“You can stop training,” my coach said to me. “The contest is off.” I put down my weighted shaker, took my headphones off, wiped the sweat from my brow and looked up in disbelief.
The suicide drills between the kitchen and the bar, squats on full cases of beer, lunges with magnum Champagne bottles in each hand, and shaking drills have filled up my free time—and for what? There would be no Best Bartender Category this year in the Source’s Best of Bend issue.







