“We don’t have to change the sport to make it interesting enough for spectators or for TV. You have people watching golf and fishing and poker on TV in this country. And you can’t tell me that those things are more exciting or interesting than weightlifting.”
—Greg Everett
I am really excited about the new movie, “American Weightlifting” coming out on Saturday, Nov. 16 (tickets here). Partially because I’ve known Greg Everett (the producer, director, editor, etc.) and many of the people in the movie for years. Also because I consider weightlifting my sport (even though I haven’t competed for a couple of years). Yes, I run in races and do endurance events occasionally, but I don’t consider myself a runner, it’s just something I do, weightlifting is something I actually train for. Why I align myself with the sport of weightlifting when I spend more time participating in endurance sports is complicated and probably has more to do with performing the lifts and the people in the sport and rather than sport as a whole.
There is a great interview with Danny Camargo from the movie that really captures the feeling of the lifts. When done correctly, the lifts are a beauty to watch and perform with light or heavy weights. Like Danny says, “They just make sense.”
While I really like performing the lifts themselves, the weightlifting community is probably the reason I like the sport of weightlifting. Every contest I’ve ever gone to, whether to volunteer or compete, you tend to see the same people and they are always welcoming and friendly. I hope people see this movie and, like me, are captivated by both the beauty of the movements and the passion and dedication of the coaches and athletes and want to try weightlifting and, maybe, even participate in a meet.
I’ll be reviewing the movie so look for a review next week. Remember there are only a few tickets to the premiere left, so get yours now!