I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what motivates me in powerlifting, both because of Sam’s recent reflections and because I’ve been struggling with a mid-season motivational slump. It’s caused me to think more carefully about the specific aspects of this sport that make me feel motivated, drive me to train, and make me want to get on a platform to compete.

One of the first elements that came to mind is having a sense of team. I want my performance to help my team collectively achieve a goal. I want to be part of a group that together marches into competition and defeats our enemies! Not everyone is motivated by this. For some, seeing consistent hard work translate into PRs is enough. But I realized recently that one of the things I’m missing right now is being part of a team and having teammates. This missing element is one contributor to my rather meh attitude at the gym right now.

The triggering event for that revelation was the USAPL’s need to decide how to respond to a mandate from the IPF to change its drug testing policies. The USAPL tests athletes at every meet and keeps its costs down by using some labs that are not accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Its options are to do less testing, to greatly increase the cost for athletes to compete, or to leave the IPF. (As if to emphasize its lack of faith in the quality of the current drug-testing companies used by USAPL, the IPF also demanded that USAPL reinstate athletes with positive results from non-WADA labs.)

If at its upcoming meeting the USAPL votes to leave, there will be no national team representing the U.S. I may not have made it this year, but I want badly to try again.

Fulfilling my childhood dream of representing my country as part of a team whose collective score is what puts the U.S. at the top was a reason for me to continue to train hard and improve. I don’t know what USAPL will decide, but even before its governing body meets, the possibility that I may lose the opportunity to even compete for that spot is numbing my motivation.

This introspection gave me an insight, however, into how having a team gives me a sense of joy in competing and the motivation to achieve my goals. I ran cross-country and track, and though those are individual sports, I took pride in building supportive communities. In college I recruited athletes because I wanted a bigger pack to run with and a more competitive team. I wanted a team where it mattered to me if our cheeky, sarcastic 800m runner felt pumped to run or was having a bad case of pre-race butterflies. It mattered to me to help her stay positive so she’d have a great race, and seeing her cheer for me in the 800m — my least favorite part of the heptathlon — always gave me a little surge. And I loved when our performances and the support we showed to each other translated into our team finishing at the top. I really looked forward to the possibility of having that experience with the U.S. women’s team. But if there’s no U.S. team to qualify for, my enthusiasm dwindles.

I also realized I should work to create a stronger sense of team for myself at future competitions. USAPL Nationals has a team competition, but usually the teams are simply a group of athletes that all have the same coaching company, and we don’t know each other. Maybe there is an opportunity for me to help build a sense of team ahead of the competition, which would fulfill some of my need and might also be a positive experience for my teammates.

In addition, I need to develop a sense of team at my home gym. This weekend Sam and I joined some friends from Union Fitness for a workout at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill, one of the neighborhoods that Sam and I are considering as we contemplate purchasing a home. Our group took over a couple platforms, worked in together, cheered each other toward PRs, and then went for brunch and a stroll around the neighborhood. We talked about the meets that folks have coming up and how training is going.

It reminded me of the community that Sam and I had at 5 Rings Fitness. We all kept track of each other’s upcoming meets, sometimes traveled to see each other compete, and celebrated our wins together. Although we now live in different cities, Rampage, Mr. Fantastic, Superboy, Sam, and I often coordinate the meets we compete at to support one another. We are our own mini-team. Sam and I are also planning to attend the local Pittsburgh meet where our Union Fitness friends will be competing. I realize that experience in itself might help to solidify my sense of team.

There is something about that connection with other athletes, encouraging each other to meet our goals and ideally having our performances tied together to compete as a unit, that matters a lot to me and fundamentally changes my experience with sport and competition. Working together with a group toward a goal is a fundamentally positive experience, whether it is in the gym, at work, or as part of a community organization.

There are a lot of ways of creating that kind of connection. Iron Sisters develops a sense of community and team through its workshops and an online presence that helps athletes to stay in touch with one another after workshops. At meets, seeing another Iron Sister gives you a sense of connection and belonging because of that common experience. Likewise, finding an opportunity through your gameday coach or the company that does your programming, and looking to connect with the other athletes on the team, can also help to create that sense of team. Having a core group at your home gym also matters. These things are worth seeking out and can help to keep your motivation up.

Find your team and crush your goals -- together.