Topic: Worst Jr Worlds for USA Ever?

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

I hope James Moser Sr will tell us how he managed to gain complete control of his son's attempts at Jr Worlds eventually despite not being the head coach.

It should be interesting.

[marty schnorf]

I am guessing that Jim and James Moser were just saying that James wanted a 160 opener and that the coaches allowed that. On every trip I have gone on the final decision is made by the team coach, with varying degrees of input by the lifter or personal coach.
 IT may well be here that more input was GIVEN to either James or his father than might normally be given and that the coach accepted their judgment that 160 was the weight. However, it was the coach who had to decide to accept or reject  their judgment that 160 was the right weight to open with. - Marty

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Marty,

That sounds reasonable and is the way its supposed to work. Mistakes can happen regardless, but my issue was with this particular bombout was the fact that Mr. Moser is taking full responsibility for the decision, as if it was his alone. Thats the way I understood his words anyway. Its hard to see how opening with 160 could have been considered reasonable by the head coach. I certainly wouldn't have allowed it if it was my job. 155, 160, 162-163- PR! Also, why didn't he clean and jerk? This would seem an opportunity to get more experience on the international stage or maybe get a PR and we definetely spent a lot of money to get him on that stage.

Overall though, it still seems like this must be the worst Jr Worlds for the USA in our history. I understand if you don't send a full team, maybe team points aren't that big a deal to some degree, but 2 out of 5 lifters bombed and two had unspectacular performances. Perhaps they would have all done better with a little different atmosphere, a larger Team, and more of a Team USA attitude.

Just my thoughts.

[marty schnorf]

Chris - My guess is that Jim and James are just being standup guys and saying, "Hey, blame us, not the team coach." I respect that, although the team coach always has to accept responsibility for the lifters' weight choices.
 If I had been on a Jr. world trip like I was with Harvey Newton and Smitty back in the 70's when they were head coach, I would have given them my opinions on how my lifter looked and what I thought. If I sort of convinced them to go with my weight and my lifter bombed, I would certainly try to take all of the blame, EVEN THOUGH THE HEAD COACH COULD HAVE (AND PERHAPS SHOULD HAVE) said no.
 Based off recent lifting IN MEETS, and not knowing his training, but knowing how a long trip can impact a lifter, my thoughts would have been this:
 I will put you in at 150. WE will take maybe 145 and 150, or 143 and 149-150 in the warmup room. If 143-145 looks good, we will up it to 152-153. If 150 is solid we will go 155. If either looks bad or is missed we will probably stay at 150 or maybe go up to 151-153 at most, certainly no more than 155.
 At Curt's first Jr. worlds in Bulgaria in 1977, he had done maybe 80 and 105 at Nationals where he won at 14. I wanted him to open with 75, and then 80 and 82.5. He was pretty adamant that he wanted to open with 72.5 even though I thought he looked real good in warmups and training had gone well. He went 72.5, 77.5, then agreed with me to jump to 82.5 and made it for a new Jr. American record at age 14, so he was 3-3.
 I am assuming here the idea was to go 160, 165, 170, which seems high. Are you more likely to make 165 and 170 or miss 160? I also wonder what we will hear about whether or not anyone considered moving him up to 105+. - Matry

[marty schnorf]

I was mistaken. Curt had done 107.5 at Nationals in 77 for JA record. He attempted 110 at 51+ kgs. at 14 but missed the rack as I recall. - Marty

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Marty,

Agreed. Perhaps they simply "convinced" the head coach that James was ready for 160. Since we weren't there we can not know. Perhaps James smoked 155 or even more in the warmup room and thus looked good for it. Thats why I was hoping Mr. Moser would tell us how it is he made the decision or how him and the team coach made it together. Its not intended to be an attack on him or his son. Again, I just can't see 160 as not being a responsible choice by the head coach. Who was the head coach? Do you know? I would like to know if there was argument about it, consensus, or what exactly happened. Maybe we will get it in the meet report in the next magazine....that should be a not real pleasant job writing that one up, or reading it.

It really saddens me to see us sending such a pathetically small team and doing so very poorly at what I consider to be the most important contest the USA competes in internationally. This is a meet we should be regularly winning medals at in my opinion and placing highly as a Team.

Are you more likely to make 165 and 170 or miss 160?

Well  put.

"I also wonder what we will hear about whether or not anyone considered moving him up to 105+"

Yes, that would seem like another very good question. Here's a few more I have. Where do we go from here? Will we commit to our Jr Program, centered around Jr Worlds, or keep putzing around in these unimportant, minor international meets?

[Mike Wittmer]

I was mistaken. Curt had done 107.5 at Nationals in 77 for JA record. He attempted 110 at 51+ kgs. at 14 but missed the rack as I recall. - Marty

This can't be the real Marty Schnorf.  The real one has a photographic memory when it comes to weightlifting.  No, wait, that was Bob Hoffman.

Interesting stuff.  I never did like second attempt PRs.  How many times do you make two PRs, in the same lift, on the same day?

Also, interesting that Curt wanted to start lower than you did.  I always thought he was one of the best lifters that I knew when it came to picking attempts.

[Mike Wittmer]

Chris, I think Kyle was the head coach.