My Start in Powerlifting

The other day I decided to tag along with Sally to Austin so that I could get a nice undisturbed workout in at Hyde Park Gym. Lately, we've been spending a lot of talking about my career in competitive Strength Athletics and it seems since my recovery from triple bypass surgery I have seemingly been more driven towards returning to competing both on the platform and in the throwing field. We headed out  towards Austin and I talked about my first ever powerlifting meet, according to Sally she could not only hear it in my voice but she could feel the passion and love for a sport that she just hadn't seen before in me. Sure I'm like most 'Old Strong Guys' in that I love telling stories about my past glory and exploits in the Iron Game hell just ask some of the kids I train but for some reason this time was different. Not only could I remember so much more of the path I took to my first powerlifting meet but I could feel it so deep inside of me that it almost brought me to tears. So we stopped at Buc-ee's in Bastrop for some food and coffee and there on this beautiful cool Texas morning I told her this story and if you don't mind I'll tell you....oh what the hell it's my blog....   

Let me tell you a story.........

My buddies and training partners Rodney Serpa, Dan Deweese and I rented a car and headed out towards Austin, Texas and I doubt we were very far out of Corpus Christi when I yelled from the backseat to STOP .... there in the field was the biggest damn cow with the biggest horns I had ever seen in my life standing there in a field, and Yes my Yankee ass knows now that it was a Longhorn but it was the first time I had ever seen anything like it!!!  Rodney and Dan almost died laughing as I got out of the car to take a picture!!! 

We were headed to compete in the Region 9 Championships where I was competing in the 198 pound class in the Novice Division!!! There's a story about not just why I was in this weight class but how I stayed in the class that I promise to write very soon (just added this today)

So now it's Saturday morning and I'm enjoying breakfast when my Powerlifting Coach Rick Gaugler comes to the table and scolds the hell out of me because I still had to weigh in and I was too close to making weight to be eating and well breakfast proved to be a bad idea because when I stepped on the scale I was 4 pounds over so its off to the car to bundle up, turn on the heater and chew some sour gum so I can sweat and spit off 4 pounds and I've only got 2 hours to do it!! Yeah back then you not only had weigh-in 2 hours before the competition but you had to have all of your gear inspected and marked not like the shit is now!! Since I'm out in the car trying to make weight the 'story telling' side of me will get a bit off track.... in 1985 they are no bench press shirts, maybe 2-3 guys making lifting suits (Thank You Pete and Titan Support Systems) and there was 1 guy in the USA making the best powerlifting belts so you ordered it and waited for Bob Morris to send it to you.  Actually you cut the order form from Powerlifting USA and sent it in with your money order and you'd check the mail every day hoping it would come because there was no tracking your packages or anything like it is today!!  While I'm at it your wrist wraps were an ACE bandage (2" wide) that was cut in half...well to be honest we never cut the thing we'd stretch it out on a weight tree and beat the shit out of it with a 2.5 pound plate until it was cut in half and our knee wraps were nice and soft (you can see mine in the picture and they are still the office at my gym). Think these were from Marathon. Well I finally made weight and kind of got warmed up but I was in the wrong area and not paying attention because I never heard them call my name in the lifting order but what I do remember was Rick coming and grabbing me by the hair and shoving me in a chair and he wrapped one knee while giving me instruction and Stan wrapped the other and with a slap on my back and a shove towards the correct platform where my opener of 551 pounds was waiting for me. I had a great day in the squat hitting my goal of 606.5 pounds (275kg) but the squat is my favorite lift and now we move on to my least favorite the damn bench press!! I did get a nice 352.75 (160kg) and we finally eat some lunch a traditional Texas Powerlifting lunch... its Whataburger Time!!! Shit I think Whataburger should be sponsoring Texas Powerlifting since we seem to eat it at every meet!! 

Now it's time for the deadlift and it's a lift that I was starting to love and because of that pathic bench press I had a few people closing in on me. Damn I do love the brutal mindset you have to possess to walk up to a heavy ass weight, snort an amonia cap and pull that damn thing off of the floor while gravity is fighting like mad to keep it on the ground. I proved to myself that day that I did possess that mindset and I finished my day with a winning pull of 578.75 (262.5kg) and won my class with a total of 1528 pounds (697.5kg) and I am hooked on the Sport of Powerlifting!! 

Well the meet is over and now it's time to eat and drink a beer!!! So we head out to find somewhere to get a couple of pizzas and buy some beer when we happen to drive by a couple of cops stopped so we pull up and ask them where we could get some beer .... they looked at us like we were idiots and told us Austin!! Bastrop was a dry county and there was no beer sales....what the crap is that!!?? So we got a couple of pizzas and headed back to our motel room where Rodney and I decided we were sore and needed to soak in the hot tub WITH our pizzas!! I can remember floating the pizza box back and forth to each other and why do I remember this....because we both got sick as dogs. Yeah it was a great trip home laying across the back seat of the car dying!!! I'll tell you honestly I would not change any part of this story for the world. I must thank Rodney Serpa and Dan Deweese for inviting me onto the platform at Bradshaw's Gym to train with them.

My biggest thanks goes to Rick Gaugler who not only coached me but taught me the History of the Sport that I still love today, he also taught me how to be a man in this world (something my dad never did) and his friendship I cherish to this very day.  Rick got off work at 2am from the club and drove to coach us then turned around and drove back and went straight back to work... getting no sleep!! 

Also Pete Alaniz who supplied me (and continues to sponser me) not only my gear but a friendship that has lasted since we met back in 1984. Pete owns Titan Support Systems the #1 company in the world for all of your gear. What an awesome introduction to a sport that has taught me many lessons in competition, in life and now in coaching. Always find love and passion in whatever you do. 

Play Hard...Train Harder...NO EXCUSES