A huge 2-day Matti Tikka end of year competition in Sydney from November 21-22 saw 5 Melbourne Uni lifters venture north to take on 50 other competitiors and tropical heat to record 4 personal bests and the one obligatory disaster.
Ripped off in Sydney
Top of the tree were the two original Hard-Gainers, Chris and Chris. Chris Seville (82.5kg) fell over on 257.5kg Squat, came back and got it, then did the same routine on the Deadlift, 257.5kg flying up and then out of his hands before a valiant repeat. 665kg is a best by only 2.5kg but that puts Chris into the exalted EII ranks. In that session Club satellite member Sean Muir also improved, post hip surgery, with 640kg at 75kg.
Chris Schaerf is a prudent man, second only to Julian Ross in fiscal restraint, and is armed with an MBA, an honours degree in Commercial Law and now a Masters of Commerce. But he is no match for Minh, the Vietnamese shirt-peddler. Chris has now been sold 6 shirts, none fit, none work and now Minh is wearing gold chains. Here Chris narrowly missed a 1cm high best 277.5kg Squat, but on the Bench his special custom-made-to-fit-like-a-glove billowed and offered no resistance to 200kg. Chris came back for a best ever 280kg Deadlift and 740kg Total. However the big coin in Sydney for Chris was the great new bridge Minh sold him.
But all this Elite lifting was small beer compared to the death-match between the 82.5kg tyros, Al Baillie and David “Encino Man” Platzer. We all know Theo and Andrew sent Encino Man down to destabilize the Club before the big Melb v. Qld Unis clash next Nationals, but this primal force has been bottled (in a test tube) and will be turned on his former keepers in 2010. Here Dave merely hinted at the fireworks to come with 567.5kg total and victorious karate kicks to various inanimate and animate objects after each lift. But then came Al, also with a 30kg PB to pip the Encino Man on the last lift and the battle of wills will only continue.
Speaking of test tubes, Luke Bainbridge claimed to be experimenting on his Squat and successfully proved that if you Squat high you get red lights. But Luke will be back next week at Ross Productions Global contest to redeem himself (again).
And finally, Michael Censori overwhelmed an Einsteinian field, and Theo, to come dux of the Level 1 Coaching Course.
– Robert Wilks
