Tony Nikkel has always loved competing, and that heart, determination and passion has led him to become quite the powerlifter and he'll be part of Team Canada heading to the Cayman Islands in August.
"It's actually kind of interesting," Nikkel says about how he got into the sport. "Believe it or not, it goes back to my son Hudson, over the last couple of years, he's been travelling around, doing a variety of different sports, like track and field, volleyball and baseball. We've been going around the country and it got my competitive itch going again. I'm in my late 40's here now and I used to compete in different things, but I haven't done it in a while. I thought that I should maybe look at something, I need to do something competitively to scratch that itch. The body isn't what it used to be, especially the joints and things, so I looked into what I could do. I have been working out for the almost 30 years, and looking into powerlifting. I knew a couple of guys that are doing it and it's not an agility thing, which I'm not supposed to be doing with the joints the way that they are, so I took a look at it, looked at what some people are lifting in my category, my weight and age, kind of thing. I didn't want to go into it if I was going to completely get destroyed every time I went, I wanted to be going into something where I had a chance at something. So, I looked at it and here we go, two years ago, we stared doing the powerlifting thing."
Heading into those first competitions, Nikkel isn't shy about sharing how he felt. "So nervous," he says with a laugh. "The first one, I was really nervous. I didn't sleep properly for the week or ten days before I went out. I was just thinking about it, couldn't sleep or fall asleep and once I got there, I was so nervous. Not to the point of throwing up or whatever, but I just remember walking out that first time just shaking, I thought I was going to fall or trip, I was just shaking with nervousness. Not that it was super heavy, but those nerves, oh my goodness. I settled in after that first lift or two, and then it just became fun."
It's an interesting road to being named to Team Canada, a lot of different factors play into in, some in control for Nikkel and others not. "It's an interesting process," he says with chuckle. "It's not what you would think it might be, in terms of how you get on it. Team Canada basically, they put together for each international event. So, the one that I'm in, just because I'm this one, it doesn't mean I'm a member of Team Canada for the next event. Each event, you have to apply for that position. Each year, they basically will select on how your performance went at nationals. You can do a whole bunch of different events, you can do provincials, you can do local events, you can do westerns or regionals, but what they select from is how you did at nationals. It's done once a year and it's age and weight based, so I'm not going up against people in their prime, and the top ranked person at nationals this year, has priority to go to all the international events this year. There are multiple international events every year, like the North American one that I'm going to in the Cayman Islands in three weeks, then there is worlds, which is in South Africa. I'd have to apply again if I want to get onto that team. I placed second at nationals this year, so the first place person has priority to attend these events in the spot that I have. I talked to him and he wasn't going, so I am. For worlds, the top guy injured himself, so I could possibly go, but that's quite the trip, I don't know about that one, as it's in South Africa."
As Nikkel sets to head to the Cayman Islands, he says there's a lot of prep work that goes into it, but not in the way many think. "I'm just hoping their air conditioning is going to be working," he jokes. "I don't know if anyone's been in the Caribbean in July, but I've been down in Mexico in June once, and that was intense. As long as the AC is working, I'll be okay. Getting ready for something like this is a long term process. It takes years to get to the peak performance. It's something I've learned over the last two years of doing this, you see how the veterans of the sport have come to be what they are. A lot of them have taken eight to ten years to get to where they are, it's that long of a process. It changed the way I viewed getting ready for competitions, not just two months away, train like crazy then take a break, no, it's about training for years. You think about how you're lifting in terms of injury and stress, and if you want to do this for years, you have to train like you want to last for years. You can't go full out, it's steady as she goes training. Another important lesson is listening to your body. I've had to change things over the years, mainly rest. People think I train every day, that I'm in the gym every day, but the more I do it, the less I'm in the gym. The stronger you get doing this, the longer it takes to recover from the workouts. It's actually very opposite of what people think, that I'm some gym rat and it's all I ever do. I think I'm there maybe four times a week, tops. It's interesting but it's a lot of fun. People ask questions and it's a growing sport, more and more people are into it. It's also not expensive to get into, you just need a belt, sleeves and wrist wraps, not very expensive at all."
At the end of the day, Nikkel says it's the family support that keeps him going and means the world. "It's just so great," he says proudly. "To see them sitting in the crowd, it's amazing. They cheer me on and you can hear them. When I'm looking out as I'm getting ready to go, I can see them. It's strange sometimes, you can get total strangers at times yelling and screaming, helping you out. Even the athletes themselves are very supportive. But, to bring most of the family down there with me, that will help tons. That will be a lot of fun."
Tony Nikkel and the family will be in the Cayman Islands come the second week of August and the entire community will be cheering him on.