2007 USAPL Men's National Powerlifting Championships
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Opening Remarks The 25th USAPL Men's National Powerlifting Championships, combined with the USAPL Women's Gateway Open Championships was stellar success! Again, as in years past, the quality of the lifting, by every account, was exceptional! Overall, 74 men and 8 women took part. The championship also witnessed several new IPF World records. Before beginning my report on the Men's National Championships, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Harold Gaines, Rick Fowler, and Rob Campbell for simply directing simply a "superb" championship! These gentlemen back by the army of volunteers ensured that our 25th anniversary event was an impressive show that a lot of us will remember for some time to come. I would like to commend Rick Fowler on his award ceremony of the top 25 lifters that have taken part in the Men's National Championships -- A very entertaining and award winning show. I was honored to be a part of the selection committee of the athletes. The venue for this year's championships was the Chesterfield Doubletree Hotel grand ballroom, located in suburbs of St. Louis. The hotel featured many amenities, and the hotel staff was prepared for the championship and the requirements of our athletes. The only imperfection of the event was that Ivanko Barbell shipped Harold Gaines weightlifting bars, instead of the mandatory powerlifting bars. So, I/we turned to old faithful -- the Texas Power Bar -- which technically met all of the mandatory IPF specifications and proceeded on with the championship. There was some post-meet commotion regarding the world records, and whether or not they would be accepted. After speaking with the IPF and explaining the situation to them, and what took place with Ivanko, the records were accepted with little difficulty. I would like to thank the IPF for their understanding and flexibility. Much appreciated. Friday - Morning Session Eight [8] ladies took part in this year's Women's Gateway Open Championship. The major highlight of this session was Mrs. Jessica O'Donnell's IPF World Record squat of 597lbs, which was made with room to spare -- Great lift Jess! Compliments are also in order for 2006 World Champion, Liane Blyn, and teen sensation Kendra Miller, who each set some American records. If you have not seen Kendra lift, at just 14 years of age, she is absolutely amazing! Jane Larson-Wellborn set some personal records, and Leonetta Richardson will be a factor in future years at 165. Her 330lb bench press, I believe was a new American record as well. My compliments to Anna Bailey, Rebecca Rich and Lanette Lopez for some excellent lifting as well -- Great job ladies! Friday - Afternoon Session With the elimination of the 52kg class, journeymen lifter, Ervin Gainer from Maryland, moved up to the 123lb weight class, and went unopposed and subsequently notched his 11th consecutive National Championship, and another USA world team slot. Ervin's last deadlift of 507lbs was pulled easily, but was turned down due to the knees being unlocked. Damarrio "Doc" Holloway, last year's winner in the 123lb weight class, moved up to the 132lb class this year and won strongly over master lifter and attorney, Eric Kupperstein of Massachusetts. Doc's 573lb squat was effortless and set the pace for his personal record total of 1477lbs. Notably, Eric's last pull of 272.5kg, was extemely close, and was turned down 2-1 by the side referees for not having his shoulders completely back. This lift will surely go, next month, at the World Masters in Slovakia. With the departure of Caleb Williams to USA Weightlifting, TJ Hoerner returned to take 148lb weight class convincingly over Darren Matsumoto and newcomer Rick Schwalbach. Despite coming from an organization, whereby the technical standards were not enforced as stringently as USA Powerlifting, TJ made the necessary technical adjustments and posted some very impressive lifts. With more time and training in single-ply gear, and without the aid of the mono-lift, his numbers will no doubt soar. The numbers posted at nationals were not a reflection of his true potential capability. Congratulations TJ, and welcome back! Darren again tried the master's IPF world record in the bench press with 449lbs, but came up short. The world record is clearly in his grasp and will make it next year at Masters Nationals in Miami! Saturday -- Morning Session Wade Hooper, again, dominated the 165lb weight class, and won with a very nice total of 1862lbs. Wade's attempt at a world record in the squat was very close, despite only coming to the meet with his training suit. The bench of 529lbs, was 5.5lbs under his existing world record, but was missed at lockout -- close try. Wade sewed up his 10th consecutive USAPL National Championship, with a solid 595lb second attempt in the deadlift -- 628lbs was locked out, but exploded from his hands before receiving the command from the chief referee. In Soelden, Wade will defend his world championship title this year against the likes of Jaroslaw Olech from Poland, and this confrontation will likely come down to the last lift of the competition. Tune is via the free and live webcast of the IPF World Championship to see the event. Details can be found on the IPF Webpage. Eriek Nickson avoided his third consecutive bomb at nationals by placing his third squat low enough to satisfy the officials. Eriek's opening bench of 396lbs, which had to be repeated, and deadlift of 633lbs, was able to hold off David Hammers, the best lifter at the NAPF North American Regional Championships this year in Guatemala, who placed a solid third. Newcomers' Spencer