IronOnline Bash 01
Dave Draper's Bash Report

A good Bash never dies, it just grows with each revisited memory.

I remember Dr. Ken, the poet from New York who was asked a simple question about the most effective grip for bench pressing. One hundred and forty of us were gathered in a clump as the Bash Seminar (BS) unfolded. He proceeded to pace about the gym floor in a most thoughtful manner -- much like a trial lawyer presenting his case before the jury -- and knit together the most compelling history of powerlifting and its roots and why the grips for building muscle differ from the grips to move heavy weights and which grips for the bench press were preferred by which lifters, depending on structure. Fascinating. Five minutes into it and I thought he forgot the question but what difference did that make since everyone was riveted and grinning, clearly entertained. Ken Leistner, I recall, doesn't forget.

It was John Oneschak, an engineer from Seattle, who asked the question and is not content with short answers. He'd rather they were multi dimensional and convoluted if possible so he can take them apart and restructure them. Only then are they fully understood. Ken's answer was perfect: lots of stuff to analyze and organize. John's visited before and trains with precise intensity.

Guy Miller, the famous steelhead from Pittsburgh, sat for two and half hours on the gym floor, arms crossed, leaning against a stack of fortyfives like it was a classy chaise lounge. He grinned along with everyone and seemed to purr like a giant cat. He tossed me a nod amidst Dr.Ken's dissertation to let me know it was all on track.

As I mentioned on another occasion, Dr.Mike Nichols added a profound level of medical foundation to our sometimes intricate questions and answers. This he did expertly, professionally and in a fundamental language we could all pretend to understand. He also did this while mysteriously concealed amongst the tangle of Hammer Strength and Excalibur machinery. He's a big guy who can handle the 125s for dumbbell inclines when he wants to, yet he would from the depths pop up at the appropriate time to answer a doozy of a Q and disappear again in the crowd of faces, leaving me wonder where and when he would pop up next. Mike's not bashful. He just naturally resists conformity as like poles of magnets repel each other. Part of being brilliant.

Till later... Dave

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