IPF Master World Championships
 The 2004 World Masters Championships were held in Udaipur, India. Udaipur is known as the City of Lakes, with a population of over 600,000. In India, a population of 600,000 is considered a small town, with the national population of just a little over one billion. I don't know about the rest of India, but in my opinion, Udaipur must be the moped capital of the world. You MUST have an operational horn on your vehicle to get around this town. I can't count how many times I thought we were going to run into another vehicle. Most of the US team members arrived together, either meeting in the Twin Cities or Mumbai (Bombay), India. We were met at the Udaipur airport by the meet director, Subrata Dutta and his staff, and given a ceremonial greeting then bused to the meet headquarters hotel. After a 36 hour trip, we were ready to check into our hotel to shower and rest. The meet staff had other ideas, as they were waiting for us to pay them for our hotel rooms. After some major discussions on payment, which most lifters had credit cards to pay the hotel for our rooms, we were bused to the hotel and checked in. Two hours later, we were bused back to the meet HQ's and then bused to a local banking office to get cash advances to pay the meet staff for the rooms. The US team was housed at the Fateh Prakash, a five star hotel, surrounded by the City Palace. We actually stayed on the same grounds where the King of Rajasthan lived. This place was really prepared for western tourists and we were delighted with the service and the great staff. Everyone involved with the servicing of the hotel was always willing to give us support in whatever we needed. You couldn't ask for a better staff. After all the rooms were paid for, I had the opportunity to go view the meet sight and check out the area. The event was being held at the College of Agriculture, which was a about a 15 minute drive from our Hotel/Palace. I was really surprised when I saw several LARGE poster of Ed Coan all over the area. Ed, are you a master lifter yet? Also, a large background poster of Kirk Karwoski is in every picture taken of the lifters on the platform. After seeing the warm-up, wrapping, and lifting area, I informed the team that we would be getting very close and personal with our competition. The warm-up area was a hallway with four platforms and the wrapping area about the size of a large bedroom. Needless to say, we were literally walking over each other in the warm-up and wrapping area. After the technical meeting on Tuesday, we saw a very long traditional Indian cultural show with many dancers. I didn't know a person could dance with 10 feet of bowls on her head while walking on glass and knives. After watching two hours of this, it was time to return to the hotel to prepare and rest for the first day of lifting. With this being a year of many new lifters, the veterans on the team were really helpful in the leadership of the team. The job that Asst. Head Coach Gina Stepleton did in keeping all the lifters informed of any changes prior to their departures was also evident of her leadership during the meet. Without a doubt, she took charge of every detail, from travel, hotel, scoring, scheduling team members' times, and keeping everyone involved with support of the team. Veterans Bill Scully, Dave Clark, and long time world team traveler Gerry Dally were always there to lend a hand and supply great support to the lifters. Working with this dedicated group of veteran lifters made it a lot easier for the newcomers to just do their job of lifting. As the first day of lifting started, you could see the nervousness of some of the lifters as they were about to perform on the "BIG STAGE". Newcomer Kim Ryman brought a supportive staff with her that was also very helpful throughout the week. Lifting in the 105 lb class, this is one lady that will soon be wearing the Gold medal around her neck. With her coach "Roy" wrapping her knees and keeping her focused, she finished with the bronze with great lifts of 231 sq, 115 bp, and 253 dl. This is one lady to watch out for in the near future as she has only just begun. Dana (Deutsch) Palmer has really had a hectic two months schedule. After getting married to the best person in the world to help you with bench shirts, Frank Palmer, she was on the team, off the team, and back on the team all within 3 weeks. The new life hasn't sapped her ability as she transitioned into the 114 lb class and gave the team great points with her 2nd place finish. I think her and Frank were still trying to find time to have their honeymoon on this trip, but it didn't happened with all the work they did during the week. She only weighed in at 112 lbs, but was solid on all her lifts. Dana has been on several World Benchpress teams and her benchpress powers showed as she won the gold in that lift. Once she gets more comfortable in her new weight class, she will be on the platform with the National Anthem playing. Speaking of the National Anthem, the CD player didn't work, so everytime a US lifter won the Gold, the team would sing the National Anthem from the audience. I must admit, we really did sound great singing it. Leigh Haines is making the transition from a benchpress specialist to full powerlifter with great success. After lifting in the Benchpress Nationals three weeks earlier at 114, she went back up to the 123 and garnered much needed team points at 4th place. She proved that her bronze medal in the Masters Benchpress Worlds was no fluke, as she got the silver in her signature lift. I'm sure we will see her on the medal platform soon. The hardest working person in