I Slam Bars

     I wish I could slam other things rather than bars.  I am tired of only slamming bars, there are so many other things I would love to slam.  Maybe the reason why I slam bars is because I imagine slamming other things.  Maybe the hate, sadness, and frustration drive me to slam bars.  I want my father back, I miss my dad.  I wish after I slam the bar glass would shatter everywhere, and the crystals would fly away and never come back.  I wish when I slam the bar that the white powder would be sweeped away by the wind to never be found again.   One day I want to slam a bar so hard that my dad would be released from the hell the devil has put him in.  I wounder if that could ever happen? 

     I wish the bar would take me back to the blue house, the black Lexus, the big offices of Nextel, movie theaters, gas station stops, hotel rooms, soccer games, working out together at Bali's, space Nettle, home videos.  I wish the bar was a time machine. I wish the bar could kill what I wanted it to. I wish the bar would do what I said. I wish the bar was my magic bar.  I wish the bar would bring my dad to see me lift, I think he would be proud of me and what I am doing with my life.  I know he wanted me to get into the business world, the happy hour world, the people world.  But who knows, maybe he would have preferred this lifestyle I live in.  I go back and forth from sad to mad, I have found that it's very hard to control my emotions. 

     I slam the bar with hate, hate towards drugs, hate towards my dad choosing drugs over my mom and I. Hate towards alcohol and what it has don to me, hate towards myself for the person I can sometimes become, hate towards my past and the things I did.  Sometimes I slam bars and I have no idea what I am hateing, but its there in the back of my throat.  My emotions are a roller coaster that has lost all controll, and they take me over like a great dane being walked by a small child.  Maybe if I keep slamming that bar my dad will come watch me lift, or just hang out with me.  I will fucken slam the bar with all the hate and frustration I have in me because that's what makes me feel better, that's what keeps me balanced, and who are you to tell me to stop?  who are you to tell me how to act and live my life?  I get crazy because it takes me out of reality, I don't need drugs to get lost, I have weightlifting, I have this gym.  I cant control my relationship with my dad, but I can control makeing international teams, wining national championships and sometime soon grabbing that American record by the throat and riping its head off.
      I don't care what any body thinks, If you don't like me slamming bars than I will slam you, if you don't like my attitude than screw you, I am tired of looking for approval.  I am tired of asking, waiting in line, putting my hand out and getting no hand to shake back.  I stopped being the sheep, being peoples background noise and view.  I walk away from there group and I will chain the doors to California strength, close the blinds and slam my bars all day and night.  I am a monster, I am not normal, I will hide away in my gym, drink my coffee in the green jungle and be happy.
      Call that glass your son, play catch with it and buy it pop and candy at the gas station.  Have fun with your new family,  I wish you didn't feel the way you do towards me, but I will be just fine.  I have my new family out hear, I have my bar.   -Champ 2012

This is an blog post written by one of my athletes....

Click Here: Tyson Hips, Ali Feet, Superman, and Shankle Pulls

Thank you Chad!

"I Slam Bars"!

Brand new "I Slam Bars" T shirts now for sale at www.jonnorthattitude.com   The shirt is in Navy blue, flex fit, and you have to slam bars to wear this shirt!    -champ

