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Dash nine weeks today. I understand you're off to the world Champs, is it? Yeah. Can you tell us a bit about what that's going to be about? That that's the world powerlifting champ. So this will be my first world champ for power lifting? Yeah. Super excited about it. Currently currently ranked fifth. So I'm hoping to bring home some silverware. Fantastic. And you brought home silverware, I think before, um, from the Oceania champs end of last year, you brought home the gold and all three lifts and the [00:00:30] total. And what did the lifts involve? So power lifting is squat. Bench press and the lift. And what weights were you lifting? So for the squad did 100 and 70 kg. Bench press is 97.5 kg and dead. Lift 100 and 95 kg. Had you lifted those before? Uh, not the squad and bench. I have actually done a 200 kg dead lift and, um, in competition far out. It's like over a couple of people. Really, isn't it? It was, [00:01:00] uh yeah, 462.5 K total, but I'm gunning for the 500 kg total you know, like nice round numbers. So what? What What does your training involve? Currently? It's six days a week. Most sessions are about two hours. Those the odd session will go for 33, 3.5 hours and yeah, basically doing the three lift squat bench dead most days. So it's you work full time. Yeah, Yeah, full time work. Plus the girls, as in my, [00:01:30] um +24 legged the dogs And, um, yeah, that takes up all my time. There's not a lot of down time for me. So I've I'm in your lounge and I can see on your wall a, um, a poster from the the official Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. And it's the opening ceremony in 15th September 2000. It's got lots of signatures all over it. Are you somewhere in that picture? I sure am. I was part of the New Zealand athletics team, and yeah, [00:02:00] that's absolutely amazing experience. But back in the back, in my what I call my heyday, I was a hammer thrower, and yeah, I got to the Olympics and two Commonwealth games as well as the world champs. Oh, cool. Um, if you were you involved in sports at school? Like it seems a silly question. I imagine you were It Was it that kind of sports? Yeah. Oh, no. I was a sprinter at school, so Yeah, 100 metre sprinter. Plus, I played touch rugby, rugby at the, um, local club [00:02:30] was on the cycling team, played basketball, and you did athletics. And when did you move into? Not the hammer throw? Yeah, I was at varsity when I met my sprint coach, and he turned me into hammer thrower. He said, Oh, you're never going to be an international sprinter, which got to be a freak to be an international sprinter. But he said, you know, you'd make a good thrower. I picked technique up really quickly. And my, um, got strong really quick as well. So he bought a bought a hammer. We both basically learned it together and went from [00:03:00] there. Yeah, You end up in the Olympics? Yeah. Olympics. I held the New Zealand record for many years. It was only broken, I think just, um, about two years ago. It's awesome. And when did you start doing the lifting? I always did weightlifting as part of my training for hammer throw. And then when I retired from Hammer, I got back into rugby for three years and then through the rugby, I was playing for Canterbury. I, um we got back into the gym and the guy running the gym was a weightlifter I used to train with, [00:03:30] and I just got hooked into weightlifting and then did a few years weightlifting, got to a couple of Oceania and then moving to Wellington. The gym was more powerlifting. And, of course, you know, got into power lifting. And I found, um, power lifting is actually better on my body than weight lifting. Weight lifting is a lot harder on the joints. And now that I'm getting a bit older, I think power lifting is a lot easier. How old are you now? I'll be 42 this year. Ancient in sports team? Yeah. Still betting the young [00:04:00] girls, So Yeah, I bet. So you're from Christchurch? Is that right? Yeah. One. I can have room born born in Dunedin. Uh, most of my life in Christchurch studied in Palmerston North and yeah, now, four years in Wellington. What do you do for work? I work for the Ministry for Primary Industries. I am actually a qualified vet, but because I went from graduating to full time athletes when it was finally time to use my degree, the best job available was, um, with the government. [00:04:30] And actually, I really enjoy the work. A lot of variety. I started off in the freezing works as a vet at the freezing works. Now I'm in the head office and, yeah, just been introduced to the dairy industry and people like, Yeah, Fonterra and those big players. What do you do work in the food Assurance team? It's quite tricky explaining what I