IzzyLifting

New Website

2011-04-10T19:24:00.001-04:00

I have a new website!

You can follow my progress, blog articles and news at:

http://izzylifting.ca

See you there!

February 5th, 2011 Winterlift Competition

2011-02-01T22:34:00.002-05:00

Hi All,

The Winterlift competition this weekend will be held at: St. Patrick Catholic Secondary School, 49 Felstead Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4J 1G3

My session is at 11:30am. The competition starts at 9:30am.

Hope to see some fans!!!

Isabelle

2010-12-28T19:46:00.001-05:00

December 18th, 2010 Results

2010-12-18T21:02:00.004-05:00

Just got back from Montreal where I participated at the Qualification Québécoise.

Opened at 77kg in the Snatch: easy'ish then missed 80kg (hesitated) then on my third attempt got 80kg no problem, lots of room. Anni Moniqui got 81kg in the snatch...close competition ;)

In the clean and jerk I opened with 97kg, no problem. Then 101kg on my second attempt ...same as Anni. We both miss...I missed my clean (hesitated). Third attempt I clean 101 with tons of room. Then got super excited that I got up with it and forgot how to jerk up and not forward. And Anni got hers...so close.

In conclusion, happy with 80kg personal best at the snatch. Not happy because I wanted more! Gotta work on my confidence in the snatch... Super happy about my 101 clean but even more disappointed in me missing the jerk which I thought at this point was my strength :P Oh well next time, but at least I was in the game. It was fun being neck and neck with Anni. Oh and personal best total of 177kg. Grrrrr so made that I haven't gotten above 180kg yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next competition in Toronto, February 5th.

Schedule change

2010-12-13T17:40:00.001-05:00

The competition this Saturday will be at 12:30 for the girls in the 48-53-58-63kg categories. That would include me! The address is the same.

Izzy

Horaire de compétition

2010-12-09T08:42:00.002-05:00

L'horaire de la compétition est sur le site web de la fédération d'haltérophilie du Québéc:

www.fedhaltero.qc.ca

P.S. Je compétitionne à 13h le 18 décembre.

Montreal in two weeks!

2010-12-05T09:05:00.002-05:00

I'm getting excited. Training is hard but good. We are preparing for the competition in Montreal (Pointe-aux-Trembles) December 18th.

Friends and family are welcome to come encourage ;) Here is the address:

1200, Tricentenaire
Montreal, Québèc H1B 3A8

It's in the gym of a High School.

Hope to see some of you there!

Izzy

Upcoming schedule

2010-11-09T09:31:00.002-05:00

Here is my planned upcoming competitions:

December 18th, 2010 Qualification Québécoise in Montreal

February 5th, 2011 Winterlift in Toronto, ON

March 26th, 2011 Ontario Senior Championships in Mississauga, ON

May 20th-21st, 2011 Canadian Senior Championships in Scarborough, ON

Results from March to October 2010

2010-10-16T12:17:00.011-04:00

Photo courtesy of Ian Douglas
Photo courtesy of Ian Douglas
Photo courtesy of Ian Douglas
Photo courtesy of Ian Douglas

Here are some results from the past few months:

March 27, 2010, Ontario Senior Championships in Toronto

Snatch: 70kg, 75kg x, 75kg x

Clean and Jerk: 87kg, 92kg x, 92kg (Personal best)

Total : 162kg, 1st in 58kg and best lifter.

Full results can be found at http://www.ontarioweightlifting.ca/

May 22-23, 2010, National Senior Championships, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec

Snatch: 70kg, 75kg, 80kg x

Clean and Jerk: 87kg, 93kg, 95kg x (Personal best)

Total: 168kg (Personal best total) 3rd in the 58kg and 7th overall

Full results can be found at http://www.halterophilecanada.ca/

August 21, 2010, Blue Mountain Open, Collingwood, Ontario

Snatch: 72kg, 77kg, 80kg x

Clean and Jerk: 92kg, 97kg, 99kg x (Personal best)

Total: 174kg (Personal best) 1st in the 58kg, 1st overall

Results at http://www.ontarioweightlifting.ca/

October 9, 2010, Ray Hamilton Classic, North Bay, Ontario

Snatch: 74kg, 79kg x, 79kg x

Clean and Jerk: 94kg, 99kg x, 99kg x

Total: 168kg 1st in the 58kg, 1st overall (Not happy)

Results at http://www.ontarioweightlifting.ca/

Update from March to October 2010

2010-10-16T11:31:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone,

It's been a long time since I've updated my blog. Probably for a few reasons: the Winter Olympics were a big downer for me. I was really hoping to see my brother compete and as most of you know, it was not to be for, I say, political reasons. I've been busy with work, which is a good thing. And busy going away to destination weddings, everyone decided to get married this year it seems.

