To celebrate my 51st birthday, I signed up for Rockwell Barbell’s annual Midwest Challenge powerlifting meet. TLDR: I had an absolute blast and rediscovered my love of powerlifting as a sport. I was very happy with my meet results as well; I went 9/9 on lifts (the first time I’ve done that in a meet) and my lifts haven’t diminished with age as much as I thought they had–and in fact I set a competition personal record (or PR) at bench press.
Look at this beast. It’s called a safety squat bar, and it’s so goddamned big and heavy it won’t fit into a photograph straight on. So here’s another angle.
I am a Gen X lawyer, powerlifter, music afficionado, veteran record collector, beginner guitar player, husband, and father (not in that order). I started writing short fiction in 1999, then took an extended break from 2002 until 2021, in which time I wasted my twenties partying in Chicago; got my JD from a Big Ten law school (summa cum laud for anyone keeping score); began my career with the prestigious, workaholic, and very evil law firm Wolfram & Hart*; got married and had two children; and nursed an ever increasing alcohol habit.
RayDorl.com 