2016 Junior Worlds Recap
I’m currently right in the middle of my 36hr travel back home from the 2016 Junior World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia. Although a day and a half of airplanes and airports seems like a long time, it’s a perfect amount of time to allow myself to decompress from such an amazing opportunity.
After destiny ran it’s course, I was assigned as the Women’s Head Coach only about two weeks before the team was set out to leave. I was filled with extreme honor and pride to have been selected for the coaching position. It was the validation and opportunity I had been looking for to prove to myself that I was worthy of coaching in the “Big Leagues.”
Megan Seegert was USA’s first athlete who competed in the 48kg B session. She made her first snatch at 69kg, missed her second attempt at 72kg, then came back and made 72kg on her final snatch attempt. We opened up at 85kg in the clean and jerk which was a competition PR. She missed her first attempt at 85kg, but made her 2nd attempt at 85kg. We then moved to 88kg to win the B session and set an American Record in the clean and jerk and total. She crushed it and ended up finishing 6th overall.
While her performance was impressive, it was 100% deserved. She did all the little things along the way that a professional weightlifter should do. She was very communicative with her coaches all the months leading up to the event. She kept her weight in check along the way. She even packed an ice chest (with dry ice) with food from home in case the meals in Tbilisi weren’t conducive toward cutting weight. There’s a lot more in the tank and I’m excited to see how far she can go in the next four years in San Francisco.
Erin Amos was Hassle Free’s second lifter in the 58kg B session. She made her opener at 73kg, crushed her second attempt at 75kg, and just barely missed her PR attempt at 77kg. Clean and jerks looked just as good; 91kg looked like a joke so we moved to 94kg, and that looked just as easy. We took 97kg as a 3rd attempt, which would have been a PR had she stood up with it.
She had been struggling with an injury and had a very tough time keeping her weight up. So to take cracks at PRs in both lifts and matching her PR total is an A+ performance in my book. She’ll be starting her senior year in high school this coming fall so time is certainly on her side. I’m excited to be along for the ride and am 100% sure she’ll be better than ever coming into next year’s national and hopefully international competitions.
This was my first time coaching at the international level so I was a bit nervous. I felt at ease with Ray Jones (Beaufort Weightlifting) and Travis Mash (Mash Mafia) in my corner generously sharing their insight and philosophies about their success in weightlifting. I counted for all the female and male athletes including CJ’s World Record performance so I appreciate their confidence in my technical ability. I picked up a lot of skills that I know will serve me well in future.
And a special “Thank You” has to go to Kevin Doherty and Jenny Lam. Kevin continually goes above and beyond for Hassle Free BBC and I’m lucky to have learned much of what I know from him. I’m thankful and honored he’s trusted me with some of the best lifters in the country. Jenny has been monumental in Megan Seegert’s success as a teammate/coach. Her commitment to balance her life as a competitive full-time athlete as well as full-time teacher continues to impress me. While she doesn’t know it, she provides a halo effect in the weight room that encourages everyone to try just a little harder.
I’m excited to continue this journey I’ve started. Thank you to everyone at Hassle Free BBC for being a part of it.
Love,
Coach Ben