In case you didn't hear about the floods in Colorado:

Hello Strong People,

It occurred to me that people outside Boulder, CO, need to read this. It started raining early on Tuesday last week. In a tropical environment it might be more or less normal to get almost 12 inches of rain all in one go, but in the mountains we now know this as an earth-changing flash flood.
Flood waters eroded roadways, stranding individuals and communities above flooded areas with internet or cell phone access being the only connection people had to a possible rescue.  To see the extensive public updates provided to keep everyone aware of the situation, see the link below.

Boulder Emergency Status updates

As with any natural disaster, there are many people who were unprepared for both the event, the consequences to infrastructure, and the aftermath. It has been stated repeatedly in the media reports, though the rain has passed out of the Boulder County area, the flood is still a major presence for hundreds of families. Those of us local to the affected areas are doing everything possible to support displaced communities, but as you can imagine there are weeks of unsettlement to come. I want to pass the opportunity on to everyone who reads this blog to contribute if it is in you to do so.

HELP COLORADO NOW 

Please do what you can, either donate to one of the support organizations at the above link, pray, stay tuned and pass along this post to your friends. The rain has moved to other areas of Colorado. It has been said over again, at the end of the day all we really have is each other.

With great gratitude for the Kettlebell Sport community, and for those who allow this to open you to how completely connected we all are.
Christian

Bay Area Open/OKC Instructors Cert.: Kettlebell Lifting with a Smile

Saturday, August 17th in Berkeley, CA. The event took place in a slice of John McNeil's Studio. I wish I'd thought to take "before and after" readings on the heat and vibrational frequency. My guess is the air above the platforms gained 15 degrees, and the vibration went from "friendly and helpful" to "best ever, bottle some of this for a rainy day."

GS lifters from US and Canada had their Kettle Game on that morning and into the early evening. Guests looked on in awe, who could blame them?

Represented were Strong Ladies of Canadia (if these are your women, I'd like to meet your men, eh?), Women of Underground Athlete from D.C. and Virginia (again, the guys?), from Dallas, TX, Full Throttle sent a co-ed team, Team Colorado (myself and three others!), KBNic's party from Grit City, Tacoma, WA, brought formidable force, gireviks from all around California representing Orange Kettlebell Club and Juno Fitness flocked in, and from KETAcademy (Kettlebell Endurance Training), Head Judge, Coach and World Class lifter Denis Vesilev.

As someone who first noticed the OKC team in 2011, the small herd of lifters in the trademark "snatchman" t-shirt revolving around a Great Big Guy and tiny Japanese photographer lady, I've come to deeply admire this incredible team. At the 1st Annual Bay Area Competition I learned that the leadership of this group includes epitome of "gentle giant," CEO John Wild Buckley, impeccably graceful Head Coach Nazo, impressionist/coach/co-founder Jason Dolby, and owner/coach/asskicker at Juno Fitness, Juliet Lederle. For this second annual meet the four of them took the event by the horns, knowing there would be at least twice (make that three-times) the turn out as last year. Maybe it's the unconditional love and genuine friendship constantly offered, maybe it's something in the Berkeley water, but every single person in an OKC or Juno t-shirt took the needs and comfort of visiting lifters and guests as his/her personal responsibility.

At this event OKC rolled-out the new KETAcademy Universal International Ranking Tables. Head Judge Denis Vesilev verified the specific requirements of a "good" lift vs. "no count" or "warning" calls at the pre-flight judges meeting, demonstrated how to use the snazzy electronic timer/rep counters, and kept a close watch on all the flights up until his own lifting events.

Timer/rep counters as seen from three of four platforms.

Considering this was a small regional meet, the event equipment and judging standard easily exceeded my experience of National level competitions minus the tension and seriousness. Almost everyone had a competitor in his/her weight class, but in the spirit of sporting fun people outright admired each others great lifting and shear grit. Though I was the only representative of IKSFA, many lifters at last Saturday's event have at some point learned directly from IKSFA President, Coach Sergey Rudnev, and complimented his influence on my technique.

It was mentioned at the awards ceremony that Personal Records were set by the dozens, and first-time event attempts were a main theme of the day, including myself and all my Colorado GS Team mates! One Master of Sport was awarded (earned by Juliet Lederle), a handful of CMS,  and well-earned Ranks 1, 2 and 3 given to individual 10-Minute sets and Biathlon lifters. 5-Minute events with multiple hand switches were run for PRs.
(As a side note, the KETAcademy ranking tables award up to Master of Sport International Class for Men and Women 5-Minute events (with one hand switch where applicable), 30- and 60-Minute Marathons, and 5 - and 7-person Team Relays.)

