Topic: Hardcore weightlifting summer camp? Lets make it happen!

[glennpendlay]

i think we know what has to be done.  but will anyone do it.  

i usually try to deal mostly with things i can control, and try to not spend tooo much time worrying about things i cant control...  a rule ive obviously broken a lot on this forum.

id say, lets take the people who are contributing to this discussion, or maybe those who are reading and are of a like mind, and decide what we can actually do, if anything, past what we are each already doing.

if there is nothing, then maybe we are all wasting our time.  but i suspect that there is something.

or maybe a better way to go about it would be to identify the one best idea, the one thing that might be accomplished, and actually try to think of how it could be done, really be done, not some crap about how "the USAW should do this or the USAW should do that"  but how WE could do it.

let me throw one thing out there...  are there 5 young guys who arent training with big teams already, who would like to experiment with a "training camp" like has been discussed here?  im betting that if there are, i could raise the money to get them a house for a month live in, and maybe some money for food.  maybe there is a coach out there who wold like to participate also.  maybe i wouldnt be the only person who would raise a little money for this project.

if thats a bad idea, then someone else think of something that can actually be done, and not just talked about.

[Don Weideman]

Glen

Very good. People with influence have to be proactive. Be a
unifying force.  Rally your forces, count your allies. Have the courage to
put everything on the line. You're either with us or against us. Debate is over. Who amongst us is strong enough to lead? Who has the strength politically to lead weightlifting to the promised land?





I'm ready to follow this person.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

let me throw one thing out there... are there 5 young guys who arent training with big teams already, who would like to experiment with a "training camp" like has been discussed here? im betting that if there are, i could raise the money to get them a house for a month live in, and maybe some money for food. maybe there is a coach out there who wold like to participate also. maybe i wouldnt be the only person who would raise a little money for this project.

Glenn, this is a fantastic idea. I would like to participate. Unfortunately, we are doing fund raisers at this point just to complete our weight room set up and get the program rolling fully (bars, 1 more rack, would like to rubberize our eight platforms, have to convert our metal plates to the new increments, help with kids to schoolage, etc).

But, here's a counteroffer. As you know, we have high school weightlifting as a varsity sport and it includes the clean and jerk. As I began coaching in the system this year, I have been making contacts with the coaches. I have commitments from a large group of them and believe I can get more to attend a clinic on the science and practice of training for the clean and jerk. They don't know how to coach the clean and jerk, even the best of them, and they know and admit it. They want to get better. They are willing to listen and they are willing to pay money in order to come listen (if there is food  :P ). They are even open to learning and using the snatch if someone will teach it to them.

So, what I would propose as a counteroffer if your idea can't be gotten of the ground is this. I wanted to have a guest speaker/coach come in to do the clinic with me. Instead, I would like to bring in 5-6 coaches to do the clinic with me. I am extremely confident that I can provide plane tickets,  accommodations, and local transportation for the coaches in return for doing a lecture at the clinic. I am also absolutely certain the we, Northside Christian Schools, could provide local transportation, housing, and training facilities, for 3-4 athletes for each coach (15-20 total would be a good limit on athletes I think). We would also have enthusiastic audiences and even a couple participants that I feel are ready for such a camp. This summer would be an ideal time for such a venture, somewhere between a week and a month would be no problem to arrange.

So, coaches willing to give a guest lecture and able to bring hard-core athletes, whether the coach raises the money for their plane tickets or the athlete pays for it,  could expect that they and their athletes have local transportation, housing, free food, and training.

Any interest?

[glennpendlay]

if it could be swung financially, i would do it.  i could also bring a good athlete someone to demo like trey goodwin or donny shankle...  shankle in particular might be great, becasue he is big and strong, and can clean and jerk 400+lbs basically in his sleep, the kind of guy any football coach would love to build as an athlete.  a guy like him there might really get some of those coaches interested.

[Steve Gough]

Glenn,

Excellent idea from a man who has a habit of proposing excellent ideas.

Reminds me of my "cop" days... we would call your proposal "mutual aid."

I do not have a venue to offer, but I will volunteer time at some point this summer to contribute my part. People really need to respond to this idea. The sooner the better. Maybe you might suggest after a little thought some criteria...

Steve

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Coaches,

Here are a few more ideas for how such a camp might be run. But, even if we end up hosting it here at Northside, I am not in charge and would welcome input and am totally willing to completely cede all control of how the camp is run. I think ALL the guest clinic coaches bringing athletes should coach in ALL the camp training sessions and should cross-coach ALL the athletes, even if just amounts to encouragement.

Of course, the coaches will need some prelimenary discussion and meetings to get on the same page and discuss boundaries.  I think we should negotiate and standardize the training programs as much as possible (hopefully completely), so that we really create a competitive environment where all these studs are doing the same exercises as much as possible, going heavy at the same time as much as possible, etc. We want them to push each other. We want similar weight classes traning together, but if there is a stud that hasn't been training as long, throw him in the fire for a while and let him experience it...

Just a few thoughts, I'm fired up!

[glennpendlay]

chris, i think i misunderstood you a little,  my fault.  i had thought you were wanting someone or some people to come down as a "help with the recruiting the football coaches to teach weightlifting correctly and be interested in weightlifting" type of thing, which id still be happy to help with of course.

i see now your proposing a camp there, thats great also, but if we are talking about a week or month long thing, then i personally couldnt do it, i have 50 kids here to coach and couldnt leave them for that long...  i had thought you were talking about a 2-3 day coaching seminar.  sorry.

in any event, ive already had several of the exact kind of kids i would want to get together for a camp, the kind of kids who are possibilities for 2008 and especially 2012, contact me and tell me they are interested in a month at wichita if i can pay for their lodging.  so i will say right now, i will figure out a way to pay for lodging if we do this.  may not be luxerious, but i will get beds to sleep on.  if anyone else is interested, please contact me pronto, i think we might actually do this.

if anyone is reading this and is interested in coaching at such an event, please email me at glennpendlay@yahoo.com, we can talk about when you would be available, to help coordinate the whole thing to work for everyone.

im going to call it something like the Bejing '08 development camp for the benefit of the local media and businesses, and start getting sponsorship right away.  we need at least 2-3 more kids to do this.  if anyone wants it, now is the time to act.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Glenn, Your offer to help with the clinic (1-2 days) by giving a lecture and bringing Donny Shankle for a demonstration would be wonderful!! Just a note, however, this wouldn't be for just football coaches, although some will be football coaches, but it will be geared specifically to the high school weightlifting coaches and coaches interested in learning how to use weightlifting for strength and conditioning for their sport. I hope to involve coaches from all the high school sports. I already have commitments from several weightlifting coaches as well as coaches from numerous other sports.

I posted the idea for the camp spontaneously as a response to this thread. Still, I can make it happen, if their is interest. Your point of how you would have to leave too many of your athletes for too long is well taken. I wouldn't want to leave my kids for the same reason. Still, the month was sort of thrown out as a limit. Perhaps a week? I would be glad to reciprocate by coming with a couple promising studs for a week and, of course, am also willing to do come there even if you can't come here.

Perhaps, we could make it a regular summer thing, week long camps at different training centers around the country with several coaches and select hardcore athletes?