Topic: Favorite weightlifting anecdotes

[Don Weideman]

When I was a novice lifter I had the opportunity to lift with Ken Clark sitting in the right side referee chair. I'd had never met or seen Ken before, but I new his reputation and details of his career. Like myself he lifted for the Sports Palace, that's where the similarities end. He was a National Champion and an Olympian.
On my first C&J I stood up with the clean and proceeded to pass out, falling flat on my back. Fortunately I pushed the bar forward as I collapsed. When I gained consiousness one of the other referees extended his hand and said,"welcome back". Embarassing.
Monday after the meet I went to the gym to find a poster was made from one of the photos of me losing it with this caption at the bottom,
"Don can't keep it up"!
         
Very clever aren't they?

[Les Kernodle]

Don , I recall a series of platform "blunders" in my first meets.
When the press was a lift , you had to clean the weight and wait for the ref's clap before pressing , my first contest , I pressed it twice before the clap , (we practiced the clap in our last week , but the excitement I forgot.
did it right on my third.
Then my second meet , I lost a jerk and was not experienced enough to know when to let go , and about turned myself inside-out  ! ouch ! more embarrassed than hurt.
My worst blunder was after severl years under my belt , in a contest where I had broken my PR snatch by 15 lbs ... I was going for a PR C&J and was very seriously preparing , up at the bar , bending to grab it , I had forgotten to tighten my belt and it slipped down to my knees.
I caught the head ref eyes as he winced and shook his head ,, I tried to regroup by missed the durn thing anyway.