Denis demonstrates the under squat.

Which leads me to the OKC Instructor Certification event hosted at Juno Fitness the two days following. As with any certification course, you just had to be there. Learning how to teach foundational technique is as much of an obsession as achieving personal goals for many of us. Guest Instructor Denis added his years of experience to the OKC teachers enthusiasm making this a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Once we had all completed the written exam, the highlight for most participants at last weekend's event was the practical test. The official requirement is for each candidate to perform a Rank 3 set with either LongCycle or Snatch. Because many of us had achieved Rank 3 or above at the competition, and had the skin trauma to show for it, John and Jason took a great idea to the platform and conducted Men and Women 7-person Jerk Relays for a combined score of Rank 3. It was the first time most of us had done this event and took a moment to explain.

In a relay all the team members use the same kettlebell(s) for the duration. From lightest to heaviest bodyweight class, each team member has 3 minutes to perform as many correct repetitions as possible for the team. The total time for this event is 21 minutes. For the Team Jerk Relay last weekend the Men lifted two 16kg kettlebells for a total of 341 reps and the Women used one 12kg kettlebell for 501 reps!

As you can see by the scores, the most recent OKC Instructor class blew the Rank 3 practical test out of the water. By the table, Men's requirement is 300, Women's requirement is 370.

At the end of the seminar there was not a single person left un-inspired. Yes, we were all completely toasted after the competition, but whether by new technique, a feeling of new friendship and support, or a sense of the bigger picture we all represent, everyone had an enriching experience at the 2nd Annual Bay Area Kettlebell Competition and OKC Instructors Certification course last weekend.

BOOM!

*Thanks again to Tricia Dong for the top three photos.

GS Practice with Oboe

It's getting to be time, yep, time to go compete again. I know this because it's Stage 4, the only part of my training where I show up at the gym on Sunday. I happens once in an entire training cycle, and last Sunday was that day.

Perhaps because I was there earlier than usual, because I have sworn off "Saturday Night" until after the meet, I was the only person in the gym. As is my habit, after joint mobility and basic core warm-up I take my kettlebell and the entire chalk bin outside to prepare the handle and lo, an oboe player in a nearby apartment is doing the musician's parallel of my warm-up routine, scales. Somehow there was a feeling of shared artistry in this moment.

Those who appreciate the benefits of chalk sympathize with the following sequence:

I put a base layer on the "Work Set" bell, then go inside to begin the progressive warm-up with weights. Starting with a drop weight, basic movements in sets of 5 each side.
Put down, shoulder mobility, pick up and complete 5 reps each side with focus on recent technique corrections.
Next weight, 2kg up. This time including basic movements with the full lift, 5 rep sets on each side, special attention to the most recent corrections. Put down.

Go look at the "Work Set" bell. It's still there with a base coat of chalk. As I apply myself to covering the holes in this first coat, I notice Oboe Player has gotten into a different set of scales. Some of it has a resemblance to familiar classical music, but just as I start to pick out the tune the scale resumes.

With the second layer of chalk secured, I go back in to continue my weighted warm-up.
More shoulder mobility before hefting the next weight up. This time straight to the lift, suddenly aware that this kettlebell is not chalked. I space out one rep thinking about potential hand damage, so add one to be certain I'm still able to incorporate that new material. Second side, put down.
Then it gets serious. I happen to have doubles of each weight, so am now onto warming-up with the Work Set weight, the one that is not under a protective coat of magnesium.

My general rule: chalk the bell if doing more than 5 reps each side, chalk the hands if less.

So off to the chalk bin.

Outside, Oboe Player has gotten the reed warm and is doing an improvisational set of scales which allows for pitch errors. When a note is played off, the scale shifts to that different key for a few notes, then returns to the original scale. I've never heard a musician do this before, but haven't spent any time in a symphony. It's an incredible feat of training and intuition happening in my ears, my "practice partner" is doing exactly what I'm doing, using the warm-up as a practice. Just to hear the next measure I finish chalking my handle, thus re-coating my hands for the final warm-up set.

Me, the bell, the chalk bin, my sand paper and shop towel all come in this time.
A short set of arm circles, then grab the extra bell. After rep 3 I feel the new technique feature doing it's work: the drop down results in a straight line from the top of my shoulder through the center of the kettlebell. The last two reps confirm that I have enough energy to complete the set given with this weight. Switch hands and repeat.

