimate rush and though my performance was not "the stuff of legends", I'm proud of what I accomplished. I achieved all but one of my goals, totaling 495 kg in the 93 kg Open division.

When I was called to do my opener squat, I was nowhere near ready. In the heat of the moment, I lost track of time. I did my 137.5 kg opener with no warm up and failed to hit depth. Knowing that my failure was only because I'd been caught off guard, I went ahead with my planned attempts. I hit 147.5 kg on my second, with relative ease. I hit 160 kg on my third; with very little grind, but my back rounded slightly.

I was thoroughly prepared for Bench Press. Though, my opener of 110 kg was quite wobbly and surprisingly grindy. My 115 kg second attempt was fairly smooth, though I stalled for a fraction of a second near the top. On my third, I failed at a 125 kg PR attempt that I should have had, by all means! I put everything I had into it and the bar moved slowly, grinding to get stuck just a couple inches short of lockout...

Deadlifts were even smoother than I expected. My 182.5 kg opener was like butter, so easy! On my second attempt, I was caught off guard and successfully pulled a 205 kg PR with no struggle, but I didn't drop my hips low enough and rounded like mad. My third attempt came easier than in my wildest dreams, even easier than the second, for a 220 kg PR. That was my big goal for the meet and I'm so thrilled that I got it!!

I came back on the Sunday, to volunteer for the Women's portion and Men's Heavyweights. Funny thing to consider: over the course of the day, myself and the other spotter/loaders lifted more weight than the highest totaling lifter! I was even more tired at the end of the day, than I was after my day on the platform.

The whole thing was the greatest experience of my life and I can't wait to do it all over again, at the Fall Classic and many more meets to come. It was a true honor, to be a part of all this. I met lots of great people and learned a lot about Powerlifting and about myself.

Now, it's back to the grind. I'm gonna come back with a vengeance and make these achievements look like a joke! This time around, I have a coach lined up. My goals for the Fall Classic are: a 550+ kg total, 185 kg Squat, 135 kg Bench and 230+ kg Deadlift... Here goes nothing!!!