do but mainly sort of deal with nonconforming products and, um, exceptions. Uh, export. Non conformance is a issue when they have issues overseas, [00:05:00] and I give various exemptions as well for product to allow them to export it. Yeah, you get involved with things like this current 10 80 deal and W PC and other big issues. It can be quite challenging and full on, so it's probably quite nice to be able to go down the gym and do a bit of lifting. Yeah, and turn off from work. So when you're at the gym. Is it? Is it just yourself? Or if you got, um, training partners or it's [00:05:30] or train at the powerhouse gym, um, on street in Wellington and it's It's not your normal Joe Bloggs gym. There's one mirror, there's no instructors, and basically it's all lifters. You get a few other athletes, and for me it's a It's my family in Wellington. You know, it's just a really great bunch of people, and it doesn't matter who's there on the day you've got people to train with or people to help. So it's, you know, not training with anyone in particular, but it's just a great group of people. And then recently we've got quite a few girls lifting, and we've semi started a strong girls club. [00:06:00] So we always try and train. Do as much as we can together on Saturdays and, you know, let everyone know what everyone's doing, and we've got a girl in Christchurch and up north, which are semi part of the club. But it's just a great little supportive network as well. Is it because it's to try and support more women into the sport, or just to try and support the women who are in it? Um, a bit of both. I mean, it was just we just sort of a couple of us started training together and invited a few others to train together. [00:06:30] And it's and then, yeah, a few other girls came back to to the spot, and we've had some other young girls at comps that we've sort of taken under our wing. So it's a bit of both under your wing, sort of in a kind of mentoring way. Yeah. Yeah, more mentoring. I mean, I've got a lot of experience of training and competition and not just, you know, how you train, but so have mentally how you tackle things and on competition day and how you warm up and that kind of stuff. So that's just in a really supportive role. [00:07:00] Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's great. You know, there's more and more women getting into the sport as well, and, you know, they're all really green. So you sort of help get them back on track. And I mean, I. I don't have time to coach, but I'm always happy to help out and sort of coach in another way. And, you know, check their technique and help them. Like I said mentally, are there How How have you found yourself being regarded within the, um that sport, like over the years within the power lifting sport and so on. I've just always been just [00:07:30] another one of the one other athlete. I mean, that's the great thing about sport. And, you know, guys, girls, whether you're gay, straight or what, You're just another athlete. And I've never, ever been judged. And, you know, I think maybe my success has helped as well. But, you know, you get respected for what you've done in what you do. How many years do you think you've got left in the power lifting world? Many, many years. There's there's a lot of masters out there still doing well And yeah, when I cause I'm still competing in opens. But, [00:08:00] um, after opens, I can always get into Masters lifting as well. Yeah, we've got Well, he's got a girl in our gym. She's well in her fifties now and still lifting phenomenal weights and still training hard. And, yeah, it's one of the sports you can actually keep going for quite some time. My biggest thing is just keeping my body in one piece. How do you manage that? Um, I go chiropractor massage once a week. I would be screwed without that. But and yeah, I try and stretch where I can and a lot of it's about getting a technique right as well. So [00:08:30] I had done a lot of work on that lately because I've had had pretty crap lifting technique in the past. But getting that right and training, training smart. You know, it's not just about going to the gym and smashing it. It's about being smart and listening to your body and eating properly as well. And what does that mean for me? Uh, eating a lot of protein. Um, power lifting is not the kind of sport that burns a lot of fat. So and where I'm in a weight class. So I've been I've been lucky. I've been trying to put on weight to get up to the [00:09:00] top of my weight class. I lift in the 80 fours, but we still I still watch my, um, carbohydrate intake. So at night, I generally don't eat any carbs. So lots of veggies, lots of protein, plenty of protein shakes and just Yeah, very clean supplements. Who care for