At this point I might do something like take a picture of the chalked kettlebell with my phone to procrastinate. But today I am the only person in the gym, have the best spot in the house, no music blaring at me and an oboe accompaniment. The GymBoss starts and paces me for the Work Set. I can maintain the minimum rep per minute count on side 1, no flesh tear, change hands. It works just as well on side 2, new technique keeps me in the set, finally GymBoss tells me "Put Down!" and I'm sweating like I just finished a Bikram Yoga class.

There is a short rest between this and the assist set for the training session, so I take my kettlebell outside to remove the chalk and perhaps hear the piece my practice partner is working on. But alas, apparently the piece was the same length as my set, there is no more music outside! Well, no excuse to extend the rest segment, either. Like a Tibetan sand painting, it takes 5 seconds to undo what took 25 minutes to accomplish on the handle of my working weight. Back to work, the 10-minute glove set.

A different day -  the chalk that remained just had to be documented!

Okay, it's not such a glamorous sport. We spend more time preparing for the Big Event than actually competing. But just as my musician partner demonstrated, it's the time given to refining the art that makes a performance so amazing.

Now that I know the weight I plan to compete with will not take all the flesh off my palm in the first three minutes (God willing!), the last training sessions of this cycle don't feel so ominous. I'm looking forward to the Second Annual Bay Area Kettlebell Competition!

Hope to see you there!

For my friends on the Mat and Platform this weekend:

"Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are as good as dead....."

Morihei Ueshiba (O Sensei), founder of Aikido*

Competitions, tests, challenges, what are they really?
As a fellow-student and friend of several people who are competing or being tested this weekend, I offer this perspective in the hope of supporting your progress.

Having been a martial artist for only a short time, and kettlebell lifter even shorter, I have relied on wisdom of great teachers such as O Sensei and Gandhi to help me understand how I feel during tests and moments of maximum effort.

Whether you succeed or fail, let the test develop your character.

First, you may be asking "What does Gandhi have to do with this?"
Have you ever been in the middle of a test and realized that you are seeing your own commitment or lack of commitment to the subject through the examination? This, I think, is the true usefullness of tests, to show us what we have learned or not even noticed about our field of study.
M.K. Gandhi submitted a list called "Seven Deadly Social Sins" in which he covers all the basis of conscious social awareness (easy to find on Google). The "sin" that answered my heart about being humiliated by a test was "Knowledge without Character."

The test allowed me to acknowledge my human-ness, if you will. The most amazing athletes in history have walked away from botched attempts expressing awareness that they hadn't done the homework. While many of those who succeeded had the character to acknowledge both commitment to practice and Grace as factors in the outcome.

Whether you have studied all the material or not, perform with confidence.

Second, in the midst of a competition it really becomes obvious when I have stepped out of my depth of experience. Many Girevoy Sport coaches will train athletes to physically peak a growth phase at the competitive event, meaning it's very likely that the lifter will step out on a limb and do something completely new on that day. The coach or teacher knows this will happen and believes his or her student has deep enough training to cope with the unknown.

From the athlete's perspective if I am truly where I need to be I will re-set my center in mid-flow. If I am in over my head I will maintain on the foundation that I have already built. Something I have witnessed at aikido tests: the martial artist is ready to advance in rank when he/she can notice new levels of pressure and make adjustments during the moment of challenge.

Whether it's a new test or a re-test, you are not the same person this time.

Last thing, because I know you all have better things to do than read this blog. I wish for you all to have this moment before beginning your test. Remember a time when the challenge you are about to face was unthinkably above you, and acknowledge the practice, understanding and growth you have accomplished between that time and now.

My thoughts are with you this weekend, wishing you all a great time and a turning point for even greater things to come!
best,
Christian

*http://taichisacramento.com/one-hundred-forty-eight-quotes-by-o-sensei.html

What to do if you cannot Clean....

It's a horrible conundrum but Cleaning a kettlebell is still wrong for me this week. 

It's been 3 and a half weeks since I finally admitted that my wrist was sprained from heavy and intense LongCycle practice. After the first week of total anger subsided I gave up my "scoop-of-the-day" membership at the Glacier Ice Cream store, dusted off my training manuals and came up with something to do in the gym.

