BANG POWERLIFTING
This was my first ever power lifting meet. It wasn't really on my radar to attend but I bumped into Meg at Hooked yesterday in Kensington Market and her and Barbara my sister-in-law were chatting about it. Meg was in the meet and what the heck, it seemed like a good way to spend a couple of hours on a Sunday morning.
I arrived around 10:30 and the event was well under way. An energetic crowd was gathered around one of the big contraptions used for dead lifting. Early morning power squats were on the menu. Not for the first time was I grateful that I was a spectator on this day and not competing. Those were some crazy heavy weights
The meet included folks from Bang Fitness's power lifting team - a group I know little about other then their names are written on the blackboard with their weekly best lifts and a I believe at least one and maybe more gyms from the Toronto area. I noticed some of the participants had the same t. shirt "uniform". They get extra point for that.
As usual I felt a little self conscious walking around with a camera, but after a while I realized the focus is on the participants and I felt comfortable going where I wanted and taking whatever pictures I wanted. This was really a fantastic opportunity and I wanted to make the best of it. I did want to take some pictures with a telephoto angle but I realized as soon as I left the house this morning that the zoom lens in my bag was actually my 14mm wide angle lens. Oops. Lesson learned. I did take a bunch of images the last 1/2 hour with it and I actually really like the perspective the wide angle gave.
All in all it was a terrific couple of hours. I hadn't really thought anything about the power lifting club at Bang before but I can see it can be an addictive sport. It's like a whole sub culture behind the scenes. The nice thing is everyone is rooting for each other, there's a great amount of camaraderie and I think it must be a great way to measure your progress. And no one was happier after a good lift, or consoling or offering a bit of advise after a failed lift then Paul Hynes the power lifting coach. Good one Paul.
SHOT WITH FUJI X-E2, XF14MM F2.8, XF35MM F1.4
