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Making the Transition into the "Real World"
By Priscilla Ribic, USAPL Athletes' Rep
What stage in your life did you start powerlifting? I entered into the powerlifting scene in my later 20s, had my life pretty well established, the house, the family, the career, so adding powerlifting into the mix was not a huge undertaking. But what I have come to realize while meeting friends in this sport, is that those who are in school, whether college or high school seem to have a rather interesting time making the transition into the 'real world,' while maintaining their powerlifting career. There are many who after graduating aren't seen again, ever.
The following interviews come from two lifters who both graduated from college this past spring and have found themselves faced with life's realities. Jessica, although the changes in life and struggles are there has seem to make it through the bumps in the road, while Desirae's road has been a series of ruts, bumps and stopping points.
Can you relate?
Interview with:
Jessica Watkins
Jessica, a well know name in powerlifting as a multi-time National Champion, World Team member and Jr World Champion. Jessica has been in the sport for a little over 5 years now; and recent college graduate had found herself with a full-time work schedule, marriage planning for 2005, a new home and the desire to be #1 on the World platform. Meet Jessica:
Stats
Hometown: Fort Wayne, IN
Occupation: Graphic Designer
Weight Class: 181
Age: 24
Competition Lifts: Squat-530, Bench-314, Deadlift-507, Total-1350
Priscilla: Jessica, give us a little background on who you are and how you got started in powerlifting:
Jessica: I have been powerlifting since April of 1999. I was 18 when I started and still in highschool. I been on 4 Junior World Teams, 2 Women's World Teams, I hold the 198 Junior American Records, the 181 Junior American Records, and the 181 Open American Records, and in 2003 I was the Junior World 181 Champion. I went to Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne from 1999-2004 and majored in Graphic Design. I am now a Graphic Designer for a printing company.
I got started powerlifting in high school. I was taking a weightlifting class that I started when I was a sophomore and by my senior year I was out squatting all the guys except for one. And because I found out how much I liked it, I asked the coach of that class to introduce me to people that compete in these type of events. He then introduced me to Mike and Angie Overdeer. They trained in Columbia City, IN (which was an hour drive for me) and they got me into meets and introduced me to the real sport of Powerlifting! I have been training there ever since.
Priscilla: You were a full time student and graduated this past spring. Tell us the differences you had from college life, to your current work schedule. How has the transition been?
Jessica: When you are actually in school, you don't really realize what an easy life it is. Don't get me wrong; it is a ton of hard work. BUT, it's just not like the real world. When I was in school I had a part time job, I was taking between 15-18 credit hours, and training 5 days a week. It still doesn't compare to working a full time career.
In college I just always had the time to train. And I felt like it would fit into my life so easily and I had so much energy for it because the earliest I ever had to be anywhere was 9am or so.
With working I have to MAKE time to train. You sacrifice many things such as, a clean house, or just getting everyday things done. And you really have to ask yourself what is most important to yourself. To me it is powerlifting. I always say, why should I have to sacrifice the one thing that I LOVE for the few that I don't. And that just isn't a price I am willing to pay. And having energy after a full days work also plays into it.
I sometimes now have to cut out things in my workout in order to get home at a decent time and get some other things done. It is hard but the training is still paying off!
Priscilla: Besides leaving school and stepping into the real world responsibilities you have some pretty big things on your plate. You purchased your first home AND are planning your wedding for this coming spring. How are you managing to juggle is all and what are the biggest challenges since facing the 'real world' and keeping up your training? What frustrations do you face?
Jessica: I think that with all these things I have just paced myself. There is a lot that goes with the wedding and the house, but it is usually things that I can put off to another time or I just make really big lists for myself each week. I get done what I get done.
With my training it is all set in stone. I know I have to do certain things and I make sure I get them done.
Lists are the greatest things I could do to keep myself on task with EVERYTHING!
My biggest frustrations now with training and working is definitely a time issue. Mike and I have to make sure that we get out of the gym at a certain time so he can go to work (at night) and I cant' get there any earlier so sometimes I have to not do some of the less important lifting. And the second is just having the energy once I get there to train.
Priscilla: What does your current training schedule look like and how does it compare to pre-real world training?
Jessica: Like I said somewhat before, I make sure to get my core training down. (no matter how tired I am). The other stuff sometimes gets pushed off or just set aside until another day.
Before, I always got EVERYTHING in. It really hasn't made any difference on my strength though!
Priscilla: I know you will be back to Women's Nationals this coming year, how supportive is your current employer of your powerlifting career, especially with granting that much needed time off work for traveling?
Jessica: Well, considering I have only done one meet since I have worked here. I am not quite sure! They all think it is VERY interesting, but who knows what that means when it comes to time off. Hopefully, though that means they will be very supportive of it.
Trust me though, I will be there no matter what! :
Priscilla: What advice would you give to those current college students who are getting ready to face the real world within the coming year?
Jessica: Just review your priorities. If powerlifting is what you love, you can make time for it no matter what. Make sure your company knows you do the sport and hopefully they will support your endeavor.
It will pay off in the end!
Priscilla: Anything else?
Jessica: Powerlifting doesn't have to end just because your college life did!