Two main momentum drills came immediately into play, the Squat Swing and the Crescent Swing. Both exercises demonstrated in the video below.

Squat Swing (may be called something else) first showed up on my radar as a warm-up drill for GS athletes in the Mother country. I used it as a 60 second interval in my classes with great success, if you call nasty looks from the students a mark of success, so started putting one and two-kettlebell sets into my intervals.

Back in my RKC days a Senior Instructor, Brett Jones, mentioned this evil exercise he used to train football players to move their feet faster, a Crescent Swing.

Other weighted exercises on my list:

• Turkish Get-up with a bar
• Windmill with lower arm kettlebell and a bar
• Barbell Jerks
• Overhead Squat with a bar
• Russian Twist
• Bent Row

Unweighted exercises:

• Pull-ups 
• Dips
• Push-ups
• Ab Wheel
• Side Plank
• V-Snaps
• Running
• Hiking
• Ashtanga Yoga

Fellow trainers in the gym are asking "Who are you and what have you done with Christian?" - never having seen me workout with anything other than kettlebells. All I have to say is thank God for Jason Busch's Body Balance Gym being fully stocked with everything you need for on-season and off-season training!

In the mean time I've caught up with rest and am almost through a cleanse (today is eight of ten days). Even had time to learn Google Spreadsheet and write programming for other GS athletes.
It's been productive.

Best wishes to everyone for a great month!
Christian

Early warning signs of injury in GS

I was Novacaned at birth. Apparently it was a needless choice on the doctor's part to speed up a delivery already underway. Justified or not, uncovering this detail has helped me make sense of my capacity for endurance sports, Girevoy Sport in specific.

Recently I achieved Master of Sport rank in Women's 20kg LC on my third attempt. I was viewing this as a stop along the way while training for the same event with 24kg. I was feeling pretty dialed into the form, had the routine down. But this one nagging ache keep cropping up in my left forearm when working with 22 and 24kg sets.

20kg LC 2nd attempt. CMS set.

"Meeh, wrap it up and call it good," says I.

20kg LC MS set.

It worked moderately well all the way up until the week after the MS set. Looking at the timing for the next event I felt impatient to carry on despite the Stage 5 mandate we all know and love. With a 5 day rest I went back to the program. Two days in I felt a pain that blinded me. It didn't go away no matter how many wraps I added to my left forearm, the command from every nerve in my hand was "PUT DOWN!"
The forearm sprain was going to happen. Not just because I was ignoring the discomfort. My left arm was previously injured. I was going through a growth phase that transferred new patterning into my hand. And I asked a coach known for high-level programming to get me ready for the next kettlebell weight. And we were working remotely.

Two notes before continuing on with the warning signs.
First, for the coaches: As a bodywork therapist, I have learned to see unconscious pain cues. People touch a place where they feel discomfort, protect it with supports and layers, and keep it farther away from potential hazards. Depending on a person's relationship with discomfort, he/she may ask an "expert" about it earlier or later. Those of us with less-healthy habits will wait until later.

Second, for the athletes: Many kettlebell lifters have great success with online coaching. If you can find a remote coach who programs you well you can succeed through many competitions with excellent results. Even better if you find a local coach! Either way you cannot count on him/her to notice early signs of injury. Seasoned lifters will recognize an overtrained athlete dragging around the gym (pictured above right) and express their concern. But please learn from my example and acknowledge your pain.

Most of what I have to share is through my own training or working with other GS lifters. All the GS lifts are full-body efforts, so if you have an isolated area of pain there is a weakness in the chain. The difference between muscle fatigue and joint damage can be a fine line, so here are typical problems for beginner/intermediate level lifters. I do not guarantee my solutions, as everyone is different.
Consult a trainer in person if possible.

Feet:

• Soles - Allowing the arch to fall can cause pain here, also heavy Jerk sets. Examine foot positioning on the bump and under squat. This pain is acceptable only at a competition/max effort. Do not train with it. Stretch calves thoroughly and massage the feet before finishing the training set and use less weight.
• Toes - Cramping could be due to dehydration. Also gripping the floor during part of the lift. Back off weight load and evaluate areas where you hold your breath until this habit is corrected.
• Achilles Tendon - Are you wearing weightlifting shoes? Excessive pull from the calf muscles will micro tear this tendon. Also evaluate your foot-to-knee positioning in the under squat.

Knees:

Advanced positioning.

