Yesterday was a Power-Meet at The Firm where Rocky did his weight-training. His coach plans a Team Rockstar once a year as well as other occasions where Rocky is the object of the Meet. There were men from Rolla, Springfield, Mountain Home, and others I didn’t get around to meet and greet. Rocky’s daughter, Holly, and her family traveled from the Western edge of our State.

After the men arrive Coach Rodney sees that they sign in and weigh in. Following that he talks about Rocky and what he meant to the team both as a competitor and as a person. Once he explains the rules the completion begins.

It begins around 10:00am and is usually over by 3:30pm. It is undeniably a long day but it gives us a chance to visit with old friends and family in-between events. They had a good crowd and there are two of the guys who really put on a show. They yell and roar like an animal as they flex their muscles and it stirs the crowd up. It’s a wide open policy to cheer and applaud with some yelling of our own.

Some of the guys come wearing T-Shirts from the beginning of the Rocky Meets clear up to the new one offered yesterday. It’s always good to see some of the Lifters from other areas and this time we had two women who competed.

The next Rocky Memorial Meet will be at Cape Girardeau in September 2011. With the monies donated all year and with money from the T-Shirts we are able to help in several areas. This year we were able to increase Tommy Meyer’s scholarship money which we were happy to do. He is a fine athlete and Rocky was so impressed with him….he goes to Evangel University in Springfield and still trains with the Power-lifting team at “home”……he is currently contributing to the football program at the University and has become quite a star in his own right. He is one of the top 5 Lifter’s in the United States in his age and weight bracket.

Tommy took an opportunity to thank the Rockenbach family for the help we have given him. In his own words, “I have been really blessed for the help all of you have given me.” One look in his eyes would have told me the same thing without him saying a word. He’s a fine young man and I’m as impressed with him as Rocky was.

Essentially Esther