what I take because we do get I get drug tested all the time. Yeah, with with weightlifting, I was probably tested two or three times a year. Not so much in power lifting yet, but I'm sure it'll come pee in the bottle stuff, is it? It's a pee in the bottle with your shirt [00:09:30] up your pants down to your knees so they can see everything. So they then make sure that you're not cheating, that there's yeah, you're not using tubes or anything else to try and put. Yeah, it's because of what people have done in the past to cheat. So, yeah, you can't be shy when you're an athlete. It's quite intrusive, Really. You get used to it and see when it happens. You know, 234 times a year. And you get to know the drug testers and they get to know you pretty much you walk, walk up the path [00:10:00] and they're waiting for me to say hi to you. Um, and alongside the, um, the weight lifting. Uh, what do you do? You have other other hobbies? I mean, know you don't have a lot of time, but you've got your dogs and I. I used to enjoy surfing, but I haven't been out for the last few years because I've just focused on training. But I love reading. So I read a lot of books and through a book, a week at the moment. And, yeah, I don't [00:10:30] have time for anything else. What? What sort of books are you into? Um, I'll read anything and everything. Lately, I've been in a real fantasy buzz, so reading a lot of, um, Robin Hobb Books, Brandon Sanderson. But anything I can get my hands on, um, the it must cost quite a bit to do this, the champs and so on. How do you fund that? Sort of, um, and being involved in those competitions. It's all self funded and for this trip that I'm going to world champs work has [00:11:00] given me some money, and I'll get a little bit of money out of the federation. But, I mean, I'm lucky, you know, I guess not having any kids or any other people sucking my money. I I've got a decent job and yeah, just it's all self funded. So you don't get a sponsorship or, um, it's pretty hard to get sponsorship in these sort of sports, and especially if you're not the ideal image that you know, like the pretty bimbos that they like to portray. And it's hard work, too, looking for it, and I just don't have time. And as I said, I'm I'm lucky [00:11:30] that I'm financially stable enough. I can actually support myself. Yeah, that that's good. That must be a relief to you rather than trying to chase around the money. I guess a lot of people must just not do it, and they rely on parents as well. But I, I guess I live on my visa and just pay it constantly. Pay it off. So so the look that you that you have on stage if it's not the bimbo, look what's what's your look? Oh, well, it's not really a look I've created. I mean, I'm I'm [00:12:00] just me and you know what you see is what you get, and I'm actually well, you meet me in person. I'm really shy and quiet. But when you see me in the competition arena, I'm totally opposite. I totally psych myself up for comps and make a lot of noise and just get into the zone. I don't care what other people think. You know, I'm there to lift. What do you do to get in the zone? I make a lot of noise. I yell, Oh, yeah, rock myself up and I'll get people to slap my legs and just Yeah, like I said, make a lot of noise. And then if I'm up for a really big [00:12:30] lift, I'll get the crowd in behind it as well and try and get them to make noise. And they said they love it, They respond to it. And yeah, it's really good. And, yeah, I get a lot of support And I've had a lot of people say that they love watching me live because you know how much I get into it. Um, why? Why do people slap your legs? Um, I find that just it does. It hurts, but it stimulates your legs. It draws the blood out to, um, you know where you want it, and it's just and it takes your mind off of everything else that just totally focuses you. [00:13:00] Can you give us an example of your noises. I'm not going to slip your legs. They all start the dogs barking or they'll run. I'm only kidding. You have to watch one of the live feeds for one of the comps and you'll see it. Oh, how cool and when? When is that happening? Um, most comps. There's generally a live feed, if you I'm not sure what sites they're on, but there's definitely a wee one for world champs. There's one for Oceania and a whole lot of [00:13:30] athletes at the gym set up. They set up at the gym and watch the Oceania. Are we talking about May 2015, um, June mid June. So I think I'm lifting on the 14th of June, but that'll be your time as well, So that'll be the 15th year. And where are they in Finland this year? So it's not cheap? No, not cheap. And plus, I want to go just under two weeks before so I can acclimatise. But I've been lucky. There's a girl that came out