Your First Set of Weights
by Thom Van Vleck
One of my granddad's original York plates from his "first set" of weights
Do you remember your first set of weights? When I was 10 I was in a terrible car accident and was injured pretty badly. I broke both legs, both arms, my hip and various other injuries….I still hurt!!!! As I recovered from that, I could not go to the JWC gym so my Mom bought me some plastic coated cement weights. They were “Randy White” weights, he was a defensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys. I made it a goal to lift the entire set of 110lbs overhead.
I also remember, around 1977, sitting with my Uncle Wayne Jackson as he ordered a brand new York set of weights, a 400lb set of the “top of the line” olympic weights. A short time later, somebody STOLE that set and I remember being angry and heartbroken. Luckily, insurance covered it’s replacement and soon we were back in business. Although, I have to admit, I still wonder where that bar ended up!
I also recall my grandfather Dalton Jackson talking about waiting 10 YEARS to order his first set of weights. Before that, he made weights out of buckets of cement and old metal rods and supplemented that by lifting anvils, rocks, whatever was around. He had an assortment of flywheels and other scrap metal discs that had odd shaped holes in them he used for weights. It was 10 years and he was even married by then before he could order his first weight set. It was a York 1″ set, I think it was 110lbs. I have a good portion of that set, and that’s a story unto itself as part of that was out of our family for over 40 years and only recently was reacquired! I’m sure my Grandfather very much appreciated that first set!
Finally, my kids have all the best stuff. When my daughter started lifting I bought her a “top of the line” 33lb women’s Olympic bar. I try to make sure they have all they need, but I wonder, will they have an appreciation for what they have? Will they have that feeling that comes with that “First Set of Weights”? I hope so, it’s a good feeling, a special one. And a feeling I get almost every time I get a new toy to lift in my gym.