Two years ago my 11 year old daughter starting going to CrossFit with me. The coach Jonathan at our gym DEFY! graciously and patiently allowed Abbey to join the adult workouts and Abbey would huff and puff and grind through the workouts like the rest of us. For two years, Abbey would go to the gym all summer with me then every visit when she was in town.
This year Abbey came to live with us fulltime and one of her first desires was to be in the gym each morning. She wakes at 5:30AM to go to the gym with me before school.
Over the past two years, I have seen her learn the discipline of hard work, of grinding through physical challenges when your mind and body want to quit. I have seen her push through tears and frustration, not quitting, fighting and sometimes beating the rest of us adults to complete a workout.
The successes of first pull-ups, push-ups, sprints, tire flips, weightlifting, box jumps. Daily disciplines developed over the last two years that have transformed her from an adolescent indifferent about physical activity to one that can articulate to you the ways daily exercise affects her body.
Today, she competed in her first power weightlifting competition. At 13 years old, she entered the Junior and Teenage Divisions of the NASA Colorado Regional Powerlifting competition. Entering at a weight of 104, there were no state records set for weight class 105, division Junior or Teenage nor national records set for weight class 105, division Junior. She was literally the first person in the nation to compete at her weight class, division Junior (that has been documented or submitted) for the NASA Powerlifting Association.
By successfully completing the lifts, according to the strict powerlifting rules, she set the Colorado state record for weight class 105, division Junior and Teenage AND the American records for weight class 105, division Junior. Nine records in all today (six state, three national). Bench Press, Back Squat and Deadlift for the three aforementioned categories.
Oldest and youngest competitors at the competition. This gentlemen was 90 years old. After seeing Abbey's lift, he came and found her to congratulate her. (I want to be doing this when I'm 90.)
She muses now about the olympics, competing at Nationals (to set the World records) and powerlifting competitively through high school and college. She has natural ability in this space that could take her as far as she is willing to work.
I am thrilled she has found an outlet she enjoys and something she is willing to push herself in. The excited of trophies and the crowd yelling your name is exactly what this 13 year old is looking for.
But the daily discipline, work ethic and knowledge of how to push yourself through a hard situation when all you really want to do is quit is priceless.
videos:
"the future of women's powerlifting" -
"Powerlifting Back Squat" -