Kevin Cornell Interview

Green Jungle

I take a giant sip of my ice cold coffee.  Its my third cup this morning and I cant stop, every sip makes me feel better, every sip takes away the stress.  I am drunk off coffee. I sit back and close my eyes as my mind races through old memories, new memories and some thoughts of what the future looks like. coffee is my new best friend,  he understands what I am going through,  he makes me laugh,  smile and most importantly makes me feel good about myself.
      I am not in the gym right now, I am in my hide out, I am in my tree fort.  There are no weights smashing down hard against the floor, and the air is not filled with chalk.  There are many more smiles in my hide away, people are much more relaxed and friendly.  I hide in the corner like the phantom, trying to stay un noticed in this weird world where there are no weights, coaches or athletes.   I drink, I type, and I "people watch".  I find myself staring at these people who don't wear Adidas gear as if they where from another world.  Maybe I am in the other world and they look at me funny,  maybe they think I am the alien.  This green straw keeps looking at me, so I take another sip of the dark liquid that puts me back on track, and I start typing away.  What the hell am I typing for?  What the hell am I writing  about?  Maybe Its my escape from the gym, from the noise and the same old "who's stronger" talk.  I like writing, It feels good to put your thoughts and ideas on paper.  It slows everything down.  The coffee makes everything feel like I am dreaming, like everyone is living there lives and I am just watching.  Who new I would be writing on a blog and lifting weights for the USA.  Some days I just cant figure out how I ended up hear.  It seemed like yesterday I was taking lines off glass tables, and waking up on kitchen floors.  Life is crazy, the different roads it can take you down are beautiful and bazaar.  They can be dark but still fascinating.  I wouldn't change anything I did back then, I don't regret anything I did and got myself into.  There is the world of weightlifting, and there is the world of long nights and car rides to unknown places, but honestly in the end, they are very much the same.  I have touched the hot flame, I have been down the dark ally way, I have seen the devil, and I think I am a better person today because of it.  I thank God and my mom for leading me to the world of weightlifting, wow, who knows what I would be doing right now.
      All I know is that I love this green coffee jungle I am in right now.  I need more coffee, I need more training, I need to get stronger.  I love coaching. My athlete Andrew Jester took bronze at school age nationals, his very first national meet.  I couldn't go with him because of my nationals, but I am very proud of him.  I love that damn kid.  I love everyone in this sport, I love my Fiance, I love this world, I love California strength, I love big Phil, I love all the judges and coaches, even if you don't like me,  I like you.  I love the USA,  I love this coffee.         North 2012  

AC

That sucks your hands hurt.  O thanks for telling me that I should turn off my AC while the windows are down, let me go ahead and turn off the AC in my car, your totally right man thank you.  O no buddy you have lower back pain when you train?! You should take off three months , your right! the foam roller really helps how you feel in training, OMG I love that stretch, it really works my hamstrings.  I love doing the hang snatch because I really feel like it stretches and strengthens my hamstrings.  Your right bro I would save a lot of money if I didn't buy my smokes, I am done with that man, what was I thinking.  Please tell me what I should do man, please I need help. This life thing is hard, should I turn left or right?  Your right I need to open lighter and make more lifts, yea your right I need to eat better, yea your right I need to control my breathing in competition and focus more on the task at hand.  I am so glad you came up and started talking to me about all this, I am glad you saw the sign around my neck that says help, because I am lost! Shit, dude I am so so sorry that I offended you when I flipped off the camera in one of my you tube videos, that will never happen again, I need to become more classy.  Hey before you leave can you write down everything I should work on or do so I can practice when I get home?  thank you.   I will never joke about steroids again, please forgive me!!!!  "control your temper, stretch more, stop smoking, drive slower, stop spending so much money, you should save up, why a new car you already have one, some people have injury's Jon, so you cant train them that hard, your just young."  -sheep

     -wolf-    I will always drive with my AC on full blast with my windows down.  I will never believe in stretching, and I will always love fast food.  Don't let them change you, do what you want to do, blast your AC anytime you want!  Coach the way you feel is the best way, stop reading weightlifting articles!  stop being brain washed by the "experts"  Windows down and AC up, try it because it feels really good!  

