Great wrap-up to 2013 season

I finished the season in Northern California with two significant meets on consecutive weekends. I opened with my two highest lifts from one year ago and added five kilos to my total for 110KG, with a milestone 50KG snatch PR, and highest-ever C&J opener at my PR of 60KG. Technique inching ever upwards, being healthy and strong. Progress is always the goal, monitor and reward. 

50KG Snatch at the Tommy Kono Open 8

Sacramento High School

Aug. 18, 2013

80 lifters total, 30 in flight

Tommy Kono in attendance

Photo by Chip Conrad, Bodytribe Fitness

60KG Clean and Jerk at Redwood Empire Open Championships

Rohnert Park in Cotati, California

Aug. 10, 2013

Photo by Jim Schmitz, Sports Palace in SF

2012 Freak Show

Great experience at the Freak Show held April 28 at Aberdeen High School in Washington. Thanks to Mike Cook for guest coaching me the day of. I may have broken ground in Washington - John Thrush himself allowed me to use the 20KG "men's" bar! Ear to ear, baby! I overnighted and found a great little seafood place on the bay - ate two Halibut dinners the night before. The meet was combination weightlifting and powerlifting - organized, well run and lots of competitors. A prime rib dinner followed for all competitors! Mike and I both took away Samurai swords!

PR'ed at Elite Performance Center meet

Competed in the first-ever Olympic-style weightlifting meet held in tandem with an APA powerlifting meet at Elite Performance Center in Portland. The great news is, I hit a longtime goal of a competition snatch of 45KG. I've hit it in training from time to time, and not anytime recently, so to get it at the meet was great. Our meet was unsanctioned, but there were witnesses! :-)

The meet was crazy, and just because of that, it's one of my favorite meets I'd done. We were the cool sideshow to the largest powerlifting meet in the NW. It was fantastic exposure for WL. Most people there had never seen Oly WL before, and they found it fascinating. We had people asking us questions. By the end, we had more people watching our little hemmed-in platform – with no sound, no warm-up space, no timer or timekeeping – than the bench up on the main stage. It was a great experience for all of us. We had a great supportive and cooperative vibe going on - We had to. We did warm-up lifts in between attempts, on the single 6 x 6' platform. We had just one Oly bar, and one powerlifting squat bar, which is what I got stuck on. The small bag of chalk ran out with my clean and jerks. Also keep in mind how different the environment is between powerlifting and Oly WL - powerlifting likes the audio stimulation at high volume; generally you can hear a pin drop in WL meets. So to thrive under those conditions, we all did very well indeed.

It was judged on Sinclair with an age coefficient; I took second for women, but there were only three of us :-) Got a Starbucks card.

Thanks, Nick Horton of PDX Weightlifting and EPC for making this meet a reality. ... And I got to see the legendary Chris Duffin squat!

Dariotis Memorial 2012

Took 2nd Place in 63 KG with a 95 KG total today at this very large meet at Thrush Sports Performance Center in Sumner, WA. That's John Thrush mugging in the background in my blurry phone pic! Wish it was clearer! Impressive facility, friendly meets, lots of amazing lifters.

Not my best performance, but after a number of significant physical setbacks the past few months, I'm plenty happy.

competing at Sept 2011 meet

Totaled 100 KG at the Sept. 17th Heavy Weight Athletics Championships at Ironworks Gym in Creswell, Oregon

Tommy Kono IV

Had an absolutely magical weekend at the Tommy Kono and hanging with Bodytribe for the second year in a row. Details to follow. Meanwhile, check out my PRs!

at Ironworks Championship

Thanksgiving Virtual Meet

Make Thanksgiving weekend extra special - do a virtual weightlifting meet! Registration is open

Tommy Kono Open V

Magical weekend at the Tommy Kono Open V. Took second in women's 63 KG division. Snatch 37, C&J 48. More importantly, my form has improved since previous competitions.



Stayed with the great Chip Conrad and loved visiting his gym Bodytribe, where Tommy Kono spoke the morning after the meet - an intimate group, an unforgettable hour. A lengthier post is sure to come. Meanwhile, here are some photos from the meet, taken by the highly talented Allyson Goble.