• Front Knee pain - Check initial squat from the rack position. This is a knees-forward-hips-locked stretch. If the heels lift in this movement there will be shear on the front knee ligaments. Another cause of Front Knee pain is weak heel drive into the under squat. Isolate and practice these movements with a manageable weight. Invest in weightlifting shoes.
• Out side Knee pain - If you work with double weights, what are your feet doing as they pass through the swing? Often lifters will bow the legs to the outer side and lift the inner foot which begins a stress pattern on the lateral knee ligaments. Examine foot positioning and stance. 
• Inner Knee pain - Did you hit it with a kettlebell? For Jerk, check leg movement through the entire bump and into the under squat. If one or both feet rock toward the middle at any point, this will accumulate stress on the inner ligaments. For Snatch, examine foot-to-knee position coming out of the backswing and in the under squat.
• Back Knee pain - In getting out of the under squat, if you straighten your legs without adjusting your hips forward you will eventually feel pressure in the knee. This technique can be seen in many advanced lifters (pictured right) to save time getting out of the under squat. Practice standing out of the under squat in a vertical line to start. This takes more time but will build core strength and flexibility.

Hips:

• Back and Side Hip pain - May be caused by too much squat in the back swing, or a deep under squat with weight overhead. This is not the worst pain to have in the conditioning phase. Examine form, develop pre-work mobility and dynamic flexibility to condition your inner legs and allow hamstring extension in the backswing. Practice full-range back-loaded squats to condition the thighs.
• Inner Hip pain - May be too much contraction in the acceleration pull to the rack position or overhead. Work with less weight, use more leg and abdominal strength. Examine your feet at the point of acceleration pull. Correct this before it becomes a hernia.

Low Back:

Abs engaged!

• Not enough core stability in undersquat and overhead positions. This will not go away with out form correction. Shift the base/pelvis forward when straightening out of the under squat. A low-slung weight belt may help remind you of this correction plus add support for the sacrum under load.
• Insufficient abdominal power when launching the Jerk. Hyper extension of the chest over arches the lower back and accumulates stress. Use your abs.
• Examine your posture in the descent. For Snatch, rounding the shoulders and taking the maximum velocity of a descending kettlebell in the lower back will wear you down. For Long Cycle, when lowering from the rack if you round into your back you will not last long. For both of these cases examine core and leg stabilization, and allow your arms to extend before going into the backswing.

Shoulders:

Weight racked too high.

• Above the Shoulder Blades pain - Over extending the arms upward in the lock out position and/or not resting in the rack position. Develop shoulder flexibility through full-range of motion and mobility drills before work. Be diligent with shoulder flexibility, it will only cause you pain to ignore this part of your training.
• Above the Breast Bone pain - Weight is racked too high causing chest muscles to overwork. Usually a flexibility concern, this will effect efficient breathing. Use mobility and dynamic stretching to warm up the chest before work. Static holds with heavy loads may help stretch the back of your chest.

Arms:

• Upper Arm outside pain - For Snatch, inserting the hand late. For Jerk, arms extended out of the resting position, also a growth pain due to the nature of the lift.
• Upper Arm inside pain - Lack of shoulder flexibility: bumping with the elbows lateral puts stress on the inner arm in the under squat. Lack of stability: you may be allowing the weight to roll your arm open at the lock out. Another sign of this is the head pitched forward. Train your arm into the bottom of the shoulder socket when you lock out.
• Forearm Grip pain - Welcome to the club. Learn everything you can about refreshing the grip through out your lift, also examine hand positioning overhead. This is everyone's weakest link. Sadly, the grip strengthens best with overload training.
• Forearm outside pain - My pet issue. Increasing weight load or pacing without learning to relax forearm muscles under the load. Repeated kettlebell impact on tense muscles will sprain the tendon. Focus on relaxing your hands with the weight on your forearm.  If you don't want the "knuckles" below your wrists, start early with wrist coverage. Efficient hand insertion will help. 

Hands:

• Blisters - Gonna happen at some point with the Snatch. Examine your leg movement at the three points of friction through the swing. Use assist exercises, glove sets to develop timing and perfect the acceleration pull. For LC, refine the three points of friction and develop a chalking routine.
• Callouses - It's the nature of the beast. Use chalk in exercises with a swing. Manage your callouses with a file or razor so they do not tear in training.

Head:

• Did you hit it with a kettle bell?
• Over training or dehydration. Jaw tension will cause head pain.
• For Jerk, if you use the "throw-the-head-back" method, examine your timing in the bump. The firing sequence from tailbone to occiput must be smooth to maximize this movement.

