Many of you have seen as a result of Facebook that my dad is a powerlifter. For those of you that didn't know that, you know now :)
He has been doing it for the past 35 years which means that I basically grew up on the stuff. Weightlifting meets throughout the year, Saturdays spent at the gym, dumbbells and squat bars and trophies. Powerlifting is in our DNA.
I have spent countless hours in high school gymnasiums watching my dad lift, pull and push hundreds of pounds of weight. It amazes me every time. As I watch him, I am reminded time and time again of the things that he has taught me.
Dedication: There is NO way that you can show up to a meet and bench press 500 lbs. It took my dad 20 years to do that. 20 years! That's basically my entire lifetime. He is so devoted to lifting. He has gone to the gym 3x a week since before I was born. He endures pain and injury (yes, he did rip off his bicep muscle) and with little complaint. I want to be dedicated to something that much one day.
The 3 family rules: In our family, we live by three fairly simple rules. In whatever we do we must 1. try our best, 2. work hard and 3. have fun. Anytime I would be upset after a bad grade or a lost basketball game my dad always brought me back to those three rules. "Did you work hard? Did you try your best? Did you have fun?" Most of the time I could answer yes to those three questions and he was happy with that.
Last month, my dad was inducted into the Weightlifting Hall of Fame. Such a great honor that he worked 35 long years for. I am so proud of him, his dedication to the sport and all of the hard work that he has put into it. He deserves this honor more than anyone else I know.
Congratulations Dad! You never cease to amaze me!!
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