The first session of the 2001 Seniors opened with 8 lifters from the 114's to 132's. Ervin Gainer went 2 for 2 in the sq. with a pr 424. He passed his 3rd. Ervin hit 2 benches to finish at 282. He hit all 3 pulls finishing with a 496 with room to spare. His opening pull broke a 7 yr old natl meet total record and his 2nd and 3rd broke his own american total record as well as rebroke the national total record. He finished with a 7/8 day and a 1201 total which is only 5 kilos from the silver medal at last years worlds. 2nd place was Mike Hafenbrack a 16yr old from Nebraska with 854 and 3rd was Dave Dewaters (17yr old) from Michigan with 815.
The 23's had 3 lifters with Damarrio Holliway taking 1st on his final pull of 473. He missed it at the top on his 2nd when he lost his balance but made it with room to spare for the win. He totalled 1068. In 2nd was master lifter Sam Meadows who made a comeback pull with 451 on his 3rd to move into 1st. before Holliways winning pull. In 3rd was Vince Niedoliwka a 15 yr old from Michigan who hit a Junior American record pull with 402 on his 3rd, he finished with a 998 total. Interestingly at subtotal all 3 lifters were tied with 595.
The 32's were the Taylor and Cunningham show from start to finish. Both lifters went 3 for 3 in the squat ending at 485. Tim's were slow and steady with each one looking better as the weight went up. Trey's were VERY deep with a dive bomb style similar to Rob Wagner. His opener was smoked, his 2nd a little slower and his 3rd was the perfect 3rd attempt with not a lb. to spare. In the bench the trend continued with both going 3 for 3. Tim ended with 336 and Trey 286. With Tim being the stronger puller this essentially ended the competition, but Trey sent a message about who the lifter of the future at 132 is with 3 pulls ending at 529 and a 1300 total. So all in all a 9 for 9 day with I imagine pr's across the board. Tim sealed his 11th consecutive National title with a 2 for 2 day ending at 545 and a 1366 total. Tim passed his last pull to rest a back injury but with some rest Tim is on the verge of sealing his legacy in Powerlifting history with a Gold Medal at the Worlds to go with his many national titles. So there you have it at 132, 2 lifters, 17 attempts, 17 made lifts, not bad at the biggest and toughest meet in the country.
There were 8 lifters in the 148's. Lance Slaughter bombed in the bench with 385, after squatting 451. 7th place was Michigan teenager David Kibler with 1262. 6th was Chris Hughes with 1344. In 4th place was Keith Scisney (1383) finishing 2.5 kilos ahead of Mike Sigala, who pulled a class high dl of 600. Now the top 3 places became quite interesting. Scott Layman after only hitting 1 squat and taking 3 tries to get a bench in, went 3 for 3 in the pull to finish at 1454 in 3rd place. On a bad day Scott put 27 lbs on his 2000 Natl meet total and he still dropped 1 spot from a 2nd place finish last year. The man who bumped Scott down a place was the vastly improved and very powerful looking Greg Page from Ohio. Greg went 6/9 with a 1465 to jump from 7th to 2nd place in one year. Greg put nearly 100lbs on his 4/9 performance from last year and one can only imagine what he might do with another year of training and a few more made lifts. If Page could have hit his 551 squat, which was turned down twice on depth, he would have put a scare into the defending champion Jeremy Arias who finished with a 1504 on a 5/9 day. Arias will be headed to Finland in November to improve upon his 4th place finish last year and move into the medals.
There were only 3 in the 165's with a tight battle for 2nd. Kenny Davis from NJ, hit 3 deadlifts to finish at 1459. Greg Simmons, 5th place at 148 last year, moved up a class and went 9 for 9 to match Davis and take 2nd on bdwt. A great accomplishment at the toughest meet in the U.S. Now as expected the 1st place finisher was the 1996 World Champion at 148 Wade Hooper. Wade opened at a HUGE 683 with a strong lift. For his 2nd Wade went after the 12 yr old 723lb world record in the squat held by Ausby Alexander. Wade chose 733 for his 2nd and hit the lift with room to spare but was turned down on depth 2 to 1. He repeated the attempt on his 3rd and it was a little tougher but was turned down again 2 to 1. Wade went 2 for 2 in the bench with a solid 451 and showed nice improvement in the DL with a 589 and a near miss at 606. Wade finished with a 1722 and Best Lifter for the session. Wade's 2 misses would have given him a big 1788 only 5lbs out of last years winning total at the Worlds.