There has been a lot of thinking done in the past year and a lot of stress. Some of the thinking and discusssing with François has been on the meaning of sport. As in: why am I doing this? Do I like doing this to the point at which my time and energy is best spent? Is it realistic to still be dreaming of the Olympics? And after what happened to my brother, do I even want to try? I've also changed jobs which for me has reduced my stress greatly. Therefore I can know put more energy into my training.

There has also been some financial stress. Travelling to all those competitions and getting hotels, gym memberships... And this year, weddings! Reducing my hours at work this past year on top of it all. Plus for a while living and paying rent on my own. Well things are looking up, the weddings are mostly over ;) I've found a roomate. And best of all I just found out that I've been chosen for Quest for Gold. So now I am a fully carded Ontario athlete. Awesome!

Other news, in April 2010 I had the chance to meet Pierre Saint-Jean. I heard he went to the Olympics or something...three times! Aldo tells me he was an amazing lifter. Really good in the snatch. So in April I was a guinea pig at the coaching seminar and Pierre was invited to help out with some of his knowledge. He coached me during the seminar and we hit it off.

So now I have a team of coaches helping me. How lucky am I? All coaches have different roles now, depending on their strengthes, availability and my weaknesses. I can't believe I almost moved away from Ottawa at one point. Pierre has been a great addition, he has spotted some key weaknesses. We've been working on those and results have been improving since.

I guess this summarizes the past year. It's been a big one for me. Big life changing moments. They might not have seemed big to others but for me it has set me on track. I know what I want for myself now. It has a lot to do with surrounding myself with happy, positive, ambitious hardworking people.

Stay tuned for more frequent updates!

Isabelle Després

Weightlifting competition in OTTAWA!!!!

2010-02-08T20:56:00.002-05:00

Hey People,

Finally! A competition in Ottawa! Please come and support the sport by watching! It's going to be February the 20th, 2010 at Capital Strength and Conditionning, 858 Campbell Avenue, Ottawa, ON K2A 2C5. I'll post the times when I find out.

Also I'm going to Sarnia February the 13th for Winterlift.

Hope to see some fans at the Ottawa competition!

University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario Open

2009-11-18T21:55:00.003-05:00

Photo courtesy of Ian Douglas

Photo courtesy of Ian Douglas
Photo Courtesy of Ian Douglas

Snatch attempts: 70, 74, and 76x. Clean and jerk: 90, 93x and 94x. Total 164kg, 2nd place.

As usual, not happy with my result but some positive out of the competition. Felt strong in the snatch but missed that last attempt. Strong start at 90kg in the clean and jerk. Could not get out of the squat at my 2nd and 3rd attempts. Next try at the December 19th competition in Saint-Hyacinthe.

Kelowna, British Columbia Senior Nationals, Clean and Jerk 89kg

2009-11-17T16:29:00.003-05:00

Kelowna, British Columbia Senior Nationals, Clean and Jerk 85kg

2009-11-17T07:12:00.003-05:00

Kelowna, British Columbia Senior Nationals, Snatch 72kg

2009-11-17T06:42:00.004-05:00

Kelowna, British Columbia Senior Nationals, medal presentation

2009-11-07T22:39:00.007-05:00

Kelowna, British Columbia Senior Nationals

2009-11-07T22:17:00.004-05:00

What a beautiful place! We took advantage of the trip and visited the area. Okanagan valley is a place I might want to move to some day. It is amazing! My mom and I rented a bug and drove around Friday before competing on the weekend. Here are some pictures of the trip and my comfort place : Starbucks. My brother and his girlfriend came to watch the competition. I think I might have had too much fun before the competition going to the wineries and having nice food. Funny I had no trouble making weight!

