My Thoughts on PFP Barbell's Performance at the Relentless Open

This weekend our team competed at the Relentless Open in Meadville, Pennsylvania . This was a pretty cool weekend as it was hosted by one of our remote athlete's Fernando Hernandez. This also was our largest turnout as a team for any meet as 11 of our athletes competed and we coached a total of 13 athletes over 4 sessions . We had two athletes trying to qualify for the AO Final, one competing in their first meet , and the rest chasing PR's and working to improve their performances on the platform. The meet ran smoothly and the venue was awesome (www.crossfitxba.com/relentless-barbell-club.html) . I can't wait to go back . 

​Session 1 
We had 2 PFP Barbell  athletes competing during this session and coached  2 other athletes as well. Tracy Weaver and Brandi Darby would set the tone for our day during this session . They went 11 for 12 and combined for a meet PR total of 16 kg !  Brandi matured a lot this meet and lifted really well she was extremely close to a 6 for 6 day with and even more impressive 14 kg total PR by herself. Tracy Weaver was the surprise of the session however , she had one of the best meets of any athlete I have coached. We really challenged her this meet to attempt weights she was uncomfortable with and she answered big time with a 6 for 6 performance with PR's Across the board. We also had Meaghan and Mary working with our coaches and they had very good sessions as well. 

Session 2 
This sessions we had 4 PFP Barbell Athletes compete along with an athlete from Shadyside Barbell working with our team for session.  This session was the one I was most nervous about . 5 athletes is a lot and I wasn't sure how we would manage. Our coaching staff came up big this session putting all of our lifters in position to perform at their best . Maggie Duer , Dom Gomez, and Marisa Galli kicked butt in the back  . Maggie and Dom are both our rocks in the back and make sure every session their involved with runs smoothly and on time . This was Marisa's first time counting by herself in the back and she managed two athletes . I am so grateful for our team and how they continue to learn and develop . 

Now for the athletes. Jack Weaver our youth lifter answered his mom's amazing performance with a 6 for 6 day of his own. He and Maggie were such a good team and I am excited to see how they work together in the future in bigger meets in the future . To my knowledge this is the first time we have had two athletes go 6 for 6 in the same day.  Luke Darby was next! This was Luke's first meet and Coach Dom was there to make sure he was in position to crush it. Luke ended up going 4 for 6 hitting a couple PR's and winning his weight class in his very first meet! Andre and Andrew were both opening at similar weights and warmed up together all the way out to the platform. Andre won the award for best singlet ever as he was dressed as Pee Wee Herman and has his best meet to date. Andre is generally a quieter low profile athlete for us so it was great to see him get out of his comfort zone and have a really good meet. Adam Closed out the meet for us and was our first lifter working towards the AO Final . He had the ability to hit the numbers he needed but would have to have a good snatch session . He had a pretty good training cycle leading up to the meet but it was his first time competing in about a year so I wasn't sure how he would do . Unfortunately we didn't make any snatches and his chanced were over before he took his first clean and jerk . I am really proud of him as he came back and made all of his clean and jerks after a disappointing snatch portion of his meet.  

Session 3
This was a fun session for our team. The rest of the meet we only had 2 athletes per session so we got a little break from the madness of the first half of the day . Marisa and Bre were up in the last women's session. They are two of our more experienced lifters so I was excited to see how they would do . Bre was working towards an AO final qualification and Marisa to qualify for Under 25 Nationals. While both ultimately came up a little short they both enjoyed good meets and had some major breakthroughs. Bre is always extremely constant and totaled and impressive 168kg . We have some adjustments to make but I wouldn't be surprised if she qualifies for her first national championship this spring. Marisa had the more stressful meet of the two . After a great warm up session she ended up missing her opening snatch , making the second and missing the third. It was the same story on her Clean and Jerks, however with a twist. Marisa is a much better athlete and weightlifter than she thinks. After her snatch session we wanted to light a fire under her ass and told her she would be opening with a 1 kg PR on her clean and jerk . She zoned in and answered the bell. She finished 2 for 6 with a PR Clean and Jerk and Total and left a ton on the platform . I believe this was a more important meet than she realized and this is give her confidence in the future and raise her expectations for herself. 

Session 4 
Coach Dom and Mike Phillips closed us out for the day. Both had really good meets. Dom has been on a tough busy rotation and has not been able to get into the gym on a regular basis. He came out and lifted great working up to about 90% of his best total . Dom leads from the front and his meet performance on Saturday was just another example of that. Mike had a fun session going 5 for 6 and with Competition PRs across the board. He came out and surprised everyone after a very rough warm up in the snatches. He was not close to his opener in the back at all and we had to drop him down considerably . However he regrouped lifted well enough to come close to his best after some great lifts on the platform. He also crushed his clean and jerks almost making a 100kg attempt  with a great clean and a close miss on the jerk. Rumor on the street is that his coaches made the jump by accident and he still had an great attempt and was excited to attach this big lift. 

Overall 
We ended up with 8 of our 11 athletes medaling in their weight class. From the top down I thought our team had one of their best meets to date. Every single athlete and coach stood out in their own way. The culture and support that PFP Barbell has never ceases to impress me . I am blessed to be able to lead such a wonderful group of athletes and am excited to watch and help these athletes grow and progress in the future!

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