Visit to Greensward Academy

I visited Greensward Academy in Hockley on Friday 25th June to spend some time with an art class, with audio artist Stuart Bowdidge. Stuart and I have been working together as part of 'Journey to the Podium' project. Stuart has been visiting my training gym, and also travelled down to Stoke Mandeville for the British Powerlifting Championships, to record sounds associated with powerlifting. Eventually he will produce an anthem for Team Essex Ambassadors based on these sounds.
We presented some sounds to the art class and they then produced some really good artwork based on images stimulated by the sounds.
It was a pleasure to be able to work with the group and I felt very welcomed to the school by all the staff I met.

Back from the USA

I arrived back from Killeen, Texas on Monday,31st May having competed in the World Bench Press Championship (able bodied). It was a great experience. I spent the first week training in Clinton, Indiana with other GB team members before heading off to Texas. We trained there on a vast military base - the biggest in USA at 800 square miles in area. The gym was enormous with many benches and equipment pretty well as far as the eye could see! I had a bit of a scare 3 days before the competition as I developed an ear infection, probably picked up in a swimming pool in Indiana, so had to be put on anti-biotics. I felt quite drained and weak, even up to the day of the competition. But I did my best. The competition went well and I achieved 8 white lights for my 3 lifts which meant that every lift was good. I placed 4th with a lift of 132.5kg in the 56kg bodyweight class which is 2 classes heavier than my IPC category, with a bodyweight of 47.1kg. The other lifters in the group all wore bench-shirts which gave them a distinct advantage.

On Friday, 4th June, I was interviwed by Ian Wyatt from the BBC Essex radio Saturday Breakfast show. This went out on Saturday morning around 7.50. At that time I was already at Stoke Mandeville for the official weigh-in for the British Championships. I weighed in heavy at 48.15kg! So I decided to head for the toilet - again! Then went for another weigh and just scraped in after removing my pants! The things you do for sport!

I still felt jet lagged. My body clock was all over the place but my coach had already decided that I would not lift more than 125kg. However I felt quite good after the second lift and went for 130kg on my 3rd lift. I achieved 3 white lights on every lift so was well pleased with that. It was good enough to retain my British Champion title. I also won the Harry Dufton trophy for the most improved lifter.

My next competition is on June 20th in Milton Keynes at the British Un-assisted Bench Press Championship (able bodied).