Well, this past weekend was my very last Games as a competitor. I need to retire to focus on some other things; a big sailing goal that I have for, hopefully 2022, and a program in music composition that I want to start.
Anyway, while I was recovering from rotator cuff surgery a couple of months ago, I could not squat normally. Instead, I did what are called goblet squats, which are pretty light weight but great for form. Somewhere during that time, I tightened up some muscles in my lower back and compressed a vertebral disk. I've been dealing with what can best be called a real pain in the ass, as a result of this, for a couple of months. Along with that pain in the ass comes a significant loss of strength. Throwing practices in the last two weeks have been completely miserable as throwing the stuff we have at the games is basically All About Ass.. So I had no expectations for my last Games. I was gonna do the road trip with my friend Marty, drink some beer, sit in the hot tub at Marty's friends house, and if I fell all over myself at the Games at least I would have gone. I would have had a chance to say goodbye to all my southern California friends.
Well, Saturday morning I took a couple of Aleve. After the National Anthem and the athletes meeting, I put my neoprene back support on under my kilt, strapped the kilt on and buckled down my weight lifting belt, good and hard, on top. I NEVER throw with my weight lifting belt. So, with no expectations, I marched with my bros over to the hammer cage to get the day started.
In summary, I had a remarkable day. I own the field record for the Senior Masters Heavy Hammer, already. I thought I might throw ten feet shy of that but instead I was only two feet off. I dished up some perfectly respectable throws. Well, damn. In the light hammer, last years effort put me 2 inches behind my old friend, long retired now, Ray Oster for the field record. To my total shock, on my next-to-last throw, I got the field record by two inches. Incredible! At at that point I figured I could just fall down for the rest of the day, and it would be a great day, anyway.
But son of a gun, weight over bar went OK, I snuck it over 12 feet. Yeah, sure I didn't have my usual mojo, I'm throwing with only half a functional ass, and throwing is ALL ass, but hell. 12 feet is no disaster. In sheaf, I plowed the bag into the bar 3x at 24 feet, which means I had 23+ all three times. Well, hell my lifetime personal best is only 25 and I set that eight years ago. That's a GOOD day. I mean, I cleared 21 feet and missed at 24 so the record books will show 21, but I know that I had 23 in me on Saturday, and it's what I know that counts.
In caber, I was the only Senior Master to turn the challenge caber. So I threw with the "young bucks" in the 50-59 class..LOL...and turned that stick 3x for a best of 12:05. All the turns were better than 12:30. That's a damn good caber sequence and it was on a light-ish but perfectly respectable stick.
After lunch, weights went OK...heavy was sort of "meh" but by no means a meltdown, and the light weight for distance was very respectable. I probably would have grabbed that field record as well, but two of my throws, I foot-fouled out the back so they didn't count. So I had to settle for 43' 11", but that is by no stretch of the imagination "bad". It's perfectly respectable and a *ton* better than I was afraid I was going to get.
Stones *sucked* at the end of the day. The affected muscles in my butt were giving out and if I can't plant my left side, drive off the right side and block, then it's all "arm". So that kinda sucked and my numbers were wrteched, for me. But WTH, everything else was good.
So for my last Games, ever, I won every event in my class, set a field record, and finally for the first time ever brought home a Class Win from that Games. I've been second or third more times than I can count, but now I've got a class trophy. Not only that, but the composite score from this one Games has me ranked 5th in the world for the Senior Masters.
I would say that this was a really great way to hang up my cleats. I got to say goodbye to a lot of good friends, and Adriane Wilson, the 5x womens world champion and a special friend showed up on Sunday. She was in town doing strength and throws training for the Invictus Games. So I got to hug Adriane, and say goodbye to her, too. We all love Adriane, and all us guys shamelessly crush on her. Adriane and her husband, Joe hosted me in Charlotte, NC when I was there for the Masters Worlds in 2012. I even did a gym lifting session with her, which was great fun.
It's time to move on to other things, like a 2022 Pac Cup or SHTP, and a trip to Micronesia for example. I was ready for these Games to basically suck. I was braced to just force myself to keep a good attitude, and just deal with the suck, but they anything BUT sucked.
I am grateful. Really grateful.
