I spent the weekend at the NASA World Cup 2014 in Oklahoma City. When I say NASA I’m not referring to the space program (even though that would be cool). I’m talking about the Natural Athlete Strength Association. This was not my 1st time attending a powerlifting meet, however it was my 1st time attending a full powerlifting meet. Let me quickly disclose: I am not a powerlifter (but I play one on television, lol just kidding), BUT my boyfriend is. He is a novice but is very knowledgeable about the sport. Yes it is a sport. These competitors train hard (sometimes months at a time), study other lifting techniques and load and cut weight, purchase equipment and miss time with family and friends just so they can participate in this sport. Some even go on to be sponsored by big name supplement companies. There are so many different topics that I can’t even begin to elaborate on in this post (and honestly I know I’m not the most knowledgeable on the topic). There are different powerlifting organizations, different divisions, different rules, drug-tested and non drug-tested and the list goes on when it comes to the specifics. But back to the weekend mentioned earlier. The meet took place at the Wyndham Garden Hotel near the OKC airport. Since we traveled into town Saturday afternoon we didn’t arrive early enough to watch the children and women lifters. Yes I said children and women.
Having witnessed kids and women lift at the previous meet I attended I know just how cool it is to watch them do their thang on the platform. But we were able to see a few of them do deadlifts at the Sunday meet. The meet is divided by weight and equipped/non-equipped (and age groups for Sub-Masters and Masters). Thousands upon thousands of pounds were lifted this weekend. It was an all day event and I was pretty exhausted just as a spectator. The meet is topped off by the awards ceremony and I am happy to say the boyfriend got a cool 1st place trophy! Hard work pays off! NASA will host the Natural Nationals in OKC February 14th and 15th 2015. Put it on your calendar, it is definitely a sight to see.
ColorMyFootsteps 