Power lifting is a very team sport in the warm up room. Every one helps each other and is encouraging.
At my first meet I was terrified. I couldn't hardly eat that morning.
I was at weigh ins the day before standing in line waiting to weigh in, and was just feeling over whelmed. Saw this guy who was waiting to get in line, so I insisted he go head and we talked momentarily and that was it.
I saw two guys at the hotel the night before and walked past them and we all smiled at each other and kept walking as to just say hello. Turns out, one of the guys was the guy I talked to at weigh ins.
So I walk into the warm up room the next morning, and they recognize me and I recognize them also. We start talking, and turns out they are friends that drove down to the meet together with their families.
We all started talking like we had been high school friends, and discussed warming up.
We all warmed up together and discussed our goals and hobbies.
We were in a push pull meet (bench and dead lift only).
So we warm up for bench and all get ready and help each other put shirts on and hold boards and encourage each other.
We continue to hang out and help each other for the duration of the meet supporting each other and discussing dead lift ideas and goals.
The meets over, they invited us to go to dinner with their families but I was too beat and could hardly stay awake. We ate at the restaurant next to the gym and went back to the hotel.
We talked the next morning and they invited us to go to the zoo with them and their families, but again, I was exhausted mentally and needed to head home.
We still keep in touch on FB.
What's so cool about powerlifting is you make friends that you keep and even train with and hang out.
Everyone cheers each other on. The crowd cheers for you if you are lifting air or going for a world record.
The support system is HUGE.