4 NATIONS – FOUR SEASONS CLUB, SWANSEA, 11th October, 2008

 

This time the English invaded Wales – it’s usually the other way around, isn’t it?  Virtually the whole Team was booked into the Tudor Court Hotel, on the seafront, thanks to the connection from Martin Flett with one of his gym mates.  Nice people, very friendly, very welcoming and accommodating – thanks for the tip Martin, it was very pleasant indeed.  The only ones not there were Jerry Rice and Joe Bullock.  Joe, apart from being our ‘Reserve’ lifter, was coming down especially to help in the warm-up room.  Joe is in the hotel business, so had made his own arrangements (probably at a large discount, I strongly suspect).

 

England Team Manager, Fred Sterry, was parked in the hotel bar from early afternoon on the Friday, ready to welcome each member of our team as they arrived.  It was 1.45 am on Saturday morning before he and I eventually prised ourselves away from that bar.

 

Weigh-in was due to start at the Four Seasons, at 8 am on Saturday morning.  After a leisurely and very pleasant breakfast, SatNavs were fired up and we set off in a bunch of cars at about 8.30.  I led the way of a convoy of three, but Marie’s SatNav gave us all a fright when we had to do about five miles down a cart track, just wide enough for one car and with blind bends every thirty yards.  It’s a miracle we made it in one piece (sorry, three pieces).

 

Weighed-in, Groups organised. Up to 75kg women back to back with up to 75kg men.  Then back to back Groups of the rest.  Simple – eventually, once everyone got the same message. (Who is it that always manages to give the wrong story to somebody?  I can never figure that out; almost everywhere you go, there are usually at least two versions of what’s going on floating about.  Maybe it’s the foreign accents).

 

Our Teams were to have lots of help here.  Joe Bullock, Andy Wright, and Marie Thornton had all come down specially to do a lot of the grunt work.  Sue Hollands was there to look after the attempt tickets and keep me updated with the scoresheet details.  John was there with Monica of course, and some of the other lifters had their own minders.  All very welcome of course on a day with 10 lifters on the go.  I’ll take the opportunity right here to thank of all them for the tremendous shift they put in on the lifters’ behalf.  It’s bloody hard work, and people sometimes forget to say thanks, but I know it was really appreciated.  Well done, the lot of you.

 

Can we get to the lifting please?  Okay, ladies first.

 

Jenny Hunter, just back from her holidays in Palm Springs, winning Best Lifter at Masters 2 and yet another World Title, of course.  Usual 9 out of 9 day from this professional. As iImmaculate as ever. What more is there to say about Jenny, she always delivers.  Always.

 

Karen Gear, new to this, lifting unequipped (as her Dad – who’s also her Coach – said, “What’s with all this funny apparel?”)  You’ve got to sympathise with that view, haven’t you?  Anyway, after a slightly dodgy opener, Karen went on to break her own British Unequipped Records on Squat and Total, equal her PB on the Bench, and make a new one on the Deadlift.  Good day, tidy lifter, nice girl. Listens.  Lots of smiles.  Well done on your first big one, Karen.  And thanks, Dad, for handing her over.  That can’t be easy at first, I know.

 

Gillian Wright, recently back from a very successful showing at the Western Europeam Championships where she got a Gold and was Second in the Best Lifter Awards, behind the formidable Ielya Strik.  Opener was a touch high, but then it was all good until her 3rd deadlift at a massive 205 just got the better of her.  Another professional job.  Always fired up, but steadier and more controlled these days.  Good stuff. Won Best Lifter in the Womens Contest.

 

Jackie Blasbery. Joined at the hip with Jenny.  Exactly the same kind of lifter.  Absolutely guaranteed to deliver what’s needed.  Also just back from winning yet another World Title at the World Masters.  Need I say it – 9 out of 9.  Of course.  That might be boring to you, but it’s absolute powerlifting magic to me.

 

Monica Porter.  Poor Monica had turned up with a bad cold.  She said she was okay, but I think she was suffering pretty badly by the end of the lifting.  Even so, she made three great squats to a huge 217½, which would easily eclipse the Masters World Record – if Drug Testers had been there.  It’s a Commonwealth Record though, and A British Masters Record.  Pretty fancy for someone who’s not feeling too good.  Benching was strange.  Three goes to get an easy 115 in – I think some aches and pains were showing up.  An opening deadlift with an easy 205 gave her new Commonwealth and British Masters Records, but a jump to 217½ caused a nose bleed, so she called it a day.  A pretty impressive day, I have to say.

 

Now to the Men:

 

Matthew Parker, first time at this level, acquitted himself very well.  Controlled lifting throughout.  A ‘pass’ at a third squat and a miss at a 2nd bench was all the downside there was.  The rest was all good – and he came 2nd in the 75kg class to the Men’s Best Lifter, Phil Richard, so that was good.  I’m also told that he’s got quite a sense of humour – at 3 o’clock in the morning when he’s ratarsed.  I was in bed long before that, of course, so didn’t get to see it.

 

Manoj (Tony) Chahal came up trumps once again.  An immaculate 9 out of 9 day, everything done with precision and control.  A lifter who always looks the part, very sound.  Tony had the unfortunate experience of bombing at this contest last year.  Because I personally thought he’d had a very bad deal then, we selected him again this time.  I’m glad we did.

 

Jerry Rice.  Like Matthew, another lifter new to this level.  Unfortunately. It wasn’t a very pleasant experience for Jerry.  He couldn’t get a squat to satisfy the referees and was out of the running.  He benched two good ones and deadlifted two though, failing with a PB attempt on his third.  Jerry was extremely embarrassed and apologetic.  If he’s learnt something worthwhile from the experience – and I’m sure he has, he’ll be back.  He’s strong, there’s no doubt about that.  Just needs to get a sound squat technique and he’ll be fine.

 

Terry O’Neill.  Masters 2 nowadays, Terry’s been around this game forever.  Strong opening squat was followed by two near misses with a Masters 2 British Record.  The third attempt being very, very close.  Two good benches, two good deadlifts.  Solid performance for a big guy so soon after the All England – he is over 50 remember.

 

Andy Thompson.  20 kilos more than at the recent Western European Championships.  That tells you all you need to know.  Big Andy’s on his way back.  Very sound lifting from the big man.  Never any doubt about squat depth, bench pause, deadlift lockout.  Another professional performance from Andy.

 

That’s that.  All the lifts are on the scoresheets of course.  Most of the team mucked in for everyone else too, and that’s always something I personally applaud.  That’s my kind of powerlifter.

 

As you’ll see from the Team placings, we won the Women’s easily.  In fact, this professional team of ours even beat the victorious Welsh Men’s Team on Wilks.  Pretty Good, eh?

 

The Men came 2nd, even with only 4 of them scoring.

 

A lovely party at the venue on Saturday evening – thanks to the Welsh hosts led by Phil Richards, Ken Williams and Rob Thomas, and their very generous sponsors.

 

Back to the hotel for a long night in the bar.  Breakfast on Sunday, then a leisurely wend home.  Grand weekend.  Must do it again sometime.

 

Thanks to everyone for their efforts, lifters, their own minders, and the team support in warm-ups and on the platform.  A very special thanks to Fred for doing all the organising, all the communicating, and being the first to buy a round on every ‘meeting’ in the hotel bar – and he never stops smiling., Thanks also  to Kevin Jane (and Sue) for coming especially to help out and to run a very important IPF Referees Clinic.  Saved a few people an expensive trip abroad that has.

 

Barrie Nelson

 

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