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A Preview: By Nectar Kirkiris
The 2002 Master Bench Press Championships, masterfully organized and run by Johnny Graham and his crew down in Killen, Texas last April, broke an 18 year drought for IPF competitions within the United States. But, the IPF is about Powerlifting and this May will mark its official return with the Women's World Championships in Chicago, Illinois.
As one of the premier cities in the United States and host to nearly 30 million visitors each year, Chicago is no stranger to hosting international events. The city is the cultural, financial and industrial capital of the entire Midwest and offers many attractions for visitors. May is also a great time to visit the city because of the vibrant atmosphere that spring brings to this area. This is partly due to the first signs of warm weather after a long cold winter and the naive exuberance and optimism of Cubs fans before the malaise brought on by the typical mid-summer collapse by that pathetic franchise. The Meet site will be the Lincolnwood Radisson (http://www.purplehotel.com/), which has hosted numerous USAPL national championships. Having been to several IPF meets over the past few years, I am certain that it will be a very popular venue with our international guests.
Making sure that the meet runs smoothly and represents the entire USA Powerlifting community in a positive manner is meet director and former USAPL president Dennis Brady. As though planning a national championship isn't difficult enough, planning an international one can be much more intimidating. Fortunately, Dennis's experience with running large competitions and attention to detail will prove to be very valuable assets for this competition. Powerlifting USA has referred to Dennis as the best meet director in the USA and he is ready to rise to the occasion once again to host another top-notch competition.
In an attempt to make the spectator's and competitors experience more rewarding, there will be several changes to this competition versus previous meets in Chicago. A computer projected scoreboard will be used to track the scoring and a scorekeeper will work with the announcer to keep the audience better informed of the standings during the competition. There will be a media day on Thursday, May 22 in the later afternoon to allow fans to meet the competitors. This will be a great opportunity for taking pictures and get autographs. All IPF competitions traditionally end with a banquet were team and best lifter awards are presented. Women's Worlds will also include a dance party immediately following the banquet (9-11pm). The party will include a DJ and cash bar. The cost for the party is free for those who attend the banquet and $5-$7 for those who don't and is open to everyone.
Women's Powerlifting has been one of the fastest growing areas in our sport over the past few years and USA Powerlifting is the clear leader. The quality of the women's world teams has grown in proportion to this increase in popularity. For all of our lady lifters, having the chance to compete on an IPF platform in front of family and friends is the culmination of years of sacrifice, dedication and hard work to get to this level. Hosting Women's Worlds in the USA gives the women's team the potential for enjoying a huge home field advantage over their competition. However, for this to occur requires a large, knowledgeable and vocal audience to be on hand. This will only be possible through the support of the USAPL membership and the US powerlifting community in general.
IPF competitions are the pinnacle of competitive powerlifting in the world. The meets are very fast paced and extremely competitive. Seeing one in person will forever change your opinion of this sport and what it means to lift in a competitive environment.
You can book room reservations for the meet by calling the Lincolnwood Radisson at (847) 677-1234. Tickets for the competition can be pre-purchased at a discount by calling B&W Gym at (773) 561-9692.
Lifting schedule:
Friday, May 23
Opening Ceremonies 10:00am
Session 1: 96 - 105lbs classes, start time 10:30am
Session 2: 114 - 123lbs classes, start time 2:30pm
Saturday May 24
Session 1: 132 - 148lbs classes, start time 10:30am
Session 2: 165 - 181lbs classes, start time 2:30pm
Sunday May 25
Session 1: 198 - UNL classes, start time noon
For more information and updates, please refer to these websites:
http://www.bwgym.com/
http://www.powerlifting-ipf.com/
or email Nectar Kirkiris at nkirkir1@motorola.com , Dennis Brady at BWGYM@bwgym.com
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