As some of you may know, this is Performance Menu’s final issue. All good things must come to an end. I feel extremely fortunate and privileged that I have been invited by the editor to have a monthly column in the last year or so of the journal’s run. Although I was never sure how widespread the readership for a niche journal like this was, one thing I did know for sure was that every single draft I turned in was greenlighted by Greg, and to me, that was good enough. So for my final contribution to Performance Menu, I want to offer a round of thanks, as well as a plea to anyone who may be reading this, to continue to support your local weightlifter, association,  and sport, in whatever capacity you can.
I’m not sure to what extend you, the readers, are aware, but maintaining a subscription based journal like this is hard work for everyone involved. Greg and Aimee do not simply just host a website and give a free pass to anyone with an opinion. Although they are the public face of Catalyst Athletics, there are others who are also working behind the scenes in order to keep the ship afloat. For one, there is the managing editor, Yael Grauer, who quality controls every single article and corrals contributors every month in order to ensure timely publication. Not only is she copy-editing each regular monthly contribution (I’m sorry Yael for making your job hard with my poor proofreading skills), but she also sifts through the occasional contributions and pitches from the one-off authors.

Then there is Alyssa Sulay, my former coach, who is responsible not only for the layout of each issue, but also handles all of the admin as the general manager of Catalyst Athletics, such as ensuring that contributors are compensated each month.

And of course, there are the legions of contributors to Performance Menu over the years, all of whom have taken the time to sit down, think through their piece, and put pen to paper into something that is coherent, and useful for the readers. Just look at some of the names of the contributors! There’s UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn. Legendary weightlifting coaches in Bob Takano, Danny Camargo, Travis Mash, and even the late, great Tommy Kono. Each time I am published in this journal, I am still in awe of the company of giants among which I find myself.

I hope you, the readers, realize simply how remarkable of a run Performance Menu has had based on this model. Officially launched in 2005 by Greg Everett, Robb Wolf, and Nicki Violetti (if you are involved in CrossFit, you definitely should know these three names), this journal has been active for over sixteen years and put out 203 issues total. Now I don’t know about you, but I can’t name another digital journal with no corporate sponsorship, that has lasted this long on a purely subscription basis for the very modest fee that Performance Menu charges. The fact of the matter is, running a journal is hard work, and its returns are often incommensurate with the cost incurred with maintaining it. It exists as a labor of love, because its organizers believe that there is something of value to be offered to you, our consumers, and we hope that in the mass volume of articles that have been published, you learned a thing or two along the way. I guess this is the story of Olympic weightlifting. No one is doing it to get rich, we’re all here because we love it, and we are inexplicably drawn to it.

My point then, dear readers, is that the sport, the community needs you to keep getting involved and keep supporting each other. Support can come in many way, shapes, and forms. It can be subscribing to a journal where you feel the authors have something useful to say. It could be volunteering within your local weightlifting association. It could be introducing your friend or family member to the sport and getting them hooked. Hell, it could be writing to the IWF Executive and telling them the reform you want to see to save this sport’s Olympic designation. There is no effort too large and small to support a community you love, as long as you get involved and you go out there and do it.

In closing, I don’t think there is much more else for me to say except to thank Greg, Yael, and Alyssa for giving me the platform to contribute to both the Catalyst Athletics brand as well as the sport of Olympic Weightlifting in general. Although my involvement in Olympic weightlifting was never my primary profession, the sport drew me in and occupied so much of my time when it came to my own athletic development and coaching education that it might as well have been. Thank you for allowing me to marry the two things I love, research and weightlifting, and turn it into something that I hope has been useful for our audience. Thank you for letting me delve into topics that I otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to explore in my other life, and letting me take the risks and trusting me with the equity of both this journal, and your brand. I stood on the shoulders of giants, and to you all, so long, and thanks for all the fish.