powerlifting, Gina Stepleton, finally got the chance to stand on the medal platform. As I said earlier, she did an outstanding job before, during, and after the meet, and never had a day's rest. For the past five years, Gina has assisted, lifted, and did whatever was needed to support our teams, and now all her hard work and efforts paid off with a GOLD in the 132 lb class. As coach for the past five years, I think I was the happiest person in the crowd, as our first Gold medal at this World Championships was given to Gina. With John Bissen leading the USA in the singing of the National Anthem, it was an honor to be singing it for Gina and seeing her with her four golds around her neck. A well deserved win for a great person. Washington State Supreme Court Judge, Faith Ireland, has had a run of bad luck at recent world meets, but this year was not the case. After missing her first squat she came back strong on her second. She was on her way to the silver medal in the 132 lb, M2 class. Faith was our only lifter in the M2 class, but that didn't stop her from some great lifting. She also secured the silver in the squat, bronze in the bp, and silver in the dl. It was nice to see Faith with her always million dollar smile in the platform. What can you say about Paula Houston that hasn't already been said. Now we can add on the title as WORLD CHAMPION. Paula has won many national titles, but fell short at the Worlds, however, 2004 was her year. I have known Paula for many years and this was the biggest smile I have ever seen on her face when she found out she made a clean sweep of the Gold Medals in the 148 lb class. Her only disappointment was once again missing the American record on the benchpress. Paula finished up the team lifting for the ladies and with her win, locked up the M1 Women Team title for the USA. This is the 5th straight year that the ladies M1 have won the world title. As the second day of lifting started, we were always keeping a eye on John Bissen. John is the person most likely to get lost and this was proven as he came a day late from oversleeping in Bombay and missing his plane. When it was time to lift, John was ready and always smiling. John was also a last minute replacement, as he was given about a three week notice that he made the team and got all the items needed to make the trip on short notice. His hard work paid off as he got the team some very valuable 4th place points and a bronze medal in the squat in the M1 132 lb class. Not having anyone in the 148 lb M1 thru M3 was really strange. Not seeing defending World Champions, Lloyd Weinstien and Robert Cortez, with us was very different. But when it came time for the 165 lb class to lift, the coaching staff got busy. David Bracken showed that not only is he a very intelligent man (a nuclear physicist), but also, one very strong lifter. David calculates all his lifts down to the ounce for training as he prepares for a meet, along with years of history on his competition. It must have paid off, as Dave figured his way into 2nd place in the 165 M1 and also took the gold in the benchpress. A 606 lb squat is nothing to forget and he has more where that came from. Look out for some great things from Dave in the future. Jim Yeats brought along his wife, Vicki, with him and I think she put as much work into assisting the team as I did. It was always great to have her there with us and helping whenever we needed it. I guess she knows a thing or two, as Jim is by far one of the best lifters I have witnessed for many years. All his lifts are done with perfect form and it showed with his gold in the deadlift and silver overall in the M3. Jim also walked (flew) back home with the silver in the squat and benchpress. I had to give this guy a story to himself. A barber from Omaha, Ne., and a smile as wide as you can see, at the young age of 72 years, Dan Goodwin was the oldest lifter in the contest. You can't tell he is 72 by the shape of his body. NEVER have I seen someone of his age with as much muscle mass and muscular definition. Dan was in awe at his first world championship. This is a guy who lifts in nothing but a wrestling singlet. His 4th place finish gave us very needed points as we knew we had a fight for the team title against the always strong team from Japan. This is just the beginning of what he will do in the future. Longtime USA Masters team member Bill Scully had the meet he has been working on for years. I want to make it a point that no one was more proud of him finally standing on the podium with that GOLD medal around his neck than me. Bill has come so close on several occasions, but lost it on the deadlift. Yes, his deadlift also sucked on this day, but he took a commanding lead in the squat and benchpress, taking a gold in both events, and had to sweat out the final pulls of two Russians for the gold. His New Jersey counterpart, Bill Clayton, pulled triple duty as lifter, referee, and coach during the week. With all this work, he still managed a 3rd place, (Bronze), in the 181 M2. Now let's talk about the dancing deadlift. Only Bill can walk around the platform with the bar in his hand while deadlifting. You have to see it to believe it. Needless to say, Bill Scully didn't let him forget it the rest of the weekend. Defending 198 lb M1 Masters World Champion Greg Jones didn't have the day he was looking for. Greg is a trucker and being on the road for almost a month and getting into India the day before lifting took its toll on him. Even after enduring so much get there, he still managed a Bronze in the squat, deadlift, and total. Greg was about 60 kgs off his national win and that would have