The Red Balloon

The worst thing I ever did in this sport is snatch 160kg.  Before that day the bar and I were best friends, we were like one, that bar made me confident, strong and fearless.  The bar is so high now that I can't seem to find it.  The bar didn't invite me on its travels upward.  The bar and I were ready to go together, we both had our tickets and our bags packed just waiting for that big gust of wind to carry us into the sky full of success, but right when I looked away, the bar was already starting to float away.  I reached up and tried to grab it yelling, "wait bar, wait for me I want to go with you"!  I tried jumping as high as I could but it was just a little too far up, minute after minute, and day after day the bar started to rise higher and higher until it disappeared into the sky.  I put up flyers everywhere but no one has gotten back to me on it's whereabouts.
I feel so lost without my bar, I am not myself anymore.  I am now just an average Joe walking around lost and confused.  I walk and I walk through the dark hills that constantly whisper negative comments about me.  The deeper I get lost looking for my bar the more I hear words of hate, and the more backs I see. I see red faces of haters that start to laugh and smile, the better they sleep and the worse I sleep, the more I get lost, the happier people get.  They say, "Finally no more annoying yelling, stupid shout outs, bar slamming and over the top, cocky, arrogant blog postings". Finally he is no longer number one, finally he is lost and he will never find his bar again".  Even though I might be stripped of my confidence and my strength is down, I am still that crazy jumping Jonathan North that came out of nowhere with Coach Jackie Mah.  She unleashed me and said "sick em boy" and even without my bar you can't take that away from me.  I told you people that I am not going anywhere, I told you that I will keep fighting no matter what, I told you I will keep slamming bars, spitting on weights and yelling loud in every battle I go into, I told you mother fuckers that I am not going anywhere.  I will continue to piss people off, gather even more haters than I have now, I will continue to win, lose, make teams, miss teams, break records, bomb out, clark weights, kiss weights, yell Arnold, love this sport, and hate this sport.
After guidance by a few close to me,  I found my bar deep in the woods behind a big wall of rocks.   I have hit many walls in this sport and in life, but after a while of fighting, after a while of trying to live up to my mentor Donny Shankle, I have broken through all of them.  But this wall is not going down, the more I push the heavier the wall feels.  I cant seem to do it on my own, I have hit a wall I can't seem to bring down.  My bar lays in the mud behind the wall still shinning bright, and I fuck'n want it, I fuck'n need it as other lifters keep getting stronger.  I am wasting time. I need to win right now.  I need to get back on top and get my fire back.
A very big man that towered over me with his black beard and sword called coach steps beside me and starts striking the wall with massive power. Right then, a legend of the woods with long hair and war tattoos steps on the other side of me striking the wall with confidence I have never seen before.  I am in shock. I just keep pushing and hitting the wall as a small smile crosses my face, and right at that moment everyone seemed to stop and move out of the way kneeling down as a king with a golden crown and a golden stick started to walk up to the wall with his beautiful queen. That man is the king and owner of all the woods.  Soon there were soldiers coming out of the woods to help.  One was a wolverine. One was a dark muscular creature who was smaller and fast.  One was an old friend with blond hair and legs that were made out of tree trucks. They all came to help.  The wall started to crack and move.  Two new creatures that just joined the woods came to help too.  Even a small Asian creature helped with the wall, while also doing many other things for the king at the same time.  The woods lumberjack showed up to help, who is known for kicking down trees and carried them off tied around his massive back, his leg power will be very useful in bringing down this wall.  I was very happy to see the colorful haired athlete of the woods who has a power that prevents her from aging, she who brings energy and motivation to us all.  The  quiet wise man with glasses who was respected and won many battles leading people to victory of the woods came and started at the wall too.  A big eyed skinny creature who is the woods watcher and greatest people reader in all of the land came to hit the wall.  Last but not least a young kid new to the woods came to help with his big new bronze medal around his neck, he is known for having the biggest heart in the woods.  Bang! bang! bang!  We all came together and smashed and hit the wall giving it everything we had, but still the rocky wall would not go down.
My gold medal seemed to be out of reach, until the most beautiful creature in all of the woods came flying down slowly with her white wings and beautiful smile.  She is the creature I am going to marry, she is the angel that I love.  She gave us all strength, as she floated over and pushed against the wall.  The wall started to move and shake and then in a blink of an eye it fell down crumbling all around the Pendlay bar.  Everyone stepped back and watched as I hook gripped my bar back into my hands.  I stood tall with my elbows locked out and the bar high over my head.  I could feel my strength pumping through my blood, my heart started to beat faster, and I began to yell as the backs faced forward, the red faces of hate ran and hid away, and the negative whispers turned into positive praises.  I kissed my angel, shook the hands of all the great friends that helped me and walked back into the gym.  I have my bar back, I will see you at Nationals bitches.  North 2012