The Drama of Sports                                                                                            February 16, 2009

Written by:  JoJo Ocampo

Miami, Florida – The best in sports worldwide has had their day in the sun and a day where a cloud covered it.  Despite when training and preparation meets opportunity, the sun is overshadowed and no one is able to see the athlete shine.  The athlete did not lose his or her whole talent in sports; it is rather only a moment in darkness.   Football’s greatest wide receivers drop passes, baseball players’ best go to round third and are tagged by the ball, and with 5-seconds left in the game many basketball stars jump shots are blocked by the opposition.   On Saturday, February 14, 2009 was the USAPL Women’s Powerlifting Nationals in Miami, Florida where the top 67-women in the United States came together to compete as the best lifters in the nation.  I weighed-in at 47.3 kg. and started my day in the sun with warm-ups that were easy and my confidence was high.  My eight-week training cycle was on and I was here in Miami to show the country what JoJo Ocampo came here to do on the platform.    I was in the wings, I was on deck and then it was show time.  I hobbled onto the sloped ramp with my knees wrapped tight, my squat suit cutting into my thighs but I no longer felt pain.  With focus and intention, I bounded onto the stage toward the squat rack, set-up, and heard the squat command.  The judge shouted “SQUAT” and then “RACK”.  I drove the bar back into the squat rack and the judge yelled “No Lift”.  My squat did not meet depth.  It was too high.  I came back to conquer the platform with the same weight, 248 lbs., and went down and hit depth but this time, on the way up, my weight shifted back to my heels.  The spotters needed to take the bar.  Now I was confused and completely bewildered by what took 5-seconds to complete ran a lifetime through my head.  I was squatting 270 and 285 lbs. in the gym during the month of January and February so 248 lbs. should be gym weight.  My coaches refocused me and it was time for my third attempt.  I stepped up to the platform, grooved the bar deep into my upper back, heard the squat command and history made a repeat, déjà vu, my weight shifted again.   A “No Lift” and the judges’ three red lights glared like tickertape in Times Square.   The clouds rolled in and covered my sun.  It happed and it was not supposed to happen when I was on the platform, but it did.  I thought my day was over, I bombed out, I could not believe all the great training days, perfect warm-up, and now, I would not be able to finish the rest of the competition, but I continued.  It no longer counted for points.  I could no longer get a total, I could not contribute anything to a win for our team but I would continue so that I personally would not be defeated.  My heart was heavy and filled with both sadness and anger, I had so much more lift in me, and with friends and family who look up to me for motivation, I could not let them down; I would not let myself be a victim of defeat.  I came to Miami to lift and I was going to finish what I started.  Then, the clouds cleared and the sun gleamed brightly again.  The darkness was over and I went on to have the best meet of my career.  I benched 137.5 lbs and went 3-for-3 in the deadlift, finishing with a PR (personal record) of 292 lbs.  Even the world’s best athletes have a cloudy day; I had mine and moved forward.  Retirement was on my mind but with the incredible coaching staff of the USAPL of Johnny Graham, Tony Harris, Greg Page, Lance Slaughter, and Kevin Stewart,  they all told me that “I was not retiring”,  I had no say, I had no choice.  They told me that I was still a good lifter and that I was becoming a strong contender.  On the 12-hour plane ride back to Hawaii, I turned to a moment of silence and made a decision.  I am going to make another comeback, this time for a Master’s or an American Record.  I will have my day in the sun and the World in Sports will see me shine once more upon the platform.