Everyone left for the weekend. The Auburn track and field team went to NCAA East Regionals, the main weight room I usually lift in is closed for the week, and Aretha left for the 2010 California Relays.

No problem….I strapped up my lifting shoes and rolled up the track and field shed doors. It started as a light and fast lifting day but I was feeling good and I don’t compete for another week so I thought…why not have a little fun. After snatching and benching I stepped up the weight in the squat and hit a new lifetime best of 505lbs. Watch as the rinkity squat rack shakes back and forth.

Aretha Thurmond and I work out together in the weight room. On Monday we challenged ourselves in the squats, incline bench, snatches, and several auxiliary lifts. At the end of each weight room day we end with core strength training and a post-workout recovery protein shake. Here is a Video of Aretha doing heavy safety squats.

And some pictures of us doing our triceps exercise and corner bar core strength exercise.

I was in the middle of throwing practice on March 21st when the rain came.  As many of you know, I grew up in Kent…just south of Seattle Washington.  In the Northwest the rain is consistent and will rain for hours at a time.  Here in the south…..the rain is a torrential downpour and lasts a half an hour or so.  On Sunday we were throwing when the sky opened up.  We grabbed everything and ran for cover.

Today was a great practice.  I have been working on turning my left foot in the back of the ring without shifting my weight or rising.  If I can turn my left foot, my next goal is to keep my right foot dorsiflexed (toe up) and my right knee bent while entering the center of the ring.  OK…lets say I do those things well….next my goal is to “face the throw”.  This means I will work my right leg and hip in front of my shoulders while looking toward the throwing sector.  This will keep my weight on the back of the ring while maximizing separation between the right hip and right shoulder which leads to farther throws.  Here is my most recent training video showing what I have been working on.  See if you can see what I’m talking about and feel free to comment

Since arriving in Alabama I have had a completely different focus while throwing and lifting.  Now, more than ever we focus on technique.  It is still important that the weight is difficult but only if the technique is maintained can we increase in weight.  The concept is “work smart….and hard” instead of the more common “work harder” method.  Here is a little clip of us in the weight room having a good time while we finished up our lift on Tuesday.

And here is a video of Aretha working her cleans from a box.

Our road trip to Alabama was an amazing experience.  Kate and I left early on January, 11^th with a UHAUL trailer and SUV loaded, and our new home in mind.  Our trip was filled with great memories and many good pictures.  We visited the Red Wood Forest, National Bridges State Park (where the Monarch butterflies migrate in the winter), the Grand Canyon, and the Oklahoma City Memorial.  You can view all our pictures by clicking here or clicking the “pictures” link. Along the way we were also lucky enough to only pay for a hotel one night.  We stayed with friends of friends, Kate’s sister Mica in West Hollywood, our good friends Wiley and Monica King in Flagstaff, Arizona, and with one of my favorite high school teachers, Michelle Fyfe and her husband Warren in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  We were also treated to several delicious meals.  Thanks to everyone who made this trip so memorable and fun!

We finally arrived in Opelika on January 18^th around 8pm.  Aretha Thurmond, her brother John and his wife Rebecca, and two of the Auburn University throwers, Eric and Stephen, were all here to greet us.  The group unloaded our trailer in about 10 minutes!  Now that is Southern hospitality.

I jumped right into practice the first day we were here.  Four hours a day, six days a week, I am training alongside of 3-time Olympian Aretha Thurmond, and under the guidance of throws coach Jerry Clayton.  After only two weeks of practice I am already having strength gains and big improvements in my throwing technique.  I am very excited for the next several track seasons, and I am very confident in our decision to make this big move.

When I’m not at practice, I’m working part-time at Starbucks, while Kate is actively working to grow her personal training business at two training studios.  We are doing our best to work hard, make enough money to live, and serve God with our actions.  12 people or families have joined our monthly support team thus far and I believe if we can increase that number to 60 I can give everything I have to making the 2012 Olympic team.  Lets go for it!

After last track season and a disappointing National meet I began to search for a new training location. The University of Washington has been an amazing place to train. I love working with Reedus Thurmond, the coaching staff at UW and using the Dempsey indoor facility no matter what the weather had to offer. I have been training in Seattle for the last 8.5 years. The search began with phone calls and handshakes. I spoke with Mac Wilkins about training in Portland, I spoke with John Godina about training at the world throws center in Arizona, and I tossed around the idea of training with Brooks Johnson in Florida. These were all good options but none of them compared to the location we (Kate and I) chose. Auburn, Alabama with coach Jerry Clayton.

In over 25 years of Division I coaching, Clayton’s tutelage has produced 14 NCAA individual champions, 34 international team competitors and 19 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifiers. He has also mentored 69 NCAA All-American honorees, 110 individual conference champions (30 SEC individual champions) and 134 NCAA championship qualifiers during his coaching tenure. Clayton-coached athletes have won NCAA titles in seven of nine field events, while boasting All-America honors in every field events.

Kate and I spent 10 days in Alabama. I trained with Coach Jerry Clayton and Aretha Thurmond while Kate built connections with personal trainers and gym owners in the area. We are nervous about the move but I am extremely confident in our choice. I will be training hard with a group of elite athletes who have Olympic and world championship experience while Kate rebuilds her personal training clientele.

We will be leaving for Auburn, Alabama on January 11th 2010. Our plan is to rent a trailer and tow it behind our car. We have arranged a place to live when we arrive and we will immediately begin searching for a source of income. If you or your family believe in our dream to represent the USA at the 2012 olympic games in London please view the Donate page. Please contact me about the opportunity to become a $25 monthly donor.

Another seasons best!  I woke up the morning of the 8th and was feeling horrible.  Pollen counts in Portland were at an all time high and I was having flu symptoms.  My Dad prayed over me, My sister in law made me breakfast and gave me some medicine.  Then when I arrived at Mac Wilkins throwing center I began to feel better.  It was a low key competition with many great athletes.  Both Discus and Hammer were contested.  Aretha and Reedus Thurmond were both competing and giving me advice along the way.  The two of them combined are like having one super coach that can fix anything I’m doing wrong.  They both kept encouraging me and on my last throw I threw a seasons best 59.52 meters (about 195 feet).  Check out the video.  My next meet is on June 12th in Vancouver BC (Kajacks track meet).

The wind was amazing, the competition was good, we had music playing, the sun was shinning….however, I was unable to put together a decent throw.  I had so much energy and have been having great practices and workouts in the weight room.  I thought the OTC meet was my chance to throw a big throw and re-establish myself among the top throwers in the USA.  But, God has other plans and I trust that he is teaching me and leading me through this experience.  Regardless of the distance I threw, Adam Keuhl, Karl Erickson, Drew Ulrick and I had a great time together.  Adam threw a huge 64+ meter throw, Drew had a 2 meter PR which is also the world “B” standard 62.60 and Karl Erickson threw over 200 feet with a 61+ meter throw.  This is not my best throw of the day but they all looked about the same.  Rushing my left arm and tall out of the back of the ring.

My friends Adam Kuehl and Drew Ulrick called me early this week and invited me to come and throw at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. I booked my flight and will now be traveling to San Diego tomorrow, Friday June 5th to compete on Saturday June 6th. I will then fly from San Diego to Portland to throw at Mac Wilkens throwing center near the Portland Airport. I’m hoping in my next post I will be able to tell you all about how great this weekend goes! Keep the dream alive