Success, failure, and lessons learned

Yesterday I competed in my first-ever Weightlifting competition. What a blast! The atmosphere was very encouraging, and fun, and very competetive. I only had 1 female to compete against, and she was in a different weight class (even though we are only 4 pounds difference in size!) and I pretty much knew ahead of time she was going to beat me. See, she had been training the olympic lifts at least weekly for several months. I have gone for 2 max snatch attempts and 2 C&J attempts each since last July.

I usually get really, really nervous in front of a crowd, so I started my lifts conservatively. I started with a 45kg Snatch, which I have never, ever missed before. I got it! Not only that, but it felt EASY. Something about being on the spot makes the bar feel 10kg lighter. I went up to a 50kg snatch, which is a bit trickier, and something I have only done once. I got that, as well, so I decided to go up to 55kg, which would be a PR. Much to my surprise, I got it over my head as well! But, I think I was so shocked by that fact, that I lost my concentration, and I missed the lift. AND, I missed it to the back. Usually when the weight gets heavy, I lose it to the front, because I get scared and don't get under it. Even though I missed 55kg, I am really pleased with my snatching.

Then, for the Clean and Jerk. I started out at 60kg, which was easy. My goal for the day was 65kg, but I decided to make that on my second attempt. I got it, and that was a PR. I was feeling tough, so I went for 70kg. I got the clean, which was a PR for the clean. I went for the jerk, and I missed it. Honestly, I think I've got that jerk. I think, again, I just didn't believe that I could do it.

I can't wait to go for another max Snatch and Clean and Jerk. I also can't wait to do another weightlifting meet. I learned that I don't get as nervous in front of a crowd as I had thought I would. I also learned to maybe not be quite so conservative with my starting weights. In both cases, I was wishing I had another attempt. I am confident that with another try for both weights, I could have gotten them. That would have given me 10kg more in my total! AND, more PRs!