I'm back on track

2009-11-07T21:48:00.002-05:00

I've had some lows and really didn't feel like posting anything these last few months. But I'm back now. The season started slow but positive notes. Competed in Montreal August 22nd, 09, Northe Bay October 17th, 09 and next one is November 14th, 09 in Mississauga.

I have no pictures for the first competitions since I went to the August one by myself and the North Bay one with François. he was coaching not taking pictures :)

Here are some of those results:

August 22nd in Montreal I didn't write all my results down and so I think I did something like 71 snatch, 84, 88, 90 clean and jerk with a total of 161kg. That was a good start to the season considering I cut a lot of weight for that meet. I let myself go a little over the summer.

Ray Hamilton Classic in North Bay: Snatch attempts 68, 72x, 73, clean and jerk attempts 85,89x,91x. Total 158kg in the 63kg category, this was positive in a way as training had not gone well lately. Negative because that was not attaining the goals I had set out for that competition and not the weight category I was planning for. Gotta work harder and get my life in order.

Now I'm getting myself ready for Ontario Open and the rest of the season. I will try to keep you all informed in a timely manner. My focus is starting to stabilize and my life is more stable now.

Thanks for the support so far! Please keep visiting my blog. And I really love having comments. It shows me that some people care. It's a lonely sport and it helps to see that I have support even if it's only a few words.

Izzy

Winterlift, Toronto, February 14th, 2009

2009-02-16T21:09:00.004-05:00

Photo taken by Ian Douglas

That's right I had a date this year: with the platform ;)

So this meet went a little better. At least it was warmer than the last meet. My toes were nice and toasty. Totalled 164kg which ties my best total, if I remember correctly. I snatched 72kg, 77kg and then missed 80kg. That was my first time ever attempting 80kg and it was pretty close. I was satisfied with that.

Then on to my clean and jerk. The warm up went very well, my jerk is finally shaping up. Opened with 87kg, then missed cleaning 92kg twice. I will be modifying my clean technic after discussing with coaches and friends. I think if I could have cleaned that weight I could have jerked it that day. I felt strong!

Oh well next time. These results qualified me for Provincials March 28th in Toronto, Variety Village and for Nationals in Kelowna, B.C., May 16-17th. So we'll see then what may come of this mental game that I 've been working on :)

87kg Clean and Jerk December 20th, 2008

2009-02-16T20:25:00.005-05:00

Ray Hamilton Classic in North Bay, ON

2008-10-26T22:42:00.010-04:00

Ray Hamilton Classic North Bay, October 18th, 2008

The meet in North Bay was the start of the season for me and a warm up for the rest of the season. My goal was to get the jitters out and try out the split jerk again. The snatch attempts were 60, 64 and 68kg and the clean & jerk attempts 70, 75 and 81kg.

Good start to the season, the next meet will probably be in Montreal in December.

Nationals still

2008-05-31T19:39:00.002-04:00

I guess my right elbow was not straight enough. Really need to work on the Jerk.

Nationals continued, more videos

2008-05-25T15:47:00.004-04:00

Nationals continued, May 17-18, 2008

2008-05-23T09:31:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures from my parents who came to support.

Nationals, La Prairie, Québec

2008-05-19T22:23:00.002-04:00

Forgot to say: Congrats to the selected athletes going to the Olympics! And Good Luck to them :Francis, Jasvir, Mari-Lou, Jean and Christine. Congrats to all the Ontario athletes, most did very well. Glenn and Bryan got 6 for 6 lifts! Maryse Turcotte retired with a humble speech. Francis threw a great party. Nobody got hurt during the arm wrestling.... ok Good night.

Nationals, La Prairie, Québec

2008-05-19T21:51:00.003-04:00

Lots of good things to say about this competition. Best finish for me yet: 4th in the 58kg. Best placement (I think) overall: 13th (my lucky number).

My snatch went very well. 3 for 3. I haven't done that in a long time. Snatch attemps: 72kg, 76kg and 78kg. 76kg was a personal record(PR) for me, that means 78kg was also a PR. I was in second place after the snatch. I've never been second at Nationals in the snatch.

The clean and jerk was ok. Got my first attempt at 86kg. Missed my jerk in my second attempt at 90kg. Cleaned and jerked 90kg in my third attempt but got red lights for some reason. I guess my elbows were not locked. I didn't ask. It doesn't matter to me because that was the first time I jerked 90kg. I finished 4th in the clean and jerk. Still my best I think at Nationals.