In the 181's 9 time World Champion Dan Austin made his return from a 1 year absence at the Seniors but this time he was up a class and looking the part. He opened at 650 in the squat and did a classic Austin perfect 3 white success. From there he went 683 and 705 with room to spare. In the benches he opened strong at 352 but was turned down with 363 and 374. The 363 appeared to be a quick pause and the 374 might have been an uneven lockout. The strength was there in any case and Dan should be looking at 400 when he gets comfortable at the new weight. Now it was d-lift time and if you have never had the honor of watching Dan Austin pull, you are missing one of the truly great technicians in powerlifting history. He opened with 650 and an easy, smooth 3 white success. He jumped to 705 on a 2nd and again it was an easy, smooth lift. Now for the 3rd he went 745 to break Ray Benemerito's 6yr old american record and David Ricks natl meet record from last year. This would also be a pr for Dan, eclipsing his 744 @ 165 from 1994 which is still the World Record. He got it moving very well but the left side seemed to be lagging from the start and it popped out of his left hand about mid thigh. All in all 6/9, 1763 total. Throw in the narrow misses on the 3rd bench and dl and Dan would have done 1829, which is 5lbs behind David Ricks silver medal total from last years worlds. Lastly, there is good news for U.S. power fans as the word out of Oklahoma State is that there is a new head football coach and it looks promising for Dan to be able to get some time off as head strength coach to make the trip to Finland. Lets keep our fingers crossed for that one.
At 198's we only had 5 lifters as Ray Benemerito moved up to 220. Former natl champ at 181 Greg Jones returned at the larger weight and was clearly strong but had trouble getting his lifts passed. He took 3 tries to get 672 in the squat and then bombed with 429 and 440 twice in the bench. In 4th was Tom Hines from Minnesota with 1642. Tom tried a Minn. state record 440 bench but was unsuccessful. In 3rd was Craig Terry with a 1763 total. Craig is built to pull and he came through today with a solid 749 and tried 788 on a 3rd. In 2nd was Mike Mastrean who hit 2 nice squats at 716 and 738, but was turned down 2to1 on a 3rd at 755. Mike went on to bench 457 and pull 650. In 1st was last years runner up Rob Wagner with 1890. Rob smoked a 777 2nd attempt squat but lost his balance in the hole with 799. He went 3 for 3 in bench finishing with a nice 446. Then he pulled 666 on his 2nd and missed 677 at the top. Rob joins an elite class of Walter Thomas, Lamar Gant, and Dan Austin, as U.S. lifters to win IPF Mens World berths in 3 different decades. Rob's 3rd sq and dl would have given him 1923 only 5 kilos out of the silver at last years Worlds. Look for Rob to medal in Finland.
