I love doing meet recaps because it reminds me of the great times I had and all the things I need to do to grow from the mistakes that I made. This meet was no different. I had good moments and I learned so much.

Initially, I had no intention of doing this meet. I have a goal of becoming a USPA judge, so when I approached the Florida Chairman he told me I needed to have more “platform experience”. At first, I’ll be honest, I was annoyed. We go to at least 5 meets a year. Most of which we sponsor and host a booth. But than when I thought about it, that means that I don’t actually have PLATFORM experience… I have spectator and sponsor experience LOL. So he suggested that I volunteer or compete at the next few meets. Which I did. I volunteered and shadowed judges at a meet in August, which was really awesome and if you have the opportunity to do so, I would highly recommend it. It changes the way you see lifts. Then I decided to compete in this meet. I competed last year and had a ton of fun. Went 9 for 9 and PR’d all my lifts, by a few pounds. I called this time a YOLO meet. I figured it didn’t actually matter what I did, as long as I had the platform experience that I initially desired.

It was time to ask my favorite coach, my husband, to do a program and peak me. I casually told him I wanted to compete in November and, as such, I would need him to start working on my program. (He’s always done my programming, but I recently started doing my own bc I wasn’t very consistent and I had other goals, non-powerlifting, goals that were taking priority, so we joke that I fired my coach.) He looked at me from across the table and very firmly said, “If I program you, you have to show up! You have to be consistent and you have to take it seriously because I have other paying clients and I don’t have time to do this if you’re not going to take it seriously.” This may sound harsh, but after 11 years of marriage, we are well aware of our different relationships. We are husband and wife, friends, business partners and coach and athlete. I knew right there, he was being my coach. Since opening the gym, my husband has acquired a few clients that he does programs for. He is incredibly dedicated and in my opinion, he’s found his calling and is really good at it.

I’m proud to say, that talk was exactly what I needed. I took the next 9 weeks and put the work in. I showed up to every training day, did every accessory, gave him feedback in notes like everyone else would. I didn’t whine, I didn’t complain and I didn’t use his role as my husband against him. In the gym, he was my coach and he pushed me like he would every other client. He was tough when I needed him to be and he was understanding and compassionate when I needed that too. I worked my butt off every day and it paid off. I was hitting gym PR’s and touching weights and reps that I had never done before. It felt incredible. On top of all that, a new member of our gym asked if Corey would program her. After working with her once or twice, he asked if she wanted to do a meet and she said she did! So he manipulated both of us into training together. It was so smart on his part. We worked together and pushed each other. We’re both very competitive so every time she hit a solid number, I wanted to do it and vice versa. It’s been such a pleasure to train with someone again. Every time I taught her something, it reminded of how far I’ve come and gave me confidence.

9 weeks later and the meet was here! Our gym had 7 members in this meet and 4 of them were competing for the first time! It was so great to see them put the work in and be excited! I knew that I wanted a 300 lb squat. Of course, I wanted to PR my other lifts and go 9 for 9 but I really wanted a 300 lb squat! I went 3 for 3 on squats and ended with 303 lb squat lifetime PR! It was awesome!! I was so elated I cried and my friend, Melissa and I hugged and cried! I achieved my ultimate goal of the meet! What I didn’t realize was that lift zapped me. I was exhausted! I went 2 for 3 on bench. My previous PR was 154 lbs so I went for 159.6 on my third attempt and it stapled me. I also went 2 for 3 of deadlift. I matched my previous PR of 275 lbs and decided to let Corey pick my last attempt. Through lack of communication on my part, he went for 303 lbs but I just didn’t have it. I knew that I didn’t and I probably would have chosen a lighter attempt just to make sure I got the lift but I didn’t tell him that. I was exhausted from my adrenaline going up and down all day, not enough food and no pre-workout or caffeine. I never needed those things in the past because I was sandbagging. My attempts were low and conservative and I perform better on the platform than I do in the gym but I wasn’t pushing myself enough.

This meet was so different for me. I know that I usually perform well at meets despite how my training goes. Last meet I did, I essentially winged it. I barely trained, I got injured, sick and went on a 10-day vacation beforehand and still hit some PRs. But there’s something to be said about knowing that I could do well regardless of my training and still putting the work in. It gave me confidence and pride stepping onto the platform. My openers were solid numbers, I didn’t sandbag or sell myself short. I had attainable goals but I would have to put some work in to achieve them.

Overall, I’m happy with my performance. I left it on the platform and I watched my friends and teammates do amazing! It was a pleasure to see them grow in this sport and it was an honor to share the platform with them. More so, I’m proud of myself for putting in the work. It’s easy to say, “I’m just too busy” but when you make it a priority you can make anything work! My life didn’t change. I still had to work and take care of my house and have a social life but my mindset changed. This meet was a priority and I couldn’t let myself down. I figure, if I can work this hard for 9 weeks and get a 300 lb squat, I can do anything for 9 weeks and see results!  So I urge all of you reading this, if you sign up for a meet, put the work in and take it seriously. It's so much more rewarding when you win with honor. 

I also learned that a good training environment is beneficial. I don’t think that I would’ve trained as hard without my training partner and the rest of the team. We all came together, cheered each other on for great lifts and supported each other when things got tough. I’ve never had a better team! If you are need of that environment, find a powerlifting gym. They are the people that support the sport we love! I’m excited to see what the future hold for me! I may not be the leanest, the strongest or the best by any means but I love it nonetheless and I will be old and gray before I stop supporting it.