Friday Jams

Posted on October 25, 2013 by tosabarbell

Watching Zydrunas Savickas compete last weekend was an incredible experience. We all know he’s strong. Strongest IMO. His speed took me by surprise and I believe is wrapped up in his competitiveness. He is, obviously, an amazing competitor. The rate at which he’s able to recover from each event and calmly wait for the next shows the conditioning that’s hidden within his large frame. The other top guys are no slouches actually. Probably the most impressive showing was the small Norwegian amateur, Bjorn Solvang. He was fast, so fast. Strong. Tenancious. Hungry. You know, the hunger athletes have when they want to make it in the big time. Also, you know, the hungry you feel if you’ve not eaten in two days? Only that’s Bjorn after 15 minutes. The dude is always eating.

But Big Z is rockstar. Literally. On Saturday after dinner, a few of us were waiting outside the arena waiting for the bus to return for the second batch of folks, when Z came out and said some of us can go back to the hotel with him in his car. We jumped and had Bigg and Rob Frampton, Marcel (Champions League co-founder and promoter), Svend Karlsen the Viking and little ‘ol me pile in the SUV. I was sandwiched between Rob and Bigg in the back seat and marveled how I am really the luckiest girl in the world to be sitting amongst such strength giants. But then I noticed this at a stop light…

The car to the right of us had a normal looking man (read: small) in the drivers seat and a woman next to him with a person I couldn’t see very well in the back seat. When the driver looked over and saw Big Z was driving the car next to him, his eyes got huge as he did a double take and started to excitedly talk to the woman next to him. She then leaned forward and started speaking quickly and the person in back started leaning into the front seat to see. Cuz Z is Rockstar. Totally.

We were in his town, his turf. The looks he gets and the excitement he stirs wherever he goes was a treat to see. Each meal we had at the neighboring mall had people gathering and staring as he’d quietly walk or eat his dinner.  He is more than the World’s Strongest, he is Big Z. Their hero.

As we were packing up on Sunday evening at the Arena, I finally got up the nerve to ask for a quick pic. I like the shadowy result. Yes, it’s nerdy and I was so starstruck over the weekend at these giants in the strength world that I probably was nerdy more than usual. But I don’t care. I got Taxi’d by a Rockstar. F* Ya!

Enjoy the weekend. Nickelback: Rockstar.

Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.

John F. Kennedy

Training Log

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This Old Man

Posted on October 24, 2013 by tosabarbell

Vilnius old man

At some point during the World Log Lift Championships last weekend, I noticed this old man. He was slightly stooped, had an awesome hat, carries a bag full of branches and has an epic beard.

He made his way over to Big Z for a pic where things got a little dramatic. Of course he didn’t realize (or did and didn’t care) that these big Strongman were smack dab in the middle of a live television sporting event where they wanted to do well. So when he walked up to Z and grabbed him for a picture, a few event organizers removed his hands and told him he can’t do this now. Well, Lithuanian old men don’t like to be manhandled and instantly started yelling.

The helpers calmed him down, I assume explained that Z was a bit busy now but can get his picture after the event and that seemed to appease him. He then turned his attention to Polish Champions League leader Krzysztof Randzikowski, demanding a picture with him. Now, I may be getting the timing slightly off but I believe Krzysztof had just come off the platform after making his lift so he was a bit tired. The old man gave him one of his branches and then wanted a picture together. He took off his glasses, his hat, smoothed his hair down and they got the photo. Afterwards, he struggled with putting his hat back on while Krzysztof had began to focus on his last attempt. The old man slapped him on the shoulder and told him to help him with his hat. It. Was. Priceless.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of that, just the Polish half grin afterwards…

Kudos to the patience and sense of humor of the Polish.

When we asked the old man after the event was done if I could take a picture of he and Matt, he nodded yes and walked over by the American flag. He motioned for Matt to take the flag and gave me his camera. I took the first shot, which I thought was ok, but after he looked at it he loudly “told” me (motions, grunts, a few foreign words) that it wasn’t what he wanted. I had to get the flag, Matt, and old man but nothing else. Zoom in! I was so nervous after my second shot that I’d get yelled at again but I seemed to do ok. He nodded and slightly smiled and shuffled on after patting Matt on the shoulder.

I thought that was the end of it when suddenly I turned around, and he was hanging with these guys…

…ballsy. I’ll give him that. Z got some branches too.

The locals said that this man tends to show up at different events and is just accepted in the ranks. He was a character for sure. Awesome.

Is that your father?

Ilkka to Bigg after the old man shuffled by.

Training Log

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1 in 40

Posted on October 23, 2013 by tosabarbell

Vilnius 055

There was a lot going on during the warm ups of the SCL Log Lift World Championships on Saturday in Vilnius, Lithuania. The Zydrunas classic had arm wrestling, figure competitions, wrestling, and tons of other things going on that I didn’t even get to see. I was a bit in Lithuanian overload when I heard the warms ups going on in the back. Ohhhhhh, the nerves set in (see, I get nervous even when I’m NOT competing. Handy.)