The 220's started with 10 lifters including 1 guest lifter. It was a bomb scare in the squat with 3 lifters leaving the meet early. Steve Pincock was injured on 672 and did not continue. Jason Burnell losing his balance on a 661 opener and getting called on depth on a 2nd try at the same weight. On his 3rd he jumped to 705 and it was not very close. Scott Waits was a bombout victim at 705 and 716 also. We had guest lifter all the way from the Netherlands Michael Kalter who went 2for2 in the squat with 661 and 2for2 in the bench with 418. But Michael came to pull and pull he did with a 2nd attempt 801LB DL to set the European record. In 6th place was Tony Succarotte with a 1778. Tony tried to break Joe Ladniers natl meet record of 512 by going all the way to 540 which he locked out but was turned down 2to1. In 5th was Marty Drueppel with 1802. The battle for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th was a dogfight that came down to the pulls between junior lifter P.J. Chovanec, last years runner up Charr Gahagan, and last years 3rd place finisher Scott Zwaanstra. P.J. took the early lead in the squat with 672 with Scott right behind at 661 and Charr with his opener at 639. In the bench, Scott pulled ahead with 451 and P.J. right behind with 435 and Charr a nice 3for3 440 bench. Scott opened his pulls at 655 and P.J. moved ahead of him with 705. Charr's opener at 733 tied P.J. but Charr was heavier. On his 2nd Scott went 683 to move within 15lbs of P.J. who then missed 755 on his 2nd pull. Charr hit a solid 788 to move ahead with 1 pull left each. Scott moved ahead of P.J. with 705 on his 3rd. forcing P.J. to go 760 to catch him for 3rd but it was not to be. Charr tried 804 on his 3rd and it was extremely close but popped out of his left hand at the top. So 4th was Chovanec with 1813, Zwaanstra in 3rd with 1818, and Gahagan in 2nd with 1868. In first was defending natl champ at 198 Ray Benemerito who was testing the waters out at 220 for the first time. Ray looked big and strong at 220 and his opener sq at 722 was deep and easy. Ray was turned down 2to1 on depth on his 2nd attempt at 744. The strength appeared to be there but he had trouble setting up and was timed out on his 3rd. Ray hit 2 benches ending with 507 and only pulled 1 dlift at 722. It was a tough pull and he appeared to be having trouble with his grip at the top. He finished with a 4/9 day and a 1951 total. One more squat and bench and Ray would have totalled enough to get the Silver at 220 at last years Worlds. There is talk that Tony Harris wants to go back to 220 for the Worlds so we could have an awesome 1-2 punch at 220 in Finland.
At 242 Tony Harris moved up a class but only weighed in at 232. He went 3 for 3 in the squat ending at 744 on a very tough lift. He benched nicely with a 485 3rd. And only took 2 pulls to finish at 727. Tony went 8 for 8 with a 1962 total. In 2nd was Kevin Stewart who actually led at subtotal off of a 722sq and a 523 bench. He was injured and only took his opener at 683 in the DL. 20 kilos back was current Masters World Champion Shawn Cain. Shawn went 9 for 9 and he told me that in his last 3 meets (2 national, 1 World) he is 26 for 27, now THAT is how you are supposed to lift. Shawn's lifts were 683, 468, 733, 1884. Steve Mann took 4th with 1829. Deron Rogers went 8 for 9 and hit a class leading DL 749 to take 5th on 1818. Tony Harris plans to move down to 220 for the Worlds in Finland. The 275lb class was packed with 14 lifters and tight battles everywhere. 3rd through 6th place came down to the pulls with 16LBs separating the 4 lifters. Greg Wagner used 3 squats and 3 pulls to take 6th with 1918. Travis Rubey came out of the 1st flight with a 1929 to take 5th. Travis hit a big 738 pull to move up 4 places. Paul Fletcher had the benefit of seeing Travis's total posted and so he matched the 1929 on a 716 pull to tie and take 4th on Bdwt. In 3rd was 24yr old Georgia lifter Ryan Goldin. Ryan also was in the 1st flight but that didn't slow him down at all. Ryan only weighed 262 but he went 7 for 9 to total 1935. This was Ryan's first senior nationals but expect big things from this lifter in the years to come. Now to the top 2. Coming in to the meet defending Champ Pat McGettigan was clearly the pre meet favorite. But astute power fans were aware that 3 time Junior World Team Member Tony Cardella was no walkover. McGettigan who never seemed to get on track all day had his 1st squat turned down and then repeated it at 760. Cardella hit a nice 2nd at 733 and then a class leading 782 on his 3rd. In the bench the same trend continued with Pat only getting his opener at 473 and Tony motoring through 3 benches finishing with 534. At subtotal Cardella had what is a usually insurmountable 82LB. lead but McGettigan is a puller and you can never count those guys out. Tony opened 705 while Pat started at 777. Tony hit another clutch lift at 733 and Pat passed his 2nd. Tony missed his 3rd and so the stage was set. One attempt, 821LBs, for a spot on the World Team and a trip to Finland. The crowd got fired up and with Cardella watching from about 20 feet away McGettigan gave it a go, but was not able to get it above his knees to utilize his tremendous lockout strength. Bottom line Cardella 7 for 9---2050, McGettigan 3 for 8---2010, that says it all. Tony is the automatic selection for the World team and Pat is a top alternate selection so we might see this battle again in Finland. Pat, who totalled 2039 at last years Worlds, will no doubt be ready to go, but Tony looks like a rising star and 2100 looks right around the corner. What a class!
