September 14/08Hanging By A Thread
Sure, maybe she has been criticized for being too hard earlier on in her career but no one, and I mean no one can accuse Mindi O'Brien of performing a lackluster fitness routine even on her worse day yet in Atlantic City this past weekend she simply was not her normal gravity defying self. When that happens you can usually tell there is a problem they are adjusting to and sure enough, Mindi has a problem. "I partially tore my left achilles getting ready for the Arnold this year. I thought it was just a pull so I took a week off and when I went back the pain was brutal. I went to the surgeon and he said it was a partial tear and I would be out (of competition) a year."She tried to sit around and convalesce but after attending the Houston Pro show she got the bug and wanted to get back into the mix so she called the doctor to see what he said about competing this early, "I asked him what he thought about me competing. He said go for it if you want to and if you blow it out we can deal with it then."O'Brien then called her trainer to see what he thought as she was only 6.5 weeks out from this show. After a short discussion where he laid it out as plainly as can be she started getting ready. The result was a physique on Mindi that we have never seen before. Softer and round, full and feminine. She looked remarkable and in some poses appeared to put some pressure on Tracey Greenwood in the physique rounds. When the routine rounds came along O'Brien was expected to pull away from Greenwood but we got the "playing it safe" version of O'Brien that was still rock solid, just not the same girl we have counted on to entertain with the skill and precision of a Cirque Du Soleil performer.Bear in mind she still finished second in a very tough lineup and is on her way to the Olympia in 2 weeks. The surgeon was clear, she has a partial tear and could blow it out completely at any time. That would mean a year off the competitive stage along with surgery, rehab, and all the misery that comes with it. Just the mental pressure is enough to shut an athlete down with anticipation and fear but O'Brien deals with it, "I do a lot of visualization so it really doesn't affect me. It could go at any time but I can't think about that."Regardless she is determined to compete in the Olympia in two weeks and she is determined to be on point with her physique and she expects to perform a strong routine. Atlantic City was the first show back and there are no problems. I think its a safe bet she will push the bar a little higher for the "O".
Photo and article: Terry Goodlad
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