No-Nonsense from the Foundry KB Sport Team

By  |  0 Comments

On the front lines at the 2015 West Coast Kettlebell Classic with Canadian champion lifter, Master of Sport, Renee Martynuik

And it’s back to the IC we go…
Anyone who knows anything about Kettlebell Sport knows the Ice Chamber. They’re basically the OGs of the sport – producing more Masters of Sport than fingers on my hands. So when the IC puts on a meet, you just shut your damn mouth, pay the damn money, get on the damn plane, and go. And man, we were NOT disappointed.

This year felt different from last year’s comp at the IC. The air quality was the same – heavy with moisture thanks to the sheets of rain the day prior – but there was something else in the air too. This year was…electric. The crowd was off.the.chain. I seriously haven’t heard cheering like that outside of a Stanley Cup playoff game. That tangible energy from the crowd along with the relaxed, positive atmosphere in the IC brought out the best in each Team Foundry member on February 7, and I personally am so grateful to have been there.

Team Foundry brought a big contingent down to the Bay Area to show how our sport has grown in our neck of the woods and to show that we are each serious contenders in our divisions. I think we reached our goals and Misty and I are so very proud. Here’s the tale of the tape:

i-LWCCm2d-XL

A new Canadian Record (Misty – 24kg Long Cycle – 123 reps)

i-sJV8Lmz-XL

CMS rank and best overall female in 20kg Snatch (Renee – 20kg Snatch – 130 reps)

i-vSNnp55-XL

First place in a packed 63kg women’s division (Janette, 16kg Long Cycle – 126 reps)

i-dHQh7R9-XL

Best Overall Long Cycle Male and Female lifters (Jed – 24kg Long Cycle – 75 reps, and Misty)

i-S95CkVd-XL

First place in Men’s 58kg category (Fraaz – 16kg Long Cycle – 55 reps)

What’s a meet like at the IC, you ask? Um…it’s awesome. As an athlete, you want for NOTHING. I mean NUH-THING. Need to warm up? Here’s some space. Need some great food? Here, eat this. Need some water? Here ya go. Need chalk? Good bells? Foam rollers? Awesome support? Great tunes? Cool swag? You get the idea.

The WCC has a “hole-deck-platform” system that I love. About 30 minutes prior to your set, you head into the “hole” where you can start to warm up. This is a segregated, athletes-only area where you can start to get the blood moving and start to direct your focus to your set. With about 15 minutes to go before your set, you’re moved to the “deck” where you complete your warm-up and chalk the snot out of your bell (I pity the souls who had to clean that area up after we were done). Before you knew it, you were being ushered on to the platform for your set. Without the IC’s volunteers and ushers, the whole “hole-deck-platform” system would’ve been a complete horror show. Bless their hearts – we were like herding cats, I swear.

As a coach, this meet was even more awesome. The WCC is always run with the efficiency of a German train station – I mean seriously, when they mean two minutes between flights, they mean TWO DAMN MINUTES. This kept the team on time and on their game with no ambiguity as to when athletes should warm up or be ready to head in the hole or on deck. Again, the volunteers were nothing short of incredible, taking all of the pressure off us as coaches so we could focus on our own lifts. We knew our athletes were in good hands. But here’s the best part as a coach – the WCC uses only trained judges and explains clear rules at the outset with no room for interpretation. As they say in the Bay – that’s hella good.

I personally noticed a more relaxed, laid-back approach to the WCC this year. It felt fantastic and I think it set the tone for the day. Everything was still top notch and on point, but there wasn’t that familiar note of competition anxiety in the air – it was all about the love of the sport, cheering for personal bests, and taking the time to catch up with friends, new and old.
Is Team Foundry going back to the IC next year? Hell yeah we are.

-Renee from the Foundry Athletic Training Center

i-T3ZVGGx-XL

First place in Men’s 20kg Long Cycle (Peter – 65 reps)

i-Wxgx8ck-XL
And last but certainly not least, a personal best that knocked everyone’s socks off (Kim – 16kg Long Cycle – 115 reps)