10 Things I Learned at the Tommy Kono Open

1. Having tape at a meet is like having cigarettes around smokers. People will come out of the woodwork to bum some.

2. The pull from the floor should be perfectly smooth, like diving into a pool and making no ripple. (Tommy Kono)

3. If the first pull is aligned correctly, the bar will accelerate naturally. (Tommy Kono)

4. Very few people lift perfectly (Tommy Kono). That's in the world. Period. So maybe I can lighten up on myself a little as I work on my flaws.

5. The shrug is not to bring the bar higher, but to bring the body lower. (Tommy Kono) And almost no one shrugs, sayeth Tommy.

6. In going from a 20KG bar in training to a 15 KG bar in a meet, there's really no difference (to me). If anything, some folks swear the lighter bar goes up more easily. I was anxious about using a 15KG for a C&J for the first time, but I forgot all about it on the platform and didn't even notice. Meanwhile, I appreciated the 15KG in snatch warm-ups.

7. I don't need to see the flag, the judges or the lights. I was oblivious to all three and yet was in synch with the commands due to practice, familiarity and the energy of the room.

8. My nerves are monumentally difficult to quell in a meet.

9. Various states of mind do not affect my lifting much. I have hit the same numbers totally relaxed out of a nap, joyfully kicking ass on a macho high, and fretting myself silly in supreme seriousness. So let's just lift.

10. Tommy Kono and Chip Conrad are both unique and magnificent beasts who contribute to the betterment and beauty of the world and communities around them. I did already know that, but now I realize it on much deeper levels. And I'm honored to be associated with both.

Tommy Kono on perfect practice

"People say practice makes perfect, but I say practice makes permanent. ... When someone says to me, "I haven't worked out in two weeks," I say, "Good, that's two weeks you didn't make a mistake."

Chip coaches me between lifts. Photo by Allyson Goble

Ironworks Weightlifting Championship

Meet had some rough spots, but not too shabby. I was lucky to be there, considering. So trying to keep my perspective.

50 KG clean & jerk

I got what I went for with my C&J Saturday. Only posting this clip, since my videographer eclipsed me with the back of a woman's head. At least she was clapping.

Virtual weightlifting meet released

The June meet has been released. It was small but had lots of heart. U.K., Canada, U.S. represented. No one bombed out. I made PRs in both lifts. Watch the meet, read the stats here.

Deadlift Virtual Meet 213#

Just getting around to posting this. From the May 2009 deadlift-only virtual meet.

um... I'm a state champ

Mighty Kat State Championships from The Mighty Kat on Vimeo.

Russ Knipp Championships

My first sanctioned meet. C&J a PR!

- Kat Ricker set new LWC Records in the 35-39 age 63 kg cat. Kat snatched 35, c&j 47.5 total 82.5

my first live meet

Whoo-hooo!!! What a rush. Made all my attempts and finished first in my division (out of two :0) )


Spring Classic 2009 from The Mighty Kat on Vimeo.

Feb. virtual weightlifting meet complete

The February 2009 weightlifting meet is online. View individual lifts or the entire meet.

It was a good meet - 8 women, 7 men. Canada, U.S., UK, and Bulgaria represented. A rowing team in Canada contributed the bulk of participants. I was the only U.S. lifter. I lifted for Portland Oregon Weightlifting (POW) and came in second among women. I hit new PR's in both lifts.

Next weightlifting meet is the weekend of April 10th - 12th. Join us!

Virtual weightlifting meet

ETA: Meet is complete. Judging may take until Oct. 15.

Virtual Meet is holding its first Olympic-style weightlifting meet the weekend of October 4th. Get in on the ground floor by signing up to lift or, if you're qualified, judge. The deadline to sign up is this week's Thursday at 11pm GMT (6pm CST).

It's already shaping up to be something special. So far, some Bulgarians, a Canadian and a couple of us Americans are signing on.

Read more here.

virtual deadlift meet triumph!

201 deadlift from The Mighty Kat on Vimeo.
Virtual powerlifting deadlift meet was a success! I hit my goal and a PR - 201# deadlift at 129#. Whoo-hoo! I scored 176.6911 - Malone relative strength scoring system.

Read my full article on VM and my experience with it at Straight to the Bar.

Especially pleased since my August training schedule suffered considerably between injury and vacation.

Also, the results are in from the July powerlifting meet. Proud to say I am the first female to complete a virtual powerlifting meet. I'm also the first one to come back for more.

Related links
Ready for a virtual meet?
Mighty Kat does virtual powerlifting meet