First of all, I would like to give a HUGE thanks to everyone that came to support the lifters and help out. Brian, Nick, Mike, and Meagan you all did a great job helping out and making sure everyone was very well taken care of. In the heat of the battle everyone stepped up to do what was needed and performed very generously to help our tem succeed. I can’t thank you enough; I hope the lifters have done the same.

To everyone who lifted, CONGRATULATIONS! You are all qualified to lift in your first USAPL Collegiate National Event. This is not something to be taken lightly; it is an accomplishment to even be a participant in such an event. Some of you were on the borderline of qualification before we even went to College Station , but nonetheless we came out of the meet with all 7 participants going to the big show.

When the team began back in fall of 2003, I saw it as an opportunity to build interest in powerlifting and hopefully have some more people going to meets with me. From the original 4, we have grown into much larger group and have gained some awareness around campus and the region. I knew that my time here at Tech would be limited, but I hoped to at least have 2-3 people that would be able to carry on after I am gone. I have no doubt that we have the potential to carry on for years to come and make Texas Tech Powerlifting even larger and more competitive. For those that are still early in your time here at Tech, I encourage you to please stick with it and give yourself and your team the chance to excel and grow.

When we finished the last deadlifts and began cleaning up for the day, it finally hit me what we had done. We have 13 lifters eligible for Collegiate Nationals, a number I wouldn’t have thought would’ve happened during my time here in Lubbock . I can’t express what this means to me. Powerlifting has become a way of life for me and I give all I can to help everyone have a great experience with the sport and our team. I don’t know what everyone will take from their experience here with the team and powerlifting, but I hope at least you can look back and be proud of the work and dedication you put forth to accomplish whatever goals you see fit. It’s not about the lifts, or the totals, or the medals; powerlifting is a way to find out for yourself what kind of person you are. When the challenge arises, do you step up or crumble?

We have a few short weeks of preparation before stepping onto the platform in Killeen . Take this time to fully prepare yourselves to give it your best and really see what you can do. Have discipline and focus to come in and take care of what you need to get done and don’t let distraction keep you from working toward your goals.

That being said I would like to address each lifter individually and comment on their performance.

Lauren Austin –

First meet ever… No one would’ve known it by the performance you gave on Saturday. I know we had some trouble with judging consistency in the squat, but you did what was needed and stepped up to get into the meet and get the QT. Now if we can get you into some gear that fits a little better, I don’t think 700+ will be a problem. Congratulations on qualifying and I am glad you have given powerlifting a shot.

Stephanie Bennett –

Glad to have you back in action, I was afraid you had left us for good. The meet went well for you overall, but I know there is a lot more pounds left in the tank that we will have to bring out in Killeen . You were the only lifter to go 9 for 9 on the day, great job of stepping up and handling the weights. I may have underestimated where you are at these days huh? Experience paid off and you also came out with a good total to lead up to Nationals.

Chad Dietz –

It had been a while since you have been on the platform, but again I don’t think anyone would’ve known it. You were very calm and collected over the course of the day and remained focused on the task at hand. Going 6 for 9 on the day wasn’t what we set out to do, but qualification was. We left several pounds on the platform that day, but with a few more weeks of training, you will surpass all of these missed attempts and put up a great total I’m sure. Thanks for always listening and having a great work ethic, it will pay of when the time comes.

Justin McCall –

You know you really don’t have to sit all the way down on the platform to hit depth. I guess its better safe than sorry though huh? Overall the meet went pretty well for you. I am glad to see you have adapted to the new way of lifting and are making progress toward hitting a big total at nationals. Training has been hit and miss overall due to our schedules not matching up on availability all the time, but when meet day came you brought your best and took care of business. Good job and congratulations.

Griffin Ice –

What a day man. When you came in this semester, I knew you weren’t sure about lifting competitively, but I’m sure glad you did. You never know for sure what you can do until the time arises, and you stepped up in a huge way to get qualified for nationals and overcome adversity on the day when it counted the most. I hope you are proud of your performance; I know that the team is proud of you and enjoyed seeing you succeed. Qualifying is not the end though; I expect to see some progress made over the next 4-5 weeks and you pushing yourself to crank out some more personal bests. Be confident in your ability and give your best, I am very proud of you and I am going to enjoy seeing you reach your potential.

Herb Johnson –

I am glad to have you back as well. I sure do wish that 500 would’ve hung on a little longer for the ride; I wanted to see you push it up. I guess we will just have to save it for next time. Only missing one lift on the day isn’t bad. Bench Press went really well as planned, and you pulled out a big third attempt on deadlift. I was surprised to the see the weight move so fast. I have no doubt you will go 550+ at nationals when the bar hits the floor. Maybe the switch to sumo was just the ticket you needed to jump up a couple places. You had the team high total and hit well above 1300. Great job, there’s much more potential for improvement and I have no doubt you’ll be knocking on the door at 1400 in April. 

Erik Payson –

You faced a lot of obstacles on Saturday, but when the dust settled you had also taken care of business and attained the necessary total for qualification. I hope this meet was a learning experience for you and you will use the meet as a way to better prepare for nationals. Once we get you dialed in and in the groove a little better, I think there is a lot of strength that has yet to be utilized on the platform. Keep your head up, be proud of your performance thus far, and let me coach you into a successful performance in your first national event. Good job of getting the lifts in you needed and earning your spot in Killeen . 

The meet was a complete success from a coaching standpoint. Everyone came out qualified and in one piece with two team trophies to put in the Sport Clubs office here at the Rec Center . Its time to begin focusing our attention toward April 12^th-15^th and putting on a performance to be proud of at nationals. Not too many of the schools have heard of the Texas Tech team, and that is fine with me. However when we leave Killeen , I am sure they will think differently. I look forward to lifting alongside all of you and helping you put up as many team points as possible. I will give you all my absolute best, I promise you that. Just do the same for yourselves and your team.