West Coast Classic 2015 Recap
Let me start by saying that the Kettlebell Sport community is amazing - the support from the lifters and spectators at the West Coast Classic 2015 was unbelievable! This is truly a sport that opens its arms to new lifters, and this competition was a great first GS experience for all of my KOR Strength athletes.
Personally, I had been lacking motivation in the weeks leading up to the competition (the green monster is really freakin' heavy!), and this experience was just what I needed to reignite my desire to get to the World Championships this year. This event reminded me just how important it is to get out of the gym and compete.
I competed in 24kg Biathlon for the first time, taking 1st in the 63kg weight class with 131 jerks and 79 snatches. Thanks to two of my kettlebell role models, Ice Chamber athletes Sara Nelson and Jen Cord, for pushing me on the platform! I'm lucky to have lifted and learned from these talented women, and it's been my goal since day one to actually be up there competing WITH them.
The best part of the competition was not my own performance, however. I'm proud to say that all five of my KOR lifters rose to the challenge of competition by setting personal bests on the platform!
Four months ago, Dan couldn't hold 20kg's in the rack position for a minute, nor properly lock the bells out over his head. On Saturday, he went all 10 minutes on jerk for a total of 91 reps, and absolutely crushed the snatch with 219 reps!
Kristen set a new personal best of 173 reps in the 16kg Snatch and almost beat my competition record (177 reps) at her FIRST COMPETITION! While she wasn't able to clinch the win from IC veteran lifter Janet Mack, she showed true grit and determination by pushing through until the bell literally fell out of her hand. The Viking princess is going to be a force to reckon with in Kettlebell Sport!
Andrew has been my most consistent Kettlebell Sport student since I started coaching at KOR Strength in October. The week leading up to the competition, he injured his lower back and had to step back from training - we weren't even sure he would be able to compete. Luckily, taking the week to rest and do recovery exercises worked, and he was able to set a new personal best of 116 jerks, as well as complete 179 snatches, in the 12kg Biathlon.
Emily is another super consistent lifter. During her 16kg Long Cycle set, she stuck to her 10 rpm game plan perfectly and even threw in a few extra reps for a total of 103. The best part is she has already set her rep count goal for the next competition - I love an athlete that starts planning and visualizing early!
Alan's jerks have improved by leaps and bounds in the last few months, and despite having to wait all day for his set, he Long Cycled all 10 minutes for a total of 72 reps. Not only that, but he jumped into the KOR Strength jerk relay just minutes later and completed another two minutes of jerks at 2x16kg. What a trooper (I guess he earned that donut)!
Unfortunately, the KOR Strength jerk relay team (Dan, Kristen, Emily, Alan, and me) missed out on first place by 7 points, but hey, you can't win 'em all! I'm incredibly proud of our first team showing at a Girevoy Sport competition and look forward to many more in the future. Look out for the KOR Strength team to be even bigger and better at the OKC Cali Open on February 28-29!
Thanks to Steve, Maya, and the entire Ice Chamber crew for another amazing event. See the official results from the competition here.