Ventpils Atlants 2009

Dedicated to all good people
I've got to know and old friends
I've met during the "Ventspils Atlants 2009"

***

... It was a warm sunny day, Wednesday, July 29 ... Just three days before the international competition "Ventspils Atlants 2009" which was held in Ventspils (Latvia). I've met a kettlebell lifting team from America and two kettlebell lifters from Denmark. We had a nice walk and a lunch in Riga.

We've met in the hotel where guys were staying at 11:45 on Friday.. There also were three more Americans, two lifters from Slovenia and 5 guys from Finland. We were 14 to take a bus from Riga to Ventspils. The trip was very nice. We were talking, making pictures and having fun all the way.

The weather in Ventspils was worse than it was in Riga. It was very windy and a little cold. But it didn't stop me and Andrew from swimming in the Baltic Sea. It was warmer in the water than it was outside. That's why we spent about 20 minutes in the water. But it was time to go to weighting and we headed back to the sport hall.

Weighting didn't take a long time. We spent more time talking to people. People from 14 countries were helping each other giving advices and discussing techniques. Sometimes people encountered difficulties with translation, but then the language of signs helped. Most of us went to a restaurant to have a dinner after the training.

The place where we met for dinner is usually empty and quiet. But this time it was different. People from all over the world sat around a big table as one big family. There were a lot of jokes in the air this night. The first day of the competition started with the Opening Ceremony at 12:00. At about 12:30 the first 6 sportsmen took their places on the platforms. All sportsmen were divided into 5 classes (Young women, Women, Young men, Adult amateurs and Masters).

In the first day, men performed jerk. Young men worked with 16kg KBs, Amateurs used 24kg, but masters held 32kg in each hand. It was an interesting fight between the participants. Some of them beat their personal records. There also were power juggling performances between the flights. The first part of the competition was over at about 4p.m. Teams representatives were invited to the conference to talk about serious things in GS. All others had some time to relax and prepare for the wild night of dancing. We gathered together at the same restaurant. And again it was a night full of jokes, funny stories and Gregor's magic tricks. When the food was over and the clock showed that it is quite late we moved to the dance floor. Some time passed and we decided to change the location and went to a disco club. Some guys were going back to the hotel, because there was another day of lifting ahead. The "strongest" ones were Andrew, Gregor and me. I left guys at the hotel at about 4a.m.

After a short sleep we all met again at the sport hall. The first to compete were young girls followed by women, young men, amateurs and masters. The power juggling was there as well. Guys were showing good results even if some of them were very nervous and didn't want to go to the platform. When all the lifting was done and the stress was gone guys got their diplomas and medals at the awarding ceremony. The room filled with smiles and good words. People were shaking hands, congratulating each other, making pictures and exchanging T-shirts. The competition was over. The weekend suddenly seemed very short. It was a very happy, but still very sad moment. The place was overflowed with the mix of different emotions.

And then there was Monday - the day when the last participants took the suitcases and started their way back home. We promised to stay in touch and meet again one day. The hearts were opened, eyes full of tears... sad smiles and the last good byes...

It was a great weekend, an amazing event that brought us all together. I really hope that "Ventspils Atlants" will survive through any hard time and will bring old friends and new people together, to have this amazing experience again and again... and again...