Where is everyone #5

A thinking youngun…

I was a competitive powerlifter. I weighed 210and competed in the 220lb class. Usually, I would breeze through, but in 2002, had a guy in my class that ran neck and neck with me. He opened with a 405 bench (you open with a weight that’s fairly heavy but you would never miss). I opened with 405. This one kid full of acne (steroids) tried to open with 475 and he missed.

Second lift, first guy went 425. I went 455. Acne tried 475 with a bench shirt, but the shirt wouldn’t allow him to lower the bar to his chest. Scratch.

Third lift the first guy liked the way I spotted the other guys on my team and he asked me to spot him. IMO, that’s a huge sign of respect and I was honored. I spotted him on a 460lb lift. I went 475 and struggled right at the top for lock out. My spotter, a high school coach, forgot we were in a contest and touched the bar. Scratch. He realized when the judges scratched the lift that he caused me to lose. Acne went to 565 with a shirt but was unable to get it off his chest. Coach apologized to me again and again. I had never lost before.

I blamed me. I should have been able to lock out 475. Go home, figure out what I did wrong, come up with a better game plan and prepare. I switched to a reverse grip bench and got it up to 405. Got my incline bench to 405. Got the point to where I could partially rep 405 on a seated military press. I own 405. In 2003, I bench 515 with just elbow wraps and wrist wraps. Paused. Contest style, no slingshots or bench shirts.

So in a nutshell, losing helped me to improve much more than winning.

 

‘I hurt therefore I am.’

Went for a ride yesterday, the first time in 2 weeks, waiting for the new heel toe shifter to come in. Left ankle swelling and lots of pain. Stop off at the auto parts store…
I guess I should be embarrassed, but it’s much easier on the ankle to shift and I made it home.

 

Ain’t no shame in using your noodle. Just because you hurt and have embraced the suck doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look for ways to do the same job with more comfort.
What matters is you don’t let it stop you from living. I don’t need to needlessly hurt to prove who’s a man, and I don’t particularly give two ####s what a younger man thinks. Because let’s be honest, an old man ain’t gonna pass judgement. And a young man passes judgement only because he doesn’t know #### from shinola yet.

 

The young man foolishly feels he needs to prove himself to the older man. We were all guilty of it at one point.

 

A young MAN is still a Man.

“Because you speak to me as a Man and carry yourself as a Man I will give you the Respect of a Man.”

 

Everyone wants that dedicated work until they realize it means your eating a couple brats in your truck and heading into North Dakota to do crap you don't wanna do on Labor day

 

Back in 1927, Haven High School beat Sylvia High School, 256-0. Sylvia is West of Hutchinson, Ks and Haven is SE of Hutch, all 3 towns are in Reno County. There was a news article back in the early 90's that hung in the cafe in Haven. Scroll down past the filters, it's still in the The National Federation of State High School Associations records, first record listed.

https://tools.nfhs.org/recordbook/Record-book-result.aspx?CategoryId=27

 

Good customer of ours has a son in law that does some leather work as a hobby. He made this Leatherman sheath for me.

 

Some lessons are read, the major one are earned...

 

Flatbed is getting as bad as dry van crap anymore. Every place i go to its 5+ hours to load on both ends! With no detention time. Atleast the box jockeys get detention? Bout done with this crap