Final session, day 3 and the crowd was at its peak. In one class we had 4 time Natl Champ and defending World Champ Brad Gillingham, 1999 Bronze medalist at 275 Tony Leiato, and last years natl. runner up and 5th at the Worlds Sean Culnan. In 7th was Wade Hanna with 1868. 6th was Bruce Lee with 1912. 5th was Master lifter Dan Gaudreau who set 2 world master records in the Bench at 567 and 578. Dan finished with 1989. 4th was Van Hatfield with 2028. Now the big 3 Sean Culnan took the early lead with a 804 2nd attempt sq. Tony was in 2nd with 788 and two close misses at 832. Brad also hit 788 and was turned down 2 to 1 on depth at 810 and 821. At subtotal Brad moved ahead with a 600 2nd and a miss at 617. Tony was in 2nd after a 578 opener and a narrow miss at 606 on his 2nd and a miss at 628 on the 3rd. Sean was tied for 2nd at subtotal after a nice 3 for 3 day with 562. Tony had more trouble in the pull and had to take 2 tries to get 711 in and was unable to manage anymore. For Leiato it was an uncharacteristic 3 for 9 performance and a 2077 day and 3rd place. You have to figure with another year to get used to the added weight that 2200+ is very realistic for next year in Chicago. In 2nd was Sean Culnan who opened at 755, passed his 2nd and gave 793 a run on his 3rd. Sean finished with a 2121.
Finally the "MAN" in our sport for the last 4 years was the MAN and then some, once again. Brad opened easily at 793, took a modest 2nd at 815 and then blew the doors off the Omaha Doubletree with a 3rd attempt EIGHT HUNDRED AND FORTY EIGHT LB deadlift. The crowd sensing the moment rose to its loudest pitch as Brad began the pull in his patented over hand style. The drive off the floor was steady but just as the bar hit his knees and the crowd hit its peak, Brad kicked on the after burners and drove through the lockout, even holding the bar at the top for a few seconds while making sure everyone in the state of Nebraska knew he owned that weight. Let's put this in prespective for a moment. 5 straight National titles and trips to the IPF worlds at SHW. Do you know how many times that has been done by a U.S. lifter?....………..The answer is NEVER. The record Brad broke was 4 straight by the legendary Don Reinhoudt. The names of supers who have never accomplished this reads like a hall of fame of powerlifting. Reinhoudt, Kazmeier, Paul Wrenn, Doyle Kenady, Mike Hall, O.D. Wilson...folks that is select company. How about this...Brad's misses would have given him a 2286. Enough to win 27 out of the 30 World Championships EVER. We are in the midst of a power legend in his prime. If you have never seen Brad lift, make a trip to Chicago next July. If you have seen him lift, go next year anyway because he is flat out just getting better each meet. All in all it was a great championship. All 11 class winners with the exception of the 123's will be automatic World Team selections once the drug tests are completed. 3 lifters who didn't win Mike Mastrean, Pat McGettigan and Sean Culnan also hit the qualifying total and will be ranked as alternates for the trip to Finland. Thanks for reading this and I hope you enjoyed reading it half as much as I enjoyed watching it.
Patrick Anderson
A Few Assorted Photos from Omaha
