Topic: A picture that brings back memories...

[Matt Foreman]

In the WE Hall of Fame section, there's a picture of Nicu Vlad putting down a 180 snatch at the OTC in 1990, with John Thrush and Wes Barnett watching.  I was sitting about ten feet from the platform when he did that workout.  I remember being in the game room of the OTC dorm one day, playing pool with Pete Kelley, when Wes Barnett came in and said, "Vlad's going up to 90% today."  We all RAN to the gym to watch.  I remember he wasn't snatching too well, and I think he missed 170 and 180 a couple of times before making 180 and then doing his famous eyes-closed psych up for 185.  It was awesome.  And then he C&Jd 210 and DOUBLED the jerk.  Cleaned it, jerked it, brought it down to his shoulders, then jerked it again.  I was 17 when I saw this and it really opened up my eyes to realize what a true world-class athlete was.  I had never seen anything like him and spending a month training with him during that summer was one of the highlights of my athletic life.  Good guy, too.  He didn't speak much english at the time, but we all still hung out and had a lot of laughs.

One thing I remember about that summer was how many of the junior lifters at the OTC were bitching about everything.  It seems like a lot of those guys complained more than they trained about how hot the dorm rooms were, the bars we trained on weren't any good, blah blah blah.  Vlad told us all at one point, "In Romania, I train on a bent bar in a gym with bad lighting and almost no heat.  The bars and the gym don't matter.  What matters is what you have inside yourself."  That's not word for word, but it's pretty close because I've remembered it my whole life. 

[Jim Hooper]

Great post Matt!  (Yet another worthy homily to go on my wall.)  I have to ask you:  I have always heard this story about Dragomir introducing the world to the Romanian Deadlift about that same time, and that Nicu Vlad typically ended his workouts with RDLs.  Is that accurate?

[Matt Foreman]

That story is true.  In fact, I was there when somebody suggested calling that exercise the "Romanian Deadlift."  Looking back now, I guess that was kind of a seminal moment in strength training.  But your story is right.  Vlad used to finish his workouts with several sets of RDLs, using some ridiculous weight.  He did 300x3 one day and said that was his PR.  It was slightly different than the stiff-legged deadlifts people had been using for years and Dragomir said there wasn't really a name for it.  Somebody, I don't remember exactly who said it first, said we should call them Romanian Deadlifts.  The rest is history.  Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, summer of 1990. 

[Shaun Le Conte]

Great story Matt it must have been something to train with Nicu Vlad! I like to think that training with Larry Robinson is almost as good :)    Do you have any photos from that summer?

Kim Goss wrote an article about the RDL recently

Bigger Faster Stronger Magazine Jan/Feb 2008
http://www.biggerfasterstronger.com/p_magDetails_NoMember.asp?id=870&previd=39

[Matt Foreman]

I have some pictures around somewhere, but I don't know how to get them on a computer.  LeRoux has a few of them in his Hall of Fame.  I even have a picture of the first time I snatched 100 kilos, training on a platform with Tim McRae, who was snatching around the same weight, only I weighed 90 and Tim weighed 60:)

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Matt,

You can snail mail me any weightlifting pics you would like to contribute to the site and I will scan them, send the originals back, send you copies via email, and publish what is appropriate. I am a little behind adding new material/tributes to the HOF due to the remodeling but I am sure I will catch up pretty soon.

Chris LeRoux
5385 76th St. N
St. Pete, FL 33709

[Jay Johnson]

I've got some pics and scans from that camp, I also have entire 1991 Jr Worlds (including training and the bus) in a few digital formats - mpeg 1 and 2  and I think I still have the original vhs tape.  Let me know if you would like a copy, and in what format; I can throw it all on a disk if you'd like.   Also, let me know the size and resolution you'd like for scans. 

I am new to this posting stuff and tried to attach Nicu in the bottom of a snatch with 160kg, not sure if it worked.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Jay,

I would love to get a copy of that tape and the pictures. The original videotape would be preferred rather than a copy or a disc. If you send it, I will send it back. I would also appreciate the pics though it would make sense just to send those via email or ftp. The higher the resolution and size to start with the better- whatever they are originally in.

Thanks a lot

Chris LeRoux
5385 76th St N
St. Pete FL, 33709