Connie Brown
02-08-2004, 05:45 PM
Oh my gosh, I was there and it was an incredible event to watch. Thanks to the coaches and athletes who let me watch.
Especially if you know personally the "feel" of swipes and mills you can only begin to understand what these guys pulled off.
The event started around 2 at the venue. We met in the lobby and introduced ourselves. Very nice to match faces to names! I hear that from all you who travel around and it's true.
First off was scoping out the room where the competition was to be held. Some time was spent on facility stuff, placing cameras, mats, officials' table, chairs, window shades to eliminate glare. Athletes parked their CBs and gear around the walls. We spectators chatted each other up and compared "cb at home" stories.
I was amused to see only 25s and 15s there - I have 10s and 5s at home and they would have been lonely. Coach Szolek let me lift one of his 25s and I did, just enough to put it down again. Whoa.
We spectators, and athletes too, got instruction on what to do during an athlete's competition. No going in and out of the room; no jeering; no sudden anything that could break the athlete's concentration. It was clear to me, seeing how big these guys are, and how big the CBs are, and how serious the athletes were about going all-out, that this is about both respect AND safety. Big weights, high speed, near fatigue, and sudden distraction would NOT be a good mix.
Then came the "rules clinic." This I had to hear. Coach Sonnon explained to the two officials the rules of OCS Sport. Including the movements that MUST happen to count as a rep-point, and the movements that MUST NOT happen or else the rep doesn't count or is a "fault" (something wrong). Also the things that stop a competitor's session.
Simple version: for a mill, a rep counts if the CB passes the centerline in the front and then passes the back of the head. For a swipe, a rep starts when it passes the calves on the way up to the armpit cast, and after it passes the calves again on the way down, it counts. (errors are mine if I have it wrong)
Coach Sonnon spent some time explaining what were merely form and style differences, such as how and when to rest, and what would be out-of-line for a rest. In a teaching moment he went into the tradeoffs of resting and how different body types might respond to different styles - but it went by too fast for me to quite take in. I made a note to ask on the forum (later).
The timer was to call out each minute ("one minute" "two minutes,") as they happened. This was surprisingly a tension-builder during the competition. You'd think a minute apart would be too long to start getting anxious. But in reality, we might as well have had the Jaws music for the way those minutes piled up.
The rules are in the OCS book, I gather, but there is nothing like seeing it taught to the judges (smile).
I did wonder about Coach Sonnon using up some of his potential reps demonstrating the movements with a 15, showing both right and wrong. Very clear.
Okay so now the athletes went to the facility's locker room to get weighed and we spectators got ourselves comfortable because no way were we going to miss any of these.
Somewhere in there, the counting official (Michael Gannon), drew names for the order of competition. Laughs all around when Scott S. was first, and more when Doug was second. Then came Brandon, Scott, and Casey.
Showtime is coming and I watched the athlete's focusing strategies. Recognized vibration drills and WW by Sonnon and Szolek. Pacing and WW from some of the others.
Scott's wife Jodie comes to cheer him on, of course right when he has drawn first place and is getting ready. Quick kiss and on he goes.
Scott's mills: he does mills first for strategy reasons (another question for later). We have all seen this style on the videos in the OCS page. It is another thing to see 10 minutes of it with a 25. Talk about steady, control, and breathing - reminded me of the power of a steam engine in their heyday (sorry for the old-fashioned simile Scott!). I mean BIG, powerful, and tireless. I started to feel sympathetic tiredness at minute 5 and wondered how this could continue - but it did.
Doug's swipes: Again with the strong, smooth, and steady. He has a very tight circle on the armpit cast and a very distinct transition between armpit cast and forward pendulum. Very pretty to watch. I think he rested after every set of 12-14, seemed to work for him.
Brandon's mills: I didn't realize there were 3 people in the senior division (25s), what a thrill. Brandon's footwork and style were new to me - reminded me of throwing sports, like a pitcher, from the shield cast into the inward pendulum. Again, he went the whole way with that steady, pretty form and good breathing. A smile kept appearing - a crowd-pleaser. At one point he arm-parked and tightened up the knob on his CB - it was working loose.
Steve's swipes: Our first competitor in the Junior division and a big, expansive form and style. I wondered if it has to do with his height - but his swoops are way out there. He also went the whole 10 minutes. My hands are starting to swell up just from watching.
Casey's mills: Another in the Junior division and yet another form and style. Very distinctive and smooth on armpit cast, pendulums, and arm switches. I got distracted and forgot to count how many reps per side he did before switching - but most of the guys seemed to go 10-14.
One point: athletes put their CBs down after competing, and someone else retrieved them! Roadies are needed! They are even heavier afterward!
We are halfway through the competition and I am wondering - these guys are showing NO nerves. Are they good at hiding it, or has the TLC for athletes here, minimized it?
The two-minutes-left warning has emerged as a time for the audience to cheer the athlete on. Much encouragement from all sides. The counting official has also taken to announcing the numbers after each event.
