I had such a great experience at USS Pro Women’s Worlds; I have been spinning my wheels trying to wrap my head around it all.
The first event was maximum deadlift. Suits and straps allowed. I picked an opener I felt confident in getting, 355lbs went up easy. My second attempt was 380lbs, which was a huge Personal Record for me. It was a bit of a grinder getting it off the floor, but once past my knees the lock out went great. My third attempt was 400lbs, but as I expected, breaking the ground was a challenge. This is something I will continue to work on, and I have no doubt 400 will fall this next year (especially with a suit that fits!)
The second event was the Viking Press. No double dips allowed. I have never done this event before (crazy, that I started competing 16 years ago and still trying new things at competitions!), but was looking forward to the challenge since I enjoy pressing events. I had 16 good reps at 160lbs. I started to get tired around 40 seconds and automatically double dipped, got called on double dipping, let myself get a little distracted, lost my rhythm, and couldn’t get going again. Still felt really good getting into the double digits with this event.
The third event was the Carry Medley. This was originally going to be a Husafel/Keg Carry medley, but due to equipment issues, we got to do a heavier 140lb/155lb Keg/Keg Medley for a total of 240 feet. Thankfully I had been training with a 140lb keg at home, so I wasn’t too upset that there wasn’t a Husafel and the event was a little heavier. I finished in 46.16 seconds, even with a drop at the end; I was able to recover pretty quickly.
The fourth event was a Farmer’s Carry, 160lbs for 60 feet. I went into this event mentally sidetracked by heel pain (car accident related, walking through the airport Thursday night had lit it up). I was super cautious on my pick for this event, and the times of the other competitors were so amazing that the extra second or two I took to get moving cost me a ton of points. Even so, I had no drops, finished with 10.84 seconds, and feel pretty dang good about it.
The fifth and final event was a 4 stone series to a ~46” platform, ~165-220lbs. I managed to finish with 20.66 seconds, and those 200+ lb. stones went up great! Now I just need to learn how to one-motion the stones to keep up with the rest of these ladies.
I competed as a Middle Weight, in the 148 pound weight class. I was also asked to sign up for the LW (under 148lb) Weight Class. Due to personal reasons, injuries, family tragedy, and people not making weight, I was solo in the 148 category. I came home with 1st place hardware and LW Master’s Pro Status. I feel a little strange not going head to head with someone in the 148 class, but that is not something within my control. I trained hard, showed up, and performed well. The open Middle Weight class was absolutely stacked, and all of those ladies brought their A game. I think it was a little befuddling at times that we weren’t placing higher event to event when we were doing these amazing feats of strength, but really the results were so close in many circumstances that a second or less, or a couple reps, or a few pounds could drastically alter the total points scored on an event. Not much room for error, let alone sneeze or stumble. To this, I say, you ladies absolutely ROCK! You should feel proud with what you accomplished this weekend.
I find myself very hungry to hear your stories.
Thank you to the promoters of this contest, judges, and volunteers for making this show happen and for such an enjoyable experience. Thank you for the competitors for being so friendly and having such great sportsmanship. Thank you also to my support network back home - my sponsors GenXLabs & Egg Whites International, also New England Women of Strength, Matheson Chiropractic, Desert Chiropractic, and especially to my family.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story, I appreciate the kind words from the spectators and other competitors. Now it’s time to refocus on putting on a great show December 10th at RAB Fitness in Kennewick, WA. The 2nd Annual Winter Strength Pro-Am Strongman Contest is a USS Pro-qualifier for the Arnold Brazil.