from Sweden who played rugby, [00:14:00] going to stay with her in Gothenburg and do a week and a half of training, then head over to Finland um, for the comp and then go for travelling for two weeks afterwards. Cool. Where are you going to go? I got to go to ST Petersburg. If you're that close, you got to do it and say Saint Petersburg, Helsinki. I want to go up to Stockholm and I'm flying out of Copenhagen. So I just hit the big I'm travelling on my own. So I just hit the big cities and yeah, stay safe. Stay safe. What does that mean? Well, I don't know. I mean, I love travelling, but [00:14:30] yeah, I think when you're travelling on your own, you used to be a little bit more careful. So you must have done a lot of travelling with this. Um, with the competitions, I Yeah, I've been very lucky. I've done a lot when athletics days was back and forth to Australia about four or five times a year. Plus, I played sevens in Hong Kong. I did Bob Slay for one season as well. So that took me States Canada. Um we went to Germany, Italy, through athletics. I've been here to sort of Manchester [00:15:00] a K. We went to Hungary, Croatia, as part of the build up states again. Maui, Um, did some travelling with my father. Went down through South America. And then again for my 40th, I went travelling with my parents again. Went to the states and down to Cuba and Mexico. So, yeah, I've been very I. I Yeah, Like I said, I love travelling, and I just sports just open the doors for that. Are you pretty close with your parents? You know? Yeah. Family has been really good, really supportive. [00:15:30] And two sisters and a brother who lives in the States as well. And I mean, I wouldn't say hugely close, but, you know, when we get together, we're in a great family. We have a lot of fun. And so how how supportive are they of you and getting into the sports? The, um, the side of it from the hammer of throwing through to the weight lifting? Um, they yeah, always been supportive. They came to kl watched that, uh, dad came over to Sydney for the Olympics. And, you know, Mom would come down to the [00:16:00] odd weightlifting comp. They totally non-sporty person, but and, you know, come and watch the odd rugby game. I remember the the first rugby game that she came and watched. I was still at high school, and she always said, Be careful. You'll hurt yourself for your athletics. And someone hit high, tackled me and completely rooted my shoulder. And, of course, that was the one game my parents were watching. But no, they've been really supportive of my sport. So, um, my mother was pretty super happy when I finally started using my vet degree. [00:16:30] Get you off the field? Yeah. Yeah, I think it was. Well, they did support me through varsity. So and the only one in the family that studied so and, you know, I graduated as a and then all of a sudden I became an athlete, and I think she was pretty rapt when I actually got a decent job and started using my degree. Um, so you were involved in the Butch and Butch exhibition? A portrait that we took at your gym? Um, lifting weights. Um, have [00:17:00] you heard feedback from friends about you being in the in that particular exhibition? I haven't actually none at all. That's fantastic. It's like no surprises. I know, but I mean, my friends are really supportive and they know what I do. Anyway. They know that half the time I'll say no to things because of my training. But now I've got a great bunch of friends, and I said they will know what I do. How do your friends support you with what you're doing now with your lifting and so on? Um Well, well, [00:17:30] I had a couple of friends come up and help me load some water up the steps today. But, I mean, if I if I need anything, you know, they're always there and invite me around for dinner. And there's never any pressure, never any pressure to go into anything. And because it must be, um, like, there must be a sort of no drinking rule in your life. Um, just sort of self inflicted. I mean, I've gone over the years where those big drinking days I've just sort of grown out of drinking anyway, and it just doesn't bother me. And I'd rather feel you feel [00:18:00] good in the morning. Yeah, they they're used to me going out and being a sober. I want drinking water, people slapping your legs. I say that I can't say thanks very much. Tash can. Can I just check if there's anything you want to add? Um, I? I don't know. I don't know if you want to go into the that whole butch thing. I mean, I think, Yeah, I definitely fall into society's definition of being butch. But me, I'm just myself always have been myself. [00:18:30] I've never defined myself as anything. It's just me in my own unique, special way.
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