Scott's swipes: I heard him tell another competitor that he was worried about these, but no worries. He got through the entire 10 minutes. Some all-out effort - oof, groan, pull - during the last two minutes which had me on the edge of the chair if I would see an actual rep failure or dropped CB - but no, they all got done. BIG applause at the final bell. Did NOT pick up the CBs when walking off and made jokes about having to have the wife manage the spoon that evening.
Doug's mills: Again, a very tight close-to-the-chest style and transition between shield cast and inward pendulum. Can't remember if he took rests - not like the swipes anyway. The last couple minutes again were grimace and groaners. WOW. My hands are definitely sympathetically throbbing by now.
Brandon's swipes: Started out fine. I couldn't see a problem but Scott S. asked him what's up bro, and Brandon says his left grip is fried. A few more reps and he was done early for that event - put the left side CB down. I did not go to the huddle and listen in on the why, but much sympathy and rueful smiles coming from the athletes.
Scott's mills: again with a soaring, expansive style that had the coaches mesmerized. Steady as a pump bolt as they say, and able to go the full 10 minutes. Form changed during the final two minutes, I could see, but just different, not obviously weakening. A very exciting set here. How far can this guy go next time I wonder?
Casey's swipes: someone called him the King of the Backswing. A truly graceful, deep dip on the swipe where the CB was almost horizontal on the backswing and a powerful hip snap. I also thought I saw a hint of more wrist snap on the transition between pendulum and armpit cast for this athlete but what do I know. It was fascinating to watch these events played out by the different athletes. Again a full 10 minutes and a quite graceful lay-down at the final buzzer.
It's done, right about on time, with 10-minute sessions and 5 minutes between. I think. Athletes are fried and audience has that kind of awed silence you see after a breathtaking performance. CBs are sitting around all by themselves - no one wants to pick them up, awww. In future it would be nice to have roadies and a cart for afterwards.
So announcements of final numbers and placements, applause, and discussioin about next time. All the OCS category numbers seem low based on what was done today. I'm like, hey! by the time I am ready to dominate the women's division where will the numbers be!
This was the time for me to leave so I said my goodbyes where I could.
It was a wonderful opportunity and everyone was SOOOO nice.
I will be posting other suggestions but here is one I hope Coach Sonnon will not dismiss out of hand - we need 3-minute events for watchability by the uninformed. Now before you say this is not just a show - I think there is something magic about 3 minutes and humans - something psychosocial. 3 minute songs, boxing rounds, music videos, old-time radio comedy.
Why not take advantage of 3-minute magic for these fab toys?
You gotta see this. If you like your CBs, go watch a bunch of other people doing this elite performance. There is Vegas coming up. I guarantee your own program will get a jump-start even if you are a rec player or whatever.
Respectfully submitted,
Especially if you know personally the "feel" of swipes and mills you can only begin to understand what these guys pulled off.
The event started around 2 at the venue. We met in the lobby and introduced ourselves. Very nice to match faces to names! I hear that from all you who travel around and it's true.
First off was scoping out the room where the competition was to be held. Some time was spent on facility stuff, placing cameras, mats, officials' table, chairs, window shades to eliminate glare. Athletes parked their CBs and gear around the walls. We spectators chatted each other up and compared "cb at home" stories.
I was amused to see only 25s and 15s there - I have 10s and 5s at home and they would have been lonely. Coach Szolek let me lift one of his 25s and I did, just enough to put it down again. Whoa.
We spectators, and athletes too, got instruction on what to do during an athlete's competition. No going in and out of the room; no jeering; no sudden anything that could break the athlete's concentration. It was clear to me, seeing how big these guys are, and how big the CBs are, and how serious the athletes were about going all-out, that this is about both respect AND safety. Big weights, high speed, near fatigue, and sudden distraction would NOT be a good mix.
Then came the "rules clinic." This I had to hear. Coach Sonnon explained to the two officials the rules of OCS Sport. Including the movements that MUST happen to count as a rep-point, and the movements that MUST NOT happen or else the rep doesn't count or is a "fault" (something wrong). Also the things that stop a competitor's session.
Simple version: for a mill, a rep counts if the CB passes the centerline in the front and then passes the back of the head. For a swipe, a rep starts when it passes the calves on the way up to the armpit cast, and after it passes the calves again on the way down, it counts. (errors are mine if I have it wrong)
Coach Sonnon spent some time explaining what were merely form and style differences, such as how and when to rest, and what would be out-of-line for a rest. In a teaching moment he went into the tradeoffs of resting and how different body types might respond to different styles - but it went by too fast for me to quite take in. I made a note to ask on the forum (later).
The timer was to call out each minute ("one minute" "two minutes,") as they happened. This was surprisingly a tension-builder during the competition. You'd think a minute apart would be too long to start getting anxious. But in reality, we might as well have had the Jaws music for the way those minutes piled up.
The rules are in the OCS book, I gather, but there is nothing like seeing it taught to the judges (smile).
I did wonder about Coach Sonnon using up some of his potential reps demonstrating the movements with a 15, showing both right and wrong. Very clear.
Okay so now the athletes went to the facility's locker room to get weighed and we spectators got ourselves comfortable because no way were we going to miss any of these.