This transition is really hard for me, but now it's time to move on. Step One? Lose about 60 pounds. Get from 305 down to about 245.
Anyway, while I was recovering from rotator cuff surgery a couple of months ago, I could not squat normally. Instead, I did what are called goblet squats, which are pretty light weight but great for form. Somewhere during that time, I tightened up some muscles in my lower back and compressed a vertebral disk. I've been dealing with what can best be called a real pain in the ass, as a result of this, for a couple of months. Along with that pain in the ass comes a significant loss of strength. Throwing practices in the last two weeks have been completely miserable as throwing the stuff we have at the games is basically All About Ass.. So I had no expectations for my last Games. I was gonna do the road trip with my friend Marty, drink some beer, sit in the hot tub at Marty's friends house, and if I fell all over myself at the Games at least I would have gone. I would have had a chance to say goodbye to all my southern California friends.
Well, Saturday morning I took a couple of Aleve. After the National Anthem and the athletes meeting, I put my neoprene back support on under my kilt, strapped the kilt on and buckled down my weight lifting belt, good and hard, on top. I NEVER throw with my weight lifting belt. So, with no expectations, I marched with my bros over to the hammer cage to get the day started.
In summary, I had a remarkable day. I own the field record for the Senior Masters Heavy Hammer, already. I thought I might throw ten feet shy of that but instead I was only two feet off. I dished up some perfectly respectable throws. Well, damn. In the light hammer, last years effort put me 2 inches behind my old friend, long retired now, Ray Oster for the field record. To my total shock, on my next-to-last throw, I got the field record by two inches. Incredible! At at that point I figured I could just fall down for the rest of the day, and it would be a great day, anyway.
But son of a gun, weight over bar went OK, I snuck it over 12 feet. Yeah, sure I didn't have my usual mojo, I'm throwing with only half a functional ass, and throwing is ALL ass, but hell. 12 feet is no disaster. In sheaf, I plowed the bag into the bar 3x at 24 feet, which means I had 23+ all three times. Well, hell my lifetime personal best is only 25 and I set that eight years ago. That's a GOOD day. I mean, I cleared 21 feet and missed at 24 so the record books will show 21, but I know that I had 23 in me on Saturday, and it's what I know that counts.
In caber, I was the only Senior Master to turn the challenge caber. So I threw with the "young bucks" in the 50-59 class..LOL...and turned that stick 3x for a best of 12:05. All the turns were better than 12:30. That's a damn good caber sequence and it was on a light-ish but perfectly respectable stick.
After lunch, weights went OK...heavy was sort of "meh" but by no means a meltdown, and the light weight for distance was very respectable. I probably would have grabbed that field record as well, but two of my throws, I foot-fouled out the back so they didn't count. So I had to settle for 43' 11", but that is by no stretch of the imagination "bad". It's perfectly respectable and a *ton* better than I was afraid I was going to get.
Stones *sucked* at the end of the day. The affected muscles in my butt were giving out and if I can't plant my left side, drive off the right side and block, then it's all "arm". So that kinda sucked and my numbers were wrteched, for me. But WTH, everything else was good.
So for my last Games, ever, I won every event in my class, set a field record, and finally for the first time ever brought home a Class Win from that Games. I've been second or third more times than I can count, but now I've got a class trophy. Not only that, but the composite score from this one Games has me ranked 5th in the world for the Senior Masters.
I would say that this was a really great way to hang up my cleats. I got to say goodbye to a lot of good friends, and Adriane Wilson, the 5x womens world champion and a special friend showed up on Sunday. She was in town doing strength and throws training for the Invictus Games. So I got to hug Adriane, and say goodbye to her, too. We all love Adriane, and all us guys shamelessly crush on her. Adriane and her husband, Joe hosted me in Charlotte, NC when I was there for the Masters Worlds in 2012. I even did a gym lifting session with her, which was great fun.
It's time to move on to other things, like a 2022 Pac Cup or SHTP, and a trip to Micronesia for example. I was ready for these Games to basically suck. I was braced to just force myself to keep a good attitude, and just deal with the suck, but they anything BUT sucked.
I am grateful. Really grateful.
This transition is really hard for me, but now it's time to move on. Step One? Lose about 60 pounds. Get from 305 down to about 245.
)
