American Open: Results

The good news is that both lifters posted totals and hit PR lifts. Unfortunate news was a massive coaching mistake and the list of details that this meet was not by the lifters, for the lifters grows.

Keith, after a one week taper and hitting good numbers about 10 days ago, was our first lifter. After an 800 mile drive, there was some relief that he was not the first session of the day on Friday, 12/1.

Warm ups were nice. Some lifts kind of getting away, but nothing serious. All good. Opener: solid. Whew. Second attempt with a PR 72: straight up off the floor; no salvaging that one. Coaching cue: "Tight." Not quite finished at the top on the second attempt though it swept in nicely and off the hips was good. Miss.

CJ. Keith will be following himself so, need to get that opener in and then go for it. 82 opener: Whew. Total can be posted. Second attempt at 87. Left the floor out in front where it stayed throughout the jerk, too. Miss. Loading it to a PR attempt, Keith gets ready. Nice off the floor; the clean was much easier than the 87. Stands up nicely. Now,the jerk. Straight down, drive was good, but the arms became engaged too early and the bar ended up over the forehead. Miss. 69/82/151 and a competition PR clean.

Afterwards, an international level coach came to Keith to tell him that he looked good and he needs to stay with it.

After what seemed like forever, it was finally Brigid's turn. She gives a mini-clinic on the warm up platform of how to move quickly around the bar. All looks good. Some jostling of attempts among the other lifters (none of whom were in podium contention...) puts her going first. Bang. Superb lift to open.

Then the inexcusable happens.

Somehow, she is called but nobody, including Brigid, hears her name until Three Ring (hat tip) yells, "Brigid is up!" 13 seconds on the clock and she is running to the platform. Or, wait a second, maybe it was a coaching tactic to make sure there was no thinking and all doing... She nails the lift with absolute smooth perfection. 2 red flags and no lift. Nobody knows why.

A former national champion now coach of champion lifters says, "She looked great on that lift. You are going to move her up, right?"

She goes for a PR 59 on her third and final attempt. The lift was doomed to stay in front as her elbows were just slightly pointing backwards from the start. Everything else about the lift was good; it is a game of millimeters and milliseconds when you are going after a PR.

Need to move on to the CJ. Fortunately, she is able to flush the coaching mistake and move on to a focused warm up. Another clinic on the warm up platform and she is ready for the opener. Nailed. Now, it's time to go for it.

73, PR clean, jerk just to the front. 74, PR clean (up from the bottom much more nicely than the previous lift). She sets, good drive, but the arms got involved a millisecond too early putting the bar over her forehead. She finishes with a 53 (a moral 56)/69/122.