Interview with:
Desirae Arelliano
Dez grew up around the sport of powerlifting with her dad, but did not get involved herself in the sport until January 2003. Her first meet was November 2003 and went full speed ahead with Women's and Collegiate Nationals and Jr Worlds in 2004. With a hungry goal oriented personality, she was always out to get better and was always in the gym without fail. BUT, her powerlifting career started coming unglued as she graduated, moved back home to Hawaii in the summer and found herself way in over her head with a full-time and part-time job in the nursing field. Struggling with the thoughts of, "if I don't do Nationals this year, I may never be back on the platform," her transition is a tough one, meet Dez:
Stats
Hometown: Kaneohe, Hawaii
Occupation: Registered Nurse
Weight Class: 114lbs
Age: 23 years old
Competition Lifts: 248lb squat, 154lb bench, 330lb deadlift
Priscilla: Dez, give us a little background on who you are and how you got started in powerlifting:
Dez: Well, while growing up, my dad powerlifted in Hawaii amongst the local circuit. So, I always knew powerlifiting existed, but it wasn't until I went to college that I started lifting weights. It started out as a way to lose some weight since I got pudgy while in college..hehe..My boyfriend and I would lift together, and I got really hooked on getting stronger. After he left college to move back to Hawaii, I wanted to continue lifting. I saw you (Priscilla) training for a meet and thought that it would be cool to try competing. So I remember walking up to you and asking you what meet you were training for. You invited me to train with you just before I left for Christmas break. Over break, I decided I wanted to give pl a shot. I dove into training head first, and I had to of course learn how to deadlift as a non-hunch back person and use gear and relearn all my lifts…hehe…but it's been a blast the past 18 months with my first meet qualifying me for Women's nationals, then taking 3rd in the open, 2nd at Collegiates, and off to Jr. Worlds in Sept. actually medalling bronze overall!!!
Priscilla: You were a full time student when you started powerlifting and graduated this past spring. With that you also moved back home. Tell us the differences you had from college life, to your current work schedule. How has the transition been?
Dez: Gosh, the transition has been extremely difficult for me. I now work full-time, juggle family life, a boyfriend, friends, and a second part-time job, and of course, my training. When I was in college, all I did was wake up, go to classes or go to the hospital for training. Then I came home took a nap. Then I went to the gym. It was great! Now, I go to work for 12 1/2 hour shifts where I am on my feet the entire shift. Then I hope that I get out on time (which rarely happens as a nurse in the ICU). Then I pray that I have enough energy to train after a long day. Of course another problem with working in the hospital is that the shifts are never the same days of the week, and I rotate between day and night shifts. In addition, being a new nurse, I have the added mental stress of going into my job not being sure of myself and learning to care for really sick children. Then on my days off, I work in another hospital. I work at least 46+ hour weeks.
Priscilla: What are the biggest challenges since facing the 'real world' and keeping up your training? What is your success of finding the help and workout partners to help you along the way?
Dez: Some of the biggest challenges are finding times to train, consistency in my training since my schedule at work no longer allow me to have a set training schedule, having the help available with my crazy work schedule for spot, gear, and moral support. Another difficulty is that moving home, all the powerlifters mean well, but they also each have an opinion on how I should train and what gear I should use, and techniques and philosophies to improve my lifting. It's great to have the support, but it is often difficult because my training style is different from the powerlifters here in Hawaii. I am very fortunate that they are very supportive of me and have embraced me into the tight knit pl community, but the training style differences have been challenging at times. I don't do the same exercises and workouts they do. In addition, I there aren't any other active women powerlifters who train consistently at my gym, which can also be challenging because this makes it difficult to load and unload the bar in between myself and the big guys for each set. Another challenge is that in moving home, I also lost my training partner (Priscilla) who knows my abilities and my limits. Priscilla knows how far to push me based on what my strengths and weaknesses are. Because we both utilize Larry Maile's philosophy of powerlifting, Priscilla was a key element in helping me identify and work on my weaknesses. Not to mention the mentality I developed that "If you want to be the best, you gotta train with the best!" I definitely lost the ability to train with the best.
Priscilla: I know while in school, your workout schedule was pretty regimented, what does your current training schedule look like?
Dez: My workout schedule is horrible now. It has come to the point where I train when I can. This means I either "skip" workouts, sets, and/or supplemental exercises. I also sometimes do double workouts meaning train multiple body parts on the same day because I know I won't have time another day in the week to do it. Another problem I encounter is not giving body parts adequate rest in-between training.
Priscilla: I know you have intentions of coming back to Women's Nationals this year, what are the biggest challenges you are facing?
Dez: Biggest challenges now for me for Women's are finding time to train, not having a coach or training partner available to help me iron out some of my weaknesses, not having a consistent spotter or person to help with gear, a rotating schedule that doesn't allow me to plan more than a month ahead, money to get to Women's, arranging for time off from work since I just started a new job,
Priscilla: What advice would you give to those current college students who are getting ready to face the real world within the coming year?
Dez: My advice is to enjoy college while you can! It's tough having to determine whether my priority should be my passion or my well-being. Because I put myself through college without any financial support from my parents, I am forced to make the decision to work to pay off my enormous student loans and place lifting as a second priority. As I am told by those older and wiser then me, lifting will always be there. In reality, they're absolutely right, but the selfish part of me says that I can have my cake and eat it too. Unfortunately, I am failing miserably at trying to balance it all. As tough as it is to put competing as second and sometimes third or fourth on the priority list, powerlifting is something I love and has become a huge part of my life, but at the end of the day, it's only one aspect of my life. To grow up and be a productive member of society, I now have to go to work for long hours, have my paycheck slaughtered by the government in taxes, pay all my bills on time, attempt to get to the gym and train, have time for my family and boyfriend, and wish I was a kid again!!!
Priscilla: Anything else?
Dez: I just want to wish all of my awesome friends from Juniors the best of luck this year to train hard and to enjoy life because it doesn't get any easier. I also hope to see everyone at Women's this year. Powerlifting has allowed me to network all over the country and world! I have met the most awesome, talented lifters and people. I thank the USAPL and IPF for allowing me to be a part of such a great sport! Special thanks to Priscilla Ribic, Larry Maile, Ivan Ribic, and my Daddy for all the support and advice. It's been their support that has led me to my love for this sport!
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