As I was watching the first few 1st attempts go without a white light, I started getting even more nervous. This was a beastly log and everyone walking away was shaking their heads at it. An opener of 180kg for Matt should have been a cake walk and though Matt had a smooth lift, even he was a little surprised at how hard the log was.

Here it is…

Watching Vidas Blekaitas, Krzysztof Radzikowski, and of course Big Z come up was quite amazing. Zydrunas is total rock star in Lithuania and he had the crowd waiting at the edge of their seats on his final and new World Record 222.5kg third attempt. Of course I didn’t get video, just the above picture. Honestly, I just wanted to take it in, enjoy the moment.

The clean reminded me of Rezazadeh’s 263.5kg clean in Athens. Effortless, a walk in the park. Z has an amazing clean, snappy. Yes, he makes a 490# beastly log look snappy. His press was no nonsense, get it up, get ‘er done. It was beautiful. The crowd went absolutely crazy, I glanced over at the other competitors and not one didn’t have a look of awe on their face and then it hit me. Out of the few thousand people in the arena at this moment, there were probably about 40 that understood the magnitude of what Z keeps doing with this Log Lift event. And I was one of them. Wow. One in Forty. It was truly the most amazing feat of strength and sport accomplishment that I’ve ever witnessed and I am so thankful for having the opportunity to be in that arena at that moment.

Our Chaperone for the weekend was an adorable, tiny blonde who’s name is Vaida who looked at me and said, ‘is good, ya?’ Yes. Iz very good!

More to come later on Vaida, but when I say tiny…

I mean tiny. Her whole body is one of Bigg or Thor’s leg’s. Heh.

I am so thankful to be present at this event that my head is still swimming a bit (yes, the amount of Lithuanian booze consumed could have something to do with that;) Matt’s 5th place finish was very respectable and I’m proud of him. He missed his second and third attempts at 190kg and in hindsight, I wish we would have made a game time adjustment of going to 185 instead of 190 on the second. Live and learn. He’s worked a long time for this and with a few tweaks to his clean (LEGs! Use your GD LEGssss!!!!;) and hopefully another opportunity, he’ll kick arse again.

He absolutely hates to lose. There is no lose in him.

Marcel on Big Z

Training Log

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End Cap Packing

Posted on October 16, 2013 by tosabarbell

We all know there is a specific stratergery that retail uses to entice shoppers to stray from their lists and believe they need the junk on those pesky end caps. I usually do ok. October in Target means Monster cereal on the end caps and I’m always a sucker for Monster cereal. Oz likes the $5 movies that he’s already watched 4000 times on AMC but for some reason having the movie would be so much better. I can remember giving my mom a side glance of hope when I was a wee girl (or at least young, I really was never wee) for a pack of Fruit Stripe gum. Come on! How can you NOT give your kid Fruit Stripe gum!!!

I thought of this while packing this morning. See, I had my daily outfits laid out with one extra shirt for post contest party fun; a suit; undies; socks, ya know, the usual. But I picked up a new suitcase Sunday to replace my weekender bag I’d been using and now there’s lots more room! Soooo, grab my training gear; an extra pair of tennis shoes; a couple more shirts? Uh oh, I have even MORE room left over.

And this is where my end cap packing kicked in. My compact mirror; an umbrella; another sweater; my rubba slippas. I finally had to walk away. I literally was going to start adding a 1/2 eaten dark chocolate bar and my 8th tube of lip shit. WALK AWAY!

I still have a couple of hours, I’m going to have to remain strong. As I type, I’m picturing all kinds of shit up there that can still go in the suitcase. OH, and by the way, here is a heartfelt letter to my new suitcase…

“Dear beautiful new Samsonite suitcase. It’s very exciting that so shortly after coming home with me, you get to travel all the way to Lithuania. You’re very lucky. I have filled you with everything I deem absolutely necessary (please don’t read the above) and leave you space to bring home goodies from abroad. I’m sure you acknowledged the care and organization as I loaded my stuff into your belly. I apologize now for that bag I snuck into your front pocket. I know, it smells; it’s stuffy; and the fabric softener sheets I put inside with it’s contents just form some type of outdoor ass smell. See, they’re called KNEE SLEEVES. They’re bad. I know. It’s why they’re not allowed in the main compartment.  Please know that I give my utmost respect to the sacrifice your front pocket is giving to hold these Rehband holders of stink all the way to foreign lands. Hugs and kisses, jules.”

Poor suitcase.

You know, there’s nothing damnable about being a strong woman. The world needs strong women. There are a lot of strong women who you do not see who are guiding, helping, mothering strong men. They want to remain unseen. It’s kind of nice to be able to play a strong woman who is seen.

Ginger Rogers

Training Log

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