Outlier had two athletes qualify and compete in the American Open in Washington DC. Darlene and Sam worked hard to get to the open and had a great experience there. Here’s Darlene’s recap of the event:
I just finished my first national Olympic weightlifting meet this weekend! The 2014 American Open in Washington DC was like no other competition I’ve been to. For a person filled with anxiety and nervousness, I put myself outside of my comfort zone, and walked off the platform learning so much. It took courage, trust in my self and trust in my coaches to get where I am. In the past, I never wanted to compete in CrossFit or anything else for that matter. It caused too much anxiety. I’d lose sleep, my hands would tremble, my feet would shake, I would continually doubt myself and sometimes I’d even shed a tear. It took baby steps for me to get here and I’m glad I did. I competed against, ran into, and was able to watch (and study) the top olympic weightlifters in the COUNTRY. I already follow a good amount of these lifters on Instagram, to say I was starstruck would be an understatement. Although my clean and jerk fell a little short, I still placed 4th in the snatch, 7th in the clean and jerk, with a 6th place total of 112 in my session. Surprisingly, this was the most confident I felt entering the competition and the most zoned in I’ve been during an event. I finally stopped doubting myself. I told myself I’m supposed to be here. I worked hard, trained, and had qualifying numbers. It wasn’t an accident that I was here. This was my moment. This was my time. This was my story. All I had to do was believe in myself and trust my training and my coaches. My nervousness and self doubt disappeared this meet. I’m pleased with my performance and I can’t wait to come back! I competed against some of the top lifters in the US. Reread that sentence a few times. I never thought I’d say that, but it’s true! I’m looking forward to what the future holds for me. I’m excited to get back into training to improve on myself physically and mentally including my lifts and my strength. I owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who helped Samantha and I get here. Special thank you to our coaches Erwin and Mike , for continually pushing us to be better. Thank you to Sam for being such a great training partner and role model for me. To my family at Outlier Barbell Club, Outlier CrossFit and CrossFit ATR your undying support and inspiration, you guys make coming to the gym the best part of my day. To those of you who donated through our fundraiser, donated prizes (Proving Grounds Comps, Kill Cliff, Movement Rx, Hylete) and participated in our fundraiser all across the country, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. To my friends and family who watched, encouraged, and cheered me on along the way, thank you. And to Arturo, thank you for believing in me, for being my rock, for being my best friend and for being you, I love you. This truly was an unforgettable experience that I will treasure forever and I have all of you to thank for this. Thank You.
PS. For anyone looking to join Outlier Barbell Club or Outlier CrossFit but is too afraid, just do it. Don’t stop yourself from possibly experiencing a life changing activity just because you don’t think you can keep up or you don’t think you’ll get it. Everyone thinks this at first, but you just have to break thru your fears and self doubt and put yourself out there! If this is what you want, do it! Why not go for it? What do you have to lose? They have great coaches, great athletes, other members and newbies to help, encourage and push you along the way. It’s a good community to be a part of. Who knows, you might actually enjoy it. You might actually be good at it. You might make some life long friends along the way. You might start feeling better about yourself. You might even feel great about yourself. Or you could not do it and never know. Build up some courage, put yourself out there and go for it!
Darlene Caalaman