2013 FC Barbell Open

     I grew up playing many sports as a kid. I played soccer, baseball, basketball like many other young boys my age. I competed nationally in Taekwondo and played hockey. Most people who know me know that I love hockey. I will be yelling at the TV while watching Bluejackets hockey until my voice is hoarse. What they don’t know is that I am by far more passionate about Olympic Weightlifting than any other sport I have participated in.

     I wasn’t that good of a lifter. I never made a total that would qualify me for the American Open or Nationals. I would mainly compete in local or even regional meets. Still regardless of making a national meet or not, it never stopped me from participating and enjoying a sport in which your main competition is the bar and your own mind and beliefs. It’s about the camaraderie where the crowd; your family and friends and members of other clubs root for you to lift 100 kilos/ 200 lbs in the clean and jerk or maybe 200 kilos/ 440 lbs. 

     This past week I got to photograph a local meet put on by John Dill and the good people of FC Barbell in Columbus, Ohio. At local meets usually there are about ten people lifting and a few family and friends cheering them on. This meet had over triple that amount. In recent years Crossfit has grown tremendously across the US. Weightlifting which many believe to be a dead sport in America has seen a sort of revival due to Crossfit. This is because Crossfit athletes perform the snatch and the clean and jerk (The same competitive lifts in Weightlifting). Many of these lifters at the 2013 FC Barbell Open were exposed to the Olympic lifts through Crossfit. Hence the recent surge of lifters competing in Weightlifting.
      As I began to photograph this meet, it occurred to me that even though I haven’t competed in almost three years that I still love the sport. There were kids aged nine to adults in their forties, men and women giving their all on that platform. Although I currently don’t lift expect me to be on the platform soon. Until then I aim to photograph Weightlifting Meets here in the Columbus Area and across Ohio. For those of you who have never seen a Weightlifting Meet, I would like to welcome you to the world of Olympic Weightlifting.