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Fort Worth Grip Contest


Vinnie

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After making it to Gripmas last year and meeting so many of the Senior Gripizens I have gotten to know on the Grip Board but not in person, I really wanted to go even further, to venues better reachable by plane than car (Gripmas was just a 9 hour drive from NYC to Ohio), and do more of the same.  Arizona almost panned out but didn't.  Denver, too.  Finally, Fort Worth appeared and mission accomplished!  I flew to Texas from NYC, spent two days in a decent hotel, found out I really like the Ford Escape, and participated in an AWESOME comp.  I met Grip Board - Arm Lifting gurus Adam Glass, Riccardo Magni, Eric Milfeld, and Tommy Jennings, and re-met Tanner Merkle, whom I think I had met briefly but not really sat down with before.

I thought it would be easy to make weight, because the comp was 90kg and whatever bigger classes there are because I am nowhere near 90.  But as the date got closer I realized that making it in at 80kg would give me a better shot at getting invited to next year's St. Petersburg, Russia, comp.  So I decided to go for the 80kg a couple days before when I was 82kg.  I made it -- 79.7.  Phew.

First was the rolling thunder, rising bar, last man standing.  I started around 130 because I was maxing 145-150.  Hmm.  Felt easier than I am used to.  Tanner thought it was a hard rolling thunder, but the one I own is brand new and not seasoned in any way, so maybe that's why it felt easier to me.  I wound up PRing a couple of times, finally making 167 and failing 172, barely.  i cannot say how surprised and pleased I was to have opened so strong (compared to past performance and my expectations) on my weakest event.  

DOH axle.  I made 285.  My PR is 303 and I thought I had 295 but while I was attempting 305, I was informed my 295 actually was braced so it was DQ'd.  They let me go for the 305, but it was a shade much and I got air but no lift.  285 is still my contest PR on that by about 5 pounds but I was hoping for better.  Well now this is my weakest event lol.

Saxon bar.  Adam gave us the option to use 2.5 inch width or 3-inch width, and I chose 2.5.  I am pretty sure the Saxon bar I have done, which used to be Nate's, was 2 inches and I maxed around 203.  I figured wider would mean less, so I started around 145 or so, and was having a little trouble around 175.  But something clicked and felt better so that I managed to get a couple more lifts in and made 201.  Yeah, Adam and Tanner went on to do 250 or 260 or whatever they do, but I was liking the 201 for me.  That was NOT my weakest event.

Silver Bullet.  The guys thought I had a shot at the 4, so I humored them.  I was right!  I had no shot at the 4.  But, after a challenging comp, with a thick handle PR for me, I was able to get 12 seconds on Tannner's 3.5 that he said was rated 172.  That's an improvement on my Cupid's and NAGS holds (also 12 sec, on Jedd's 3.5), given that the event took place later in the comp when I was more tired than at the other two venues.  Tanner's 3.5 had such a sweet sweep that I felt like on a good day I could almost get it all the way closed mms style. 

I met a couple of other cool folks, like Danny (who weighed in 2 ounces or so more than me), Jamie (who has a vitamin store of some sort), and Robert (who looks small but bends like a demon).  They are not on the Grip Board so not going into detail here, but also nice guys.

Adam , Riccardo, and Eric ran a great comp and I hope to return to their events.  Thanks, guys!.

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Great showing Vinnie! A competitive performance. Looks like you have a lot of potential with the saxon bar. Sometimes you dont know your own strength. Great feeling to find out in competition haha.

Edited by Viceversus
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Great to finally meet you! When do you remember us meeting previously? I must be crazy haha 

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8 hours ago, Boulderbrew said:

Great to finally meet you! When do you remember us meeting previously? I must be crazy haha 

I think you're right, Tanner.  I think I just felt like I must have met you because of all the vids I've seen of you doing superman shit.  But I can't remember ever talking to you before, and if you weren't at Gripmas or any of Jedd's comps, then I wouldn't have met you, so then nice to meet you also lol.

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19 hours ago, Boulderbrew said:

Great to finally meet you! When do you remember us meeting previously? I must be crazy haha 

By the way, I REALLY wanna try your 3.5 some day at the peak of a gripper workout.  Not sure when we'd be in the same place and I'd be doing grippers, but if we are ever attending a contest with gripper closes, maybe you can bring it and I can try it just for fun after my last attempt.  I can't close a gripper rated that high under contest conditions, but I got pretty close, without even warming up, using my legs to help set it.  So more like a negative or a choked close.  Anyway, would be fun to see if I could have gotten it that way after I warmed up.

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1 minute ago, Vinnie said:

By the way, I REALLY wanna try your 3.5 some day at the peak of a gripper workout.  Not sure when we'd be in the same place and I'd be doing grippers, but if we are ever attending a contest with gripper closes, maybe you can bring it and I can try it just for fun after my last attempt.  I can't close a gripper rated that high under contest conditions, but I got pretty close, without even warming up, using my legs to help set it.  So more like a negative or a choked close.  Anyway, would be fun to see if I could have gotten it that way after I warmed up.

Or if that gripper is getting too easy for you I'd be happy to trade.  I have three 3.5s -- two unrated that are much harder than yours (I could only guess 180-ish), and one rated 171 by CPW but brand new and the sweep is much harder, so it is harder to set.

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