Another worthwhile note:

• If you are a convert from other sports you will be bringing old habits and injuries along. Warm up thoroughly, practice sport-specific mobility and assist exercises to mold yourself to GS lifts.
• If, like me, you had a numbed birth or similar experiences that affect your ability to detect discomfort, be real about your pain threshold. Learn to read your body's signs.

Please comment on this list of symptoms and solutions. Questions are welcome. It is my aim to support Girevoy Sport as it grows in popularity, thus hope to pass around some inside information on how to stay in training and avoid unwanted setbacks.

Contact me for information about GS training in Boulder, CO.

mindbodyenergetics@gmail.com

Best wishes for safe, effective training!

Christian

NW Kettlebell Spring Invitational + Big Iron Balls Challenge! Yeah!

April 27, 2013
Rainier CrossFit Gym, Sumner, WA.

Here it is, the moment I've been training for. My third Master of Sport attempt with 20kg LongCycle. And what a joy that it's at an event hosted by KB Nic and the NWKB crew!

Nic congratulating the CrossFit Women and Men's Champions!

Nic came to my attention in 2011 at my first NW competition. He defines Indomitable Spirit, that one! One of the few people I know who could MC an event in an echo chamber without a megaphone, his enthusiasm is up lifting and his coaching is spot-on. Last Saturday his team was able to run simultaneous KBSport and CrossFit events with Nic alone as the announcer!

So what else happened? We had a fairly small but committed turn-out of KBSport lifters and a determined gang of 5 Men and 5 Women on the CrossFit challenge. One first-timer, Bethany and her coach flew from New Jersey! Slava and myself, representing IKSFA, traveled from Colorado, and my KettleTeam mate Tricia traveled from Canada just to help run the event! Many of the 19 KBSport lifters came from the NWKB and OKC teams, located in Washington and California.

IKFF team member turns out to judge with Tom and Misha.

Because I was so focussed on my goal I beg total obliviousness toward the other competitors. I missed most of the Jerk and Snatch sets, and all of the 5-Minute Chair press. But did see an impressive final half of a 20-Minute OneArm LongCycle set from a last-minute entry on Team NWKB!

I saw lifters from the entire 2 + years of my KBSport world setting up for personal records as well as first-time lifters watching in awe. What a great meet to start with! Every one of the lifters turned in great sets, everyone learned and had a moment to grow at this competition.

The chalk-pit/warm-up area.

Of special significance to any KBSport athlete are the organizers and judges. We must have rules first and foremost, and we've got to have a standard for our achievements. At this point in the US not every weight class/weight load and lift has a field of competition at regional meets, so we use ranking systems to qualify our massive efforts. Nic chose the IKSFA standard: IKSFA Unified International Ranking Table At National/International events first, second and third place awards are given for each category listed on the table being used.

The judging rules have been refined into a fairly consistent standard in the US, so at the Rules Review (before the first heat) many of us heard and saw the same information we've been hearing and seeing about No Count, Warning calls, and what it takes for a judge to terminate a set. Those of us headed for higher numbers were held to strict standard, and I did hear Tom Corrigan calling one of my heat-mates on No Counts. Happily, I didn't get those calls from Misha Marshak, who judged my set....
Several people, including Coach John Wild Buckly, Coach Jason Dolby and Tricia Dong all put in time in the judges seat and supported their team throughout the event. Misha did the noble act of judging and then competing!

I feel so blessed to be in this picture! The kettlebells being all the same color seemed to make us equal as competitors.

I want to express my gratitude for the choice to play the National Anthem before we started the competition. This doesn't always happen at KBSport events in the US, and was a welcomed addition.

My last word is in reference to a comment made at the Rules Review. Tom gave the obligatory rule that good sporting conduct is expected, quickly followed with a statement that it is never a problem. Luckily, my team mate and best friend Slava was raised speaking Russian, and later translated this quote next to our Coach Sergei Merkulin:

"In Girevoy Sport - there are no bad people;
all the junk sweats out under the weight of kettlebells, especially on the 10th minute."

(This must be why so many people attend the OKC Annual One-Hour OneArm Long Cycle event!)

Thanks again to KB Nic, KB Nic's Mom (Jan - yeah! 12kg!) and the many unsung heroes of the NW Kettlebell Spring Invitational! You gave us a stage to play our sport, to connect with ourselves and each other more deeply. Many happy returns!