2009 September - United States Grip Championship - Hubgeezer

[Hubgeezer]

I was very happy to be participating at this year's contest. Robert, thank you for holding your contest in San Bernardino in July, as I had not been in any other contest since 5/07. I would not have "qualified" if you had not held it. I really appreciate it, as this would not have been otherwise possible for me.

Nice layout at Jedd's, very functional, plenty of room, great eats.

It was a lot of fun. It was strange to be a member of the Gripboard for over 5 years, and to be meeting people in person for the first time. No surprises really, except I don't understand all the fuss over John Eaton. I expected someone just one notch above a Neanderthal, and it was something to see him for what he is: a mild-mannered, serious, kind, professional athlete. Plus, Neanderthals were only around 5 foot six inches, and John was much taller than that!

The level of performances just keeps going up. How many guys lifted the Inch to full lock-out as just one part of the Medley? Three? Four? In 2002, lifting the Inch was a bonus event at the Arnold, and I am not sure how many of the competitors lifted it to the height that "our" guys did. Andrew and Jedd are both excellent ATHLETES. The Sport keeps improving. Ten of Eleven competitors closing a Number 3 in a contest? Done at Chad's as well, but not many other places.

A few comments on the competitors. Excuse me for not saying something about everyone - - this is just random. Chris Rice...it seemed like he was right there in lots of areas, so it was surprising that he did not place higher. Others were almost invisible, and they placed quiet high. Frank reminds me of a small version of Clay Edgin, Mini-Clay, as I told my wife when I got home.

My performance...I guess I want to say something about my own stuff that might be of some use to someone in the future, so that is how I will approach this:

Grippers. Closed the easy 3 first, 145 something RGC pounds. Move to the next 3, 149 something RGC pounds. Fail. Try it again. Fail. Okay, for the 4th and final attempt, skip ahead to the 153 something RGC lb Elite. Close. The point? Sometimes your hand might be a better match with another gripper, don't worry about RGC pounds.

Two Hand Pinch. That device, people complaining about it being "slick"? C'mon, with all of its rusting and pitting, how can you call that slippery, slick, etc? I am not in the same league as most of the guys on Two Hand Pinch. On my 3rd attempt, I failed with 173 something. I came back on the 4th attempt and murdered the sucker. I want to see that one on video, as the people watching seemed to be amused by that. My point? One failure does not preclude you from getting it on the next try.

Axle. Bah. Only got two of the four lifts. My bodyweight drop has affected my Axle lifts, no question. On my second attempt, the bar was slipping out at the top so at the "down" signal, my hands were chasing the Axle down as fast as can be. I think my second rep was as close as you can get without getting called for a miss. My point? don't ever stop trying.

Weaver Stick to the rear. Double Bah. I was not turning around and looking at what I was doing. On the Final attempt, I did not get it. It felt easier than heck, and I had more in the tank. I just didn't get past parallel, even though I thought I had it. So, a failure at 8.75 when I had 10 in me. Should have been peeking and looking.

Medley. Big difference between being able to do a feat by itself, compared to when it is in a Medley and your hands are tired. Things I presumed I had nailed before I began but missed them in the Medley: Rolling Thunder, one inch Vbar, heavy dumbbell lift, two hand pinch on 35s. Missed all of those, plus few others: scale weight lift, lever supination lift. I don't think I had missed anything under 190 in Rolling Thunder in years, until Saturday. Bummer.

Winning the Diesel Award was great. Thank you to both of you who voted for me! Good thing the votes went among so many participants! I was unhappy with the results on a number of my lifts, but I did go down fighting all the way, and I guess it showed. Hopefully I can see a couple on video eventually.

I had a blast, and am glad to have been a part of 2009's Shindig.