Deadlifting in Your Nineties, in “Strong Grandma”

The New Yorker

An unusual power lifter trains for competition in Cecilia Brown and Winslow Crane-Murdoch’s short documentary.

Transcript

00:00I'm going to go to bed now.

00:30Come on, you got this, come on, just like you do, come on, push, try it buddy, try it.

00:59160 kilos, 1-6-0 kilos.

01:15Aren't you serious? Look at all the weight.

01:23Is this really your last one?

01:26I'm thinking about it, I really am.

01:30One more.

01:41Good.

01:44Chest up, good, strong, two.

01:48Good.

01:50My name is Catherine Keene, I am 95 and a world record deadlifter.

02:05In competition, I have won every event that I have entered.

02:11My world champion trophy.

02:14It's been very easy for me to be world champion, which I do not feel,

02:22simply because no one my age was doing it.

02:28This one was the first one, and I lifted at 121 on my fourth attempt, and that was in June of 2013.

02:39I started weightlifting, both my husband and I, in my 80s, because I had osteopenia.

02:47I was 85 the first time I competed.

02:52I remember my first meet, I was very nervous, scared, pitless.

02:59Pitless.

03:08One of the coaches said I had perfect form, and I said, thank you.

03:16I had no idea what perfect form was.

03:20Going to the first national competition was very humbling.

03:27When I competed, the roar of the crowd was unbelievable.

03:37I thought, I don't deserve this.

03:42I haven't done anything out of the ordinary.

03:49What they make you wear at the competition is a wrestler's singlet.

03:56That is not very becoming to a woman in any shape or form.

04:06I don't care to be as beepy and as strong as they are. I'm too old for that.

04:15I'll never be it, so I'm not going to wish for it.

04:22I train with Dean on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and my training partner, Peggy Neal.

04:32Dean teases her unmercifully.

04:46She's such a joy.

05:08Peggy fills the gap that I have without Dick.

05:16Dick was my biggest supporter.

05:20He was all for it, and he was always on the front row, rooting me on.

05:30I wasn't that adventurous on my own.

05:35I was always on the front row.

05:39I wasn't that adventurous on my own, but together we'd do anything.

05:50Dick and I met at Bunker Hill Air Force Base in Indiana.

05:57I was working in the flight surgeon's office as the secretary,

06:02and he was assigned there as the flight surgeon.

06:07When Sergeant Ziegler introduced me, I fell for him immediately.

06:15He always said, oh, it's the uniform.

06:19It wasn't the uniform, it was his eyes.

06:23It took me three months to get him to ask me out,

06:27and we went to see Ben-Hur.

06:32I disturbed you.

06:34Which was a long, long, long movie.

06:39Well, I had just seen it two days earlier, and I wasn't about to say no.

06:49That was the beginning.

06:51That was the beginning.

06:53We met in 59, and we were married in 61.

06:59We were always together.

07:02He taught me to ski, and he loved flying.

07:08Could not understand why I wanted to jump out of an airplane at 10,000 feet.

07:16I just thought that would be an interesting thing to do.

07:22We just enjoyed being together.

07:28I was just glad I had the time with him that I did.

07:34We were together 61 years.

07:40And then right after that, he was gone.

07:46He was gone.

08:16I probably would not have competed without Dick.

08:43You know, when you have your soulmate rooting for you, you've got to do it.

08:51You've just got to do it.

08:54Good to see you.

09:04And I did do well at nationals.

09:07I don't doubt it one bit.

09:08That is so awesome.

09:09Did you know she's a powerlifter?

09:10No, are you serious?

09:14Powerlift?

09:15Yes.

09:16Oh my gosh.

09:17That's remarkable.

09:18I want to be you when I grow up.

09:24I have no idea what the secret is that I am 95 and still healthy.

09:30Just keep moving.

09:32Don't sit on the sofa and watch TV or be on your phone.

09:40Live as much as you can.

09:43The only advice I have.

09:44Zero kilos, 352 pounds.

10:16I'm never going to look back.

10:18What else do you want?

10:19All the best.

10:20You've got this.

10:21You've got this.

10:22Hold it!

10:23Check it out!

10:24Come on!

10:25Pull!

10:26Pull!

10:27Yay!

10:28Yay!

10:29Yay!

10:30Are they ready?

10:31Let's do it.

10:32Okay, last one!

10:33Deep breaths!

10:34Let's go!

10:35Come on!

10:36Oh my gosh.

10:37You've got this.

10:38Keep going.

10:39Everybody's got a number.

10:40You've got this.

10:41Come on!

10:42Yeah, yeah.

10:43With all of my family there and all of my grandkids, I goofed.

11:08I wanted to deadlift a hundred pounds so badly and I could not move that bar.

11:17I thought that would be my last weightlifting competition.

11:21I've changed my mind.

11:22I want to keep competing until I can hit that hundred.

11:29I want that hundred.

11:32And I know it can be done if I'm good and healthy.

11:46I had a dentist back in Iowa that said I'd have my teeth at 107.

11:55I don't want to be 107, I don't think, unless I'm healthy.

12:18As long as I can be self-sufficient, I want to live.

12:27I don't want to leave here.

12:31I look out at the mountains.

12:36When you can see them, it's so peaceful.

12:52And I like to watch the birds eating all the food and fighting over who gets it now.

13:07But the moment I have to go into assisted living or a nursing home, I'm ready to go.

13:17God has blessed us greatly that no one can deny.

13:27Know that this is true.

13:30I want eternity with you.

13:36The fundamental truth is I love you forever.

13:45What would Dick say if he saw you now?

13:48Well, first he'd put his arms around me and hug me, and then kiss me.

13:55And he'd say, he would say, I'm proud of you.

14:01And I love you.

14:04I know that's what he would say.

14:26Woo!

14:28Big breath!

14:30Big breath!

14:32Big breath!

14:34Sweet testosterone!

14:36Come on!

14:38Come on!

14:40Woo!

14:55Woo!

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