Dub's Grip Classic III

I decided to go ahead and register for Dub's Grip Classic III.  Jaland always runs a good contest and I was a little disappointed to only see (10) athletes signed up.  I also liked the event line-up.

The drive up to ATR was pleasant enough and took 1:45.  I left at 7:25 AM and arrived about 9:10 weighing in a 95.6 kg (210 pounds).

I took some time to chat with the other athletes and then started a general and specific warm-up.

• Grippers - I had good closes at 75, 80 and 85 pounds (PR!).  I attempted 90 pounds and it was not even close.
• Apollon's Axle - I had good lifts at 186, 216 and 236 pounds.  I went for 261 pounds and had it to my knees before dumping it.  At Dub's Grip Classic (2024) I made 241 and 251 before missing 261 and wanted to take another stab at it.  With (4) attempts, I probably should have opened higher.
• 3x4 Saxon Bar - I had good lifts at 90, 100 and 110 pounds.  I missed 120 pounds and gave it a good squeeze falling just short of lock out.  At Rolling Hills (2024) I made 106 and 116 before failing 126 pounds.  I was definitely off on this lift
• Finnish Ball - This felt really good.  I made lifts at 31, 36, 41 and 46.6 pounds.  This was just off of my 51.7 pound PR set at King Kong 2023

Relative to my training numbers, I was crushing it.  I had continuously been closing 73 and missing 87 pounds in training.  I had not tested my Axle.  My Saxon was at 100 pounds.  My Finnish Ball was at a mere 35 pounds.  Engaging the second knuckle helped a lot.

I was well behind Joe and Alan on the leaderboard but really happy with my performance.  I am also glad to jump into a grip contest.

Along with awards, Jaland recognized some outstanding folks with swag from Sorinex.  Jeremy for all his support with the comp.  Derek coming out from California.  Kevin for all of the improvement.  Marc for outstanding newcomer performance.  I was recognized for positive attitude with a loading pin ($29 value).  He also had a stack of t-shirts, hats, patches ($10) and stickers.

The drive back was tougher and took just over 2 hours.  I stopped and grabbed Chick-Fil-A.

Lessons learned

1. Pack mouthguard and smelling salts
2. Do not get too amped up for deadlifts
3. Pack more food - 1 Propel and 2 Clif Bars was not enough.

Phil, Derrick, Jaland, Lewis, Alan, Marc, Joe, Jeremy, Kevin, Matt

Mary, Sanjiv

• Mary and Phil were a couple.  Competitive strength athletes, but relatively new to grip.
• Jaland, Lewis, Joe, Jeremy, Kevin and Matt I have competed with frequently
• Derrick came out from California
• Marc is new to grip and an absolute beast.  We overlapped at Liberty for a bit.  He now works at Occidental Petroleum
• Alan is incredibly strong.  He seems to have a background in strength sports but I am not sure about grip

There were also lots of fans in the crowd that made for a good energy.