Somewhere in there, the counting official (Michael Gannon), drew names for the order of competition. Laughs all around when Scott S. was first, and more when Doug was second. Then came Brandon, Scott, and Casey.
Showtime is coming and I watched the athlete's focusing strategies. Recognized vibration drills and WW by Sonnon and Szolek. Pacing and WW from some of the others.
Scott's wife Jodie comes to cheer him on, of course right when he has drawn first place and is getting ready. Quick kiss and on he goes.
Scott's mills: he does mills first for strategy reasons (another question for later). We have all seen this style on the videos in the OCS page. It is another thing to see 10 minutes of it with a 25. Talk about steady, control, and breathing - reminded me of the power of a steam engine in their heyday (sorry for the old-fashioned simile Scott!). I mean BIG, powerful, and tireless. I started to feel sympathetic tiredness at minute 5 and wondered how this could continue - but it did.
Doug's swipes: Again with the strong, smooth, and steady. He has a very tight circle on the armpit cast and a very distinct transition between armpit cast and forward pendulum. Very pretty to watch. I think he rested after every set of 12-14, seemed to work for him.
Brandon's mills: I didn't realize there were 3 people in the senior division (25s), what a thrill. Brandon's footwork and style were new to me - reminded me of throwing sports, like a pitcher, from the shield cast into the inward pendulum. Again, he went the whole way with that steady, pretty form and good breathing. A smile kept appearing - a crowd-pleaser. At one point he arm-parked and tightened up the knob on his CB - it was working loose.
Steve's swipes: Our first competitor in the Junior division and a big, expansive form and style. I wondered if it has to do with his height - but his swoops are way out there. He also went the whole 10 minutes. My hands are starting to swell up just from watching.
Casey's mills: Another in the Junior division and yet another form and style. Very distinctive and smooth on armpit cast, pendulums, and arm switches. I got distracted and forgot to count how many reps per side he did before switching - but most of the guys seemed to go 10-14.
One point: athletes put their CBs down after competing, and someone else retrieved them! Roadies are needed! They are even heavier afterward!
We are halfway through the competition and I am wondering - these guys are showing NO nerves. Are they good at hiding it, or has the TLC for athletes here, minimized it?
The two-minutes-left warning has emerged as a time for the audience to cheer the athlete on. Much encouragement from all sides. The counting official has also taken to announcing the numbers after each event.
Scott's swipes: I heard him tell another competitor that he was worried about these, but no worries. He got through the entire 10 minutes. Some all-out effort - oof, groan, pull - during the last two minutes which had me on the edge of the chair if I would see an actual rep failure or dropped CB - but no, they all got done. BIG applause at the final bell. Did NOT pick up the CBs when walking off and made jokes about having to have the wife manage the spoon that evening.
Doug's mills: Again, a very tight close-to-the-chest style and transition between shield cast and inward pendulum. Can't remember if he took rests - not like the swipes anyway. The last couple minutes again were grimace and groaners. WOW. My hands are definitely sympathetically throbbing by now.
Brandon's swipes: Started out fine. I couldn't see a problem but Scott S. asked him what's up bro, and Brandon says his left grip is fried. A few more reps and he was done early for that event - put the left side CB down. I did not go to the huddle and listen in on the why, but much sympathy and rueful smiles coming from the athletes.
Scott's mills: again with a soaring, expansive style that had the coaches mesmerized. Steady as a pump bolt as they say, and able to go the full 10 minutes. Form changed during the final two minutes, I could see, but just different, not obviously weakening. A very exciting set here. How far can this guy go next time I wonder?
Casey's swipes: someone called him the King of the Backswing. A truly graceful, deep dip on the swipe where the CB was almost horizontal on the backswing and a powerful hip snap. I also thought I saw a hint of more wrist snap on the transition between pendulum and armpit cast for this athlete but what do I know. It was fascinating to watch these events played out by the different athletes. Again a full 10 minutes and a quite graceful lay-down at the final buzzer.
It's done, right about on time, with 10-minute sessions and 5 minutes between. I think. Athletes are fried and audience has that kind of awed silence you see after a breathtaking performance. CBs are sitting around all by themselves - no one wants to pick them up, awww. In future it would be nice to have roadies and a cart for afterwards.
So announcements of final numbers and placements, applause, and discussioin about next time. All the OCS category numbers seem low based on what was done today. I'm like, hey! by the time I am ready to dominate the women's division where will the numbers be!
This was the time for me to leave so I said my goodbyes where I could.
It was a wonderful opportunity and everyone was SOOOO nice.
I will be posting other suggestions but here is one I hope Coach Sonnon will not dismiss out of hand - we need 3-minute events for watchability by the uninformed. Now before you say this is not just a show - I think there is something magic about 3 minutes and humans - something psychosocial. 3 minute songs, boxing rounds, music videos, old-time radio comedy.
Why not take advantage of 3-minute magic for these fab toys?
You gotta see this. If you like your CBs, go watch a bunch of other people doing this elite performance. There is Vegas coming up. I guarantee your own program will get a jump-start even if you are a rec player or whatever.
Respectfully submitted,