My total was 164kg, also a PR and placed me in 4th. So close to being on the podium.

Also a good thing, I was very positive the whole time. I felt strong. The weights went up easy (other than at the jerk). I had lots of fun. I'd like to thank François Gravelle for coaching me this season (and all the other seasons). And Aldo Roy for all his help at the competition and during the season. Thanks to everybody else that helped out during the season, the list goes on... Last though I'd like to thank my sponsor Professional Physiotherapy Centres.

Off season starts tomorrow. I know what I need to work on so next season should be another PR loaded season. I'll keep posting so keep tuning in. Pictures and maybe videos of Nationals to come (if they turned out ok). Ok I'll shut up now. Bye!

Ontario Seniors March 29th, 08

2008-04-05T09:29:00.010-04:00

Here I am at Ontario Seniors on March 29th, 08 in Scarborough. The competition was held at Variety Village. Well done, the competition seem to run smoothly. Unfortunatly it did not run smoothly for me.

I was the last female lifter in the session and either that pressure got to me or the laté got to me. I had the jitters so much that I had trouble controlling the weight. I missed my first two attempts at 70kg. Finally I got my third at 70kg but by then I was already very disappointed that I was not going to acheive my objectives. On a good note, the weight did not feel heavy. So I know I could do it. I just have to get it done!!!

On to the clean and jerk, I finally calmed down. No more jitters at this point. I get my first attempt at 80 kg: easy. Now I'm releived at least I can try some real weight. I try 86kg and I miss the jerk twice. My jitters were gone but my energy went with it. The weight actually felt heavy. Big disappointment. Not even close to my objectives.

We went down from opening weight objective so I would not get my jitters in the way. That meant I had a light first attempt and therefore a low total for the day. 150kg total. This year however 150kg meant a first place finish in my 58kg category and Best Female lifter award. I can't beleive I have a big trophy on my kitchen table right now.

On to Nationals in Montreal. I need to put it all together there. It's my last chance to prove to myself that I can acheive the objectives that we had laid out for the season.

Upcoming Competition: Provincials

2008-03-23T15:38:00.004-04:00

Next Competition will be in Toronto. This will be the provincials which will be on March the 29th (next Saturday). Please come and watch if you're in the neighborhood. It'll be held at the Variety Village, 3701 Danforth Ave, Scarborough, Ontario, M1N 2G2.

February 2008 Winterlift, Toronto

2008-03-23T15:08:00.007-04:00

Here I am preparing to go on the platform. My snatch attempts were 70, 75 and 78kg. The second photo is my pull in the snatch. The 3rd photo is me gettting my grip for the clean and jerk. My attempts at the C & J were 85, 90 and 91. My total was 160 with my 75kg and 85kg C & J. Mid season, I was happy with my result. Still hoping for better. Will work on it!!!

December 2007 Montreal continued

2008-03-21T12:55:00.006-04:00

So my attempts were 65, 70 and 70kg at the snatch and 78, 82 and 83kg at the clean & jerk. I missed both of my 2nd an 3rd attempts. That gave me a total of 143kg with my 65kg snatch and 78kg C&J. The videos are in order of attempts (I think).

December 2007 Montreal, Québec

2008-03-21T11:53:00.012-04:00

Coming back from a back injury this competition was my deciding factor. I can still lift. I took a month off of lifting in September/October. Absolutly no lifting for a whole month. Lost a few pounds, got a little depressed and dealt with a few issues but I came back. My performance was far from my best but it was a good start. It was encouraging. I came 2nd in the 58kg category.

August 2007

2008-03-21T09:28:00.010-04:00

A little history from 2007. Here I am in Colorado at the State Games trying to gain some international experience. The competition took place at the USA training center in Colorado Springs. Not like ours: like 25 platforms in the weightlifting room and 16 platforms with squat rack in the weight room. All bumper plates...

Not my best perfomance but a good early start to the season training.

Welcome to my blog!

2008-02-21T23:48:00.002-05:00

Hello all,

Welcome to my blog where I will try to keep you all posted on how things have been going with my lifting =) Feel free to share this blog`s address with your friends (www.izzylifting.ca) and I hope to see you here often.

Sincerely,

Isabelle