easily secured him his second gold. He will be back. How does Gerry Dally travel, train, and deal with Bill Scully, and still keep his sanity is beyond belief. Gerry usually lifts in the 198 lb class, but had to move up a class for team points. Gerry is also another guy who was assisting everyday when he wasn't lifting. His knowledge of the sport is well known as he had assisted the Benemerito brothers for years. Gerry had a good showing at his first Masters Worlds with a 5th place. Another longtime World Masters lifter, and former Gold medal winner, Dave Clark couldn't get a squat passed. The judging was very strict during his flight and I'm sure he will be back. Don't ever count out a former Vietnam Veteran Marine. Stan Chatis has traveled the world with the Masters Team several times and he is always a great pleasure to be around. Never is there a dull moment when Stan is around. And when he not out on the platform winning World titles, as he did again this year, you can usually find him somewhere with a cigar, just relaxing. Stan is one of those guys who just loves this sport and he has a gold in each lift to prove it. The 242 lb class was where we felt we had our best shot to take gold in every age group. With Brian Callahan and Jeff Capps leading the way in the Masters I, we were in pretty good shape. These two guys will have some battles in the near future, but this time it was Brian's turn to take home the gold. With some solid lifting until the deadlift, Brian had to wait for Jeff's final pull to see if he could hold on. Not only did he have to worry about Jeff, but also, Bill Henderson from New Zealand who missed his final pull to try to overtake Brian. Something about those New Jersey lifters and the deadlift scares the hell out of the coaching staff. Brian collected a gold in the squat, and silver in the bench, just winning by 2 1/2 kgs over Bill. It wasn't finished yet, as Jeff loaded his final deadlift to 310 kgs for the gold. He had the lift all the way up to the top his knees before losing his grip, and a sigh of relief for Brian. Bill Sindelar was unable to make the trip after injuring his shoulder, so I stepped in for a chance to get team points. Having had double hernia surgery just 14 weeks before the Worlds, I had no idea how I would do. After being told by Asst. Head Coach Gina Stepleton to keep training, and having Lanette Lopez coach me while at home, I was ready to just try to get some good lifts in. All my openers were really low to be safe and not being able to wear the only belt I've used for 20 years made me a little nervous. Maybe its time for a change, as I had my first 9 for 9 day, and walked away with the gold. I also received the gold in the squat, bronze in the benchpress, and silver in the deadlift to finish off the perfect day. We made a call to move Bill Helmich up to the 242 lb class in the M3 and he had to eat to make the weight. I guess he will continue to eat, as he walked away with a clean sweep of golds. Not only did he win, but he won by over 500 lbs to his closest competitor. I think he just might like this new class. The 275 lb class was another one where we had all the age brackets filled, and big guys can lift big weights. Bill Collins is a quiet, gentle giant from Wyoming, but don't let that fool you. This guy can lift big weights and proof of it was another clean sweep of the golds for him in the M1 class. Being on the big stage was really making Bill nervous and after some corrections, he went on to record a 644 squat, 501 bench, and 617 deadlift. Dr. Sean Anderson kept us informed of his every move from three months out of the meet and when it was time to perform, he was still at it. Something must have been right, as he went out there and secured a bronze in the 275 M2 class. Sean received a great writeup from the Idoho State U. newspaper for his lifts. Glad to see that the lifters are being recognized for all the hard work they put forth to this event. Will Morris has been on the gold medal platform before and he was ready to do it again. One of the best M3 benchers in the world, his other lifts aren't bad either. Showing that he is not just another bencher, he went on to perform a clean sweep as Bill and the others did. He still had to prove that he is a bencher, as he broke the world record (which was already his) with a easy 195.5 kg lift. Just to see Robb Grisham lift is always a good sign. Two years ago, Robb got injured on his way to Argentina for the Masters worlds and was barely able to walk. I can truly say that he is on the way to recovery. Taking 2nd to Will after what he has went through was truly something. I wish all lifters had the heart that Robb has. Dean Reece was another one of those lifters that get lucky to eat before a meet. We also moved him up a weight class to SHW and it once again paid off. Dean was the most surprised person there when he was announced as the gold medal winner in the benchpress. With that gold, he also came home with the bronze medal overall, with a fine 785 kg total. At the award ceremony, team USA walked away with the Women MI, Men MI, and Men MIII team title. With one of the smallest team we have had in years, all the lifters did an OUTSTANDING job with all their hard work. All lifters were assigned jobs when they weren't lifting, and it made for a wonderful FAMILY of lifters. Looking forward to seeing many of them at the Women's and Masters Nationals in 2005 JOHNNY A. GRAHAM USAPL Vice-President Masters Coach/Chairman 
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Contest Photos
All photos are thanks to Gina Stapleton 
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