What a great experience this weekend! I did my research on what to expect, but really nothing could have prepared me for the Arnold. I had to leave my dorm at 7 a.m. to get to Columbus by 9:30. I was feeling pretty tired and lethargic during the drive, but as soon as I got into the convention center, I could practically taste the energy around me! I was so alert when I stepped into the expo and almost got overwhelmed by what I saw.
There was so much to see there, but I had already developed a plan of action. I knew I definitely wanted to see The Cage and meet some Animal athletes. I also wanted to hit up Slingshot and hopefully chat with Mark Bell. I was not disappointed!
I spent a good two hours at the Cage! I got to see Richard Hawthorne, Andrey Malanichev, and Dan Green deadlift massive amounts of weight! I was in the back for Richard's deadlifts, but I managed to get (some not so great) videos of Malanichev pulling 815 and Dan Green pulling 865!!!
After watching those monsters, I made my way to Slingshot... and was met with NO LINE! Mark Bell was just standing there by himself and no one was talking to him! How crazy is that?! So, I just walked up, shook his hand, got a picture, and chatted for a bit. It was so surreal. I was nervous and felt really awkward, but he was so friendly and polite. I even got to try out the Slingshot for the first time!
I did some walking around and watched a little of the strongman competition. It was really cool to see those giants do the frame carry. I even saw Misha Koklyaev! And it was so cool to hear and see Bill Kazmaier himself announcing.
I decided to make my way back to Slingshot to see if the Lilliebridge's were there yet, and I got the surprise of the weekend.
Andrey Malanichev himself was standing there eating a giant bag of skittles and no one was even giving him a second glance!!!!!
After picking my jaw up from the floor and trying not to look stupid, I tapped him on the shoulder, shook his hand, and took a picture with him. I told him I wanted to be as strong as him one day and he just kind of laughed and said something that sounded like "one day!" He was so cool.
Honestly, getting to see so many powerlifting legends has inspired me to work harder than ever to get stronger. I think all the funk from Friday's bad workout is gone and I just want to smash some weights! I'm so glad I got to meet two of my favorite powerlifters and just experience the chaos that is the Arnold. I even saw the man himself! Sometimes, all you need is a glimpse of crazy strength to get you pumped.
Stay Strong,
JB
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