TL Health and Fitness Initiative 2011 - Page 691

So, to start I guess I should go back to August the 12th. That was the day when I made my very first attempt at a snatch. Being the idiot that I was, I had no idea how much balance it took and what it would feel like. Apparently, 0.45x body weight was a little too much to start with and I fell on my ass like a boss, but the thrill of it was indescribable. It was amazing. Before this, I knew I loved doing the clean and jerk more than any other lift but the snatch sealed the deal. I wanted to focus on Olympic lifts. From that point on, I kept up with anything DimSum and decaf posted (related to Olympic lifting) religiously while watching videos, reading what I could find and practicing whenever I had the chance.

This continued throughout the month of October and I saw steady progress in both developing form and strength. Unfortunately for me, my good ol' school believes in having a fitness centre rather than a gym so there was no one there to guide me and no one I could talk to about Olympic lifting. Thankfully there were powerlifters I could communicate with at least. They were great support and encouragement. On the other hand, I had no one to point out my flaws and no one to teach me face to face. (I've complained about it at least 3 times now but cameras and recording is a no-no where I train).

Past halfway through November, so much has happened and changed my perspective on all this. I normally train Monday, Wednesday and Friday but because I'm a genius, I forgot my shoes on Friday the 4th. No lifting occurred for MeShiet that day. Luckily for me, this happened to be a good thing. Strolling in on the next day, ready to max my snatch. This bigger guy with purple hair dye in his hair squatting next to me happened to be watching. I thought something was weird. I mean, I've seen people watch and give me this "what the hell is wrong with you" look but he watched without that surprise and shock. Instead, he spoke up and for the first time since my first snatch, I received advice on how to get a more efficient lift. He taught me how to correct my 2nd pull and instantly, my next lift was a PR and it felt easy. Needless to say, I was all ears whenever he said something to me. Turns out he himself was an Olympic lifter. I don't know much about him and to be honest, I couldn't find anything about him on the internet but before the day ended, he suggested that I contact his coach so I could get access into another gym located within my school as well as get some coaching. Before he left, he took down my email and said he'd email me some more information.

I honestly didn't think much would happen after that, after all, he didn't even ask for my name before he left. Regardless, I was still pretty excited about getting help and finally meeting someone who not only criticizes my form but taught me how to be better in about 10 minutes. I just assumed the whole thing would be forgotten by the guy and continued on with life. Two weeks later, on the 21st. I just finished hell week with papers and projects being due. Opened up my email and to my surprise, I see an email titled "Olympic lifting", this was when I learned his name but for confidentiality reasons I'll call him "Mr.L". I must've had the dumbest banana grin on my face while I was in the computer lab of my faculty. In the email, I was offered a chance to lift with him at a different university in the city where he himself would be able to coach and provide programming for me. In addition to that, Mr. L gave me contact information for his coach, (who I will call Mr.R) who works at the gym (not fitness centre) at my school. After some consideration, I responded to him, letting him know that I am interested in his offer but at the same time will contact his coach to see if that could lead to anything. Immediately after, I sent an email to Mr. R telling him how I got hold of his contact information as well as who referred me to him.

Throughout today, Mr.R and I exchanged emails to arrange for a meeting and to discuss getting me access to the gym and maybe some lessons or coaching. Ultimately, I am supposed to see him on Monday sometime from 8-10AM at the gym. I have no clue what he looks like and have no clue how I'll find him but according to his email, I just need to get to the front desk and let them know I'm looking for him. That's gonna be super fun. Regardless of what happens after this, I think it's gonna be worth it. The chances of me getting into the gym are pretty slim and it seems like I'll have to fork out quite a bit of money each month to be able to use that gym, but I am determined to make it work even if it means finding a part-time job to support this hobby. I kinda need money for shoes to begin with because I've been doing everything in Converse Chuck Taylors and I guess a pair of shoes would be a good investment if I'm to practice this sport seriously.

Holy crap this is over 1000 words, I didn't think my story would be that long. In anycase, to the experienced people (DimSum, decaf off the top of my head), what should I be looking for when I go to see this guy? Are there any specific questions I should ask to determine if the place is right for me?

Thanks for reading this, I promise I'll post an update after Monday regardless of the outcome.