Let me first begin by stating that I have never experienced the Central East Regional in person and if you think you know how good this Regional is and have not experienced it firsthand, let me assure you, you have no idea.
Yesterday went just as we expected it to. Outside of a couple slip ups by JoEllyn there were no major surprises on our end. Sasser snatched 280 (5 pounds more than we planned on) for a first place finish (see slo-mo video below) and fell just 10 feet short of 120 feet in the handstand walk. This was his only slipup of the day. His performance on Nasty Girls was elite in my opinion and he performed it exactly as we planned. His only fault was having a coach who had no idea what kind of times would be put up in the last heat.
JoEllyn pulled a typical weightlifter move and made her third snatch finally after missing the first two at 155 (see slo-mo video below). However she made a massive comeback statement by completing Nasty Girls exactly is she practiced. Her ability to stay focused on her plan and her strategy and not allowing the opponents around her to deter her from that showed an incredible amount of mental strength. Today is a moving day for her.
Because of the time zone delay I was able to pull up the live feed and watch Emily do work out in Washington. Her and Mike at the Northwest Regional looked exactly as expected! She had a beautiful 160 pound snatch and looks good for 10 to 15 pounds more than that, but this being her weakest event we are satisfied with that number. She did exactly as planned on the handstand walk and on Nasty Girls though her last set of muscle ups did have one little hickup. She currently sits in first but is far from comfortable in that position. Today’s a working day for her as well.
Overall the Power and Grace Performance athletes are doing outstanding. Day 2 will bring its own set of challenges and a new level of stress on myself and Mike. As I said last week, those at the top at the end of day two will be those of the top at the end of day three. Today is the most important day in this year’s Regionals.
Good luck and to God be the glory!
Sasser 280# Snatch Slo-Mo:
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JoEllyn 155# Snatch Slo-Mo:
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