Tony Blanksteen Collegiates 2PRs set: Snatch 124kg Clean and Jerk 160kg = 284kg How long have you been doing olympic lifts? Tony: Ok, I first started doing the olympic lifts when I quit for football Tony: My Jr. year of high school, so about three years ago What was your exposure beforehand, did you do any of the olympic lifts for football? Tony: Yea, I had done some cleans, mainly hang cleans. I also did some general strength stuff along with it of course Tony: and I started weight training around 8th grade What was the turning point that pushed you towards olympic lifts? Tony: My coach suggested I check out the lifts almost the entire time I had been lifting with him saying I would be great at it. It was actually during the 2002 winter olympics that I started to check out the USAW site. That was the start of thinking of it Tony: But really, I was quitting football to concentrate on school and tuba Tony: I would do the olympic lifting instead of football That's great did you have any reading material, books, etc to illustrate the lifts? Tony: I didn't have any materials before I got into it. I just sort of started. Tony: Neither I nor my trainer had any real knowledge of the sport Where did you lift at that time Tony: my first competition was all "self figured out" Wow really Tony: Anderson training Systems, the place closed down a while ago. My trainer was Rob Mangino (trainer), he still coaches out in CT How long did it take before you got any sort of real coaching? so it was at that point with Rob? Tony: well my trainer rob took the club coach course a little after my first few competitions, he was a great motivator more than anything else He was pretty enthusiastic then about training you for your competitions Tony: yeah, I was his only OL lifter though What kind of results were you getting at the competitions Tony: I went to Jr. Nationals in my second year, I just missed it my first year Tony: actually, I came within one clean of it, So I was pretty successful considering how little we How did you find the Columbus Weightlifting club? Tony: Well that was in the great college search. I wanted to lift with a club near the college of my choice Tony: and the only school that I was looking at that had lifting anywhere close to campus was Ohio State Is that where you improved your technique versus muscling everything? in Columbus? Tony: Yes, Mark has a great eye for the technique How many competitions have you been in since coming to Columbus? Tony: 8 or 9 I'd have to say... more on the horizon So let's backtrack for a moment, how did you first start weight training? Tony: I first started weight training in 8th grade to try to get into shape for football. At that point I weighted more than I weigh currently with bad asthma What did your weight training consist of at that time? Tony: Mainly just trying to do the warm ups. What should have taken most people like 5 or 10 min took me an hr. After that I moved into more general weight training stuff, so bench, parallel squats, abs..... at that point I could barely squat with a wood stick wow sounds like me LOL Tony: it was worse What made you want to get into football? just overall get in shape, parents, friends etc? Tony: My trainer at the time made me do only 10 reps, but all had to have my heals down and as low as I could go (about a quarter squat at the time) Gotcha Tony: it took me about 25 reps to do it my heels kept coming up Tony: Well I'm a big guy and thought I would be good at it. Good call Tony: yeah Tony: Eventually I decided I was too short for it and decided to focus on school, tuba, and lifting Tony: At the time I was looking into either Astrophysics or Music Education Yeah astrophysics is a bad field, no pay Tony: better than music Tony: hahahahahahahahahahaha Tony: I wanted a large school with a good marching band, the school had to have both fields open to me if I changed my mind Tony: but some I applied to in music others in physics --- and of course, lifting had to be near, and with coaches who knew what they were doing So you played tuba all throughout high school? Tony: yea Tony: I didn't get serious about it until Jr. year so right now your official major is? Tony: Music Education Tony: I'm thinking about adding Music Theory Tony: I made All state my senior year, as well as Jr. nationals Nice Tony: but I didn't get much sleep that year! I can only imagine, So what were your thoughts when you competed in the Arnold in 2005, did you feel like it was a bigger venue, and more important competition than your others? Tony: It was the best venue I'd ever lift at Did you get to meet any notable lifters? or get any special feedback or advice you can recall ? Tony: yes, Ike Berger said to me, "it is clean and jerk! not clean..... and jerk!" Tony: besides that I got to see awesome lifting like no where else Tony: and my lifting theme song "mars bringer of war" was played through the lift, it was cool What's the significance of the song? its a classical piece right? Tony: yes it is, it was written by Gustav Holst in 1918 Tony: there is no real significance besides it being the most powerful song I can think of, oh, and it has a kickass tuba part to it Which to you is a fight song? Tony: people say it almost embodies WWI the driving mechanical fight Moving forward to the Arnold in 2006, we see you had a cheering section and some signs, how did that come about? Tony: performed live it is amazing! Tony: hahahahahaha, well I have a great group of friends here and of course my music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha, who all came out and supported me Tony: thanks Tony: and after hearing about lifting for over a year Do they think you are crazy for lifting or what was the reaction before they saw you at the Arnold in 2006? Tony: I'd told them what I do, but as I said to them "seeing is believing" Tony: some were amazed Tony: all were amazed actually Tony: last year was the best actually when a hall mate said to me after going, "wow, know I see why you're always so tired" and he was much more nice to me after going They need to build a hottub in your dorm or something LOL Tony: yea I know it! Didn't they also talk about your powers of concentration while lifting? Tony: one was amazed by how much concentration I need to do it, others by the speed, all by the strength, and a lot by how different it is from other sports.... in terms of, it is just you, no one else So what did your parents think, and your immediate family? Tony: they like it better than football! You won't need knee surgery Tony: exactly! Tony: they are really supportive Tony: and like going to the meets So what's coming up in the near future for you? Tony: one I will be trying out for the OSU Marching band this summer and I'll leave with my favorite quote, "success is a journey, not a destination"