Competition

I wrote last about setting goals.  I'd realized recently that I don't have a goal to work towards.  I've started a SMART goal (which I still have yet to complete, actually) and I've been feeling GREAT about being at the gym regularly and working hard to improve.  I don't want to be there, just showing up.  I want to be gaining something.

Last week my coach asked if anyone wanted to compete in a local Olympic Weightlifting Competition.  My interest was immediately piqued.  I need to do something like that.  I WANT to do something like that.  I declined.

What??  Yep.  It's something I'm very interested in and I declined to sign up when an opportunity was handed to me.
It is very scary and I declined.  I think I secretly hoped he would try to talk me into it.  Because I'm sure I'd have been easily swayed.  But I also didn't really want him to, because I was embarrassed by my fear.

I put it on my calendar to go watch the others.  I thought I'd find out how a competition for Weightlifting works.  That might alleviate some of my fears for the next time. Right?

This weekend my coaches put on a mock Olympic Weightlifting Exhibition at the gym.  It was last minute and, though I know it wasn't, it felt like it was just for me.  I loved it.  I learned what lifts are expected, who can do it, who DOES do it, and how it all goes.  I joined in as a lifter and had a great time.  By the end of it I was sure that I did want to join.

I've contacted the coach about doing it.  The notice is short, but I feel OK about that, as a beginner.  I am supposed to meet with the coach tonight to talk about signing on.  Tonight I'll find out if he thinks there is time to practice for the upcoming event, or if I should find one a little further out.  Either way, I'm going to do it in 2017.

*update: I got the gym last night and jumped right in to training.  There was no talk about can I do it.  The coach told me what to do and I did it.  There are 3 girls doing it.  I think all of us are first timers.  I loved every minute of it.

**update: I'm now an official member of USA Weightlifting.  Eep!!