and Walton battled for the final positions. Cagliola had difficulties with the squat, and bombed. At 47 years young, former Naval Commander, David Ricks awed the crowd, yet once again, with his amazing strength to take the 181lb weight class. He gave us all a scare though, at the end, when he missed his first two deadlifts due in part on balance. However, "Mr. Clutch" came through on his third attempt to notch another trip to the IPF World Championships. Great job super Dave! Multi-time Junior and Collegiate National Champion, Josh Rohr now entered the ranks of the open lifters and performed quite well. He is an impressive and smart lifter. His 8/9 performance on well selected attempts, allowed him to hold off bench specialist Lance Kirchner and newcomer, fresh from the junior ranks, Nicholas Gutierrez. Nick is a talented lifter and will be a contender in years to come. Nemow and Legard battled for the final medal position on the victory podium. Saturday -- Afternoon In the 198s, the immortal Mike Bridges, at 50 years of age, lined up against 15 of the best lifters in the USA, and was again, simply himself -- Great! All of Mike's lifts were performed with his legendary calm and flawless technique that propelled him to yet another national title and five IPF World Master Records. He was able to convincing beat the young stallion Dan Williams of Wisconsin, who was literally young enough to be his son. Dan is filled with great talent and is going to be the lifter of the future in this category. The much improved John Pena was close until deadlifts, and based on his consistent improvement the past couple of year, will be the clear cut contender for next year's title. Newcomer Tyson Greene was not phased by the company he was keeping in this class, and was very impressive. His last deadlift of 683lbs was close, and would have given him third on bodyweight over Pena. Last year's National Champion in this class, Greg Jones settled for respectable 5th place, and will be heading off to Slovakia for the Masters World Championships. Finally, Craig Terry took another shot at the IPF World Masters record tin the deadlift that he set in Milwaukee two months earlier, and was close with an unbelievable attempt at 782lbs -- Impressive to say the least! Godawa, DiCataldo and Woods battled for the middle positions, with Cohen, Hunt, Rowe, Scolaro, Lemarie, and Whitcomb rounding out the class. It was refreshing to see a weight class again, with depth to it! The ever consistent Jason Beck took the lead from the outset and never looked back. After posting personal records in both the squat [810lbs], and bench press [584lbs], Jason took three [3] very easy attempts in deadlift, for a new American record total 2127lbs. Jason now has his eyes set on 1000kgs [2204], and looks to eclipse this mark at the World Champions in Soelden, Austria. Once achieved, either this year or next, Jason will become the lightest lifter in USA Powerlifting history to ever achieve this mark. Former National Junior and Collegiate Champion, Jeremy Hartman was very impressive in his first outing at nationals, and finished ahead of USC Strength Coach, Char Gahagen. Jeremy's final deadlift of 755 was pulled with ease and was capable of at least 771lbs. Brian Radulavich from Colorado returned to national level competition this year and post some impressive lift and finished a very respectable 4th in this weight class. Newcomer Kenneth Gack benched 512, the second highest in the class, which enabled him to take 5th place. Boyhood friend of Jason Beck, Travis Werner had a very nice day, going 9 for 9 in his first ever nationals. Ruben and Williams battled for the final positions with Robert Hansen. Sunday - Morning Session The battle between Tony Harris and Mike Mastrean in the 242s was epic to say the least -- The big squatter vs. the big puller. Mike Mastrean was the clear favorite coming in, after posting an American record squat [887lbs] and total [2177lbs] at the Quest American Invitational held this past April. Tony Harris, unflinching, bared down and went to work and posted a personal record squat of 843lbs to position himself nicely going into the deadlift. Mike, on the other hand, missed a crucial 3rd attempt squat of 903lbs that would ultimately become the difference when it came time to the deadlift; whereby he was not able fend off a final world record pull of 788lbs by Tony Harris that won the championship. Folks, talk about exciting (!). Needless to say, the competition between the athletes in this class had the makings of a battle royal. Last year's winner, Nick Tylutki was not far behind, and it appears to me that his bodyweight was the key factor from him taking control of this class. Jeff Douglas captured 4th place on a perfect 9/9 day with his very proud son, Newt, by his side in the warm-up area. Steve Mann, with a slight groin pull was able to make enough attempts to capture the final medal position. The fights for the middle positions were between Fritz, Stewart, Holmes, and soon to be Chiropractor Mike O'Donnell. The final positions were fought for by Mitchell, Ferguson, Ahlschwede and crusty veteran Shawn Cain, a true powerlifting ironman, who attended what I believe to be his 22nd or 23rd Men's Nationals. It was nice for the young guys to see and meet one of the legendary men, who made USA Powerlifting the great organization it is today. Sunday - Afternoon Session In the 275's, Tony Cardella and Scott Lade squared off again for the title this year with Tony coming out on top once more. Scott's third squat with 821lbs, turned down 2-1 by the officials, would eventually be the lift that put him out of contention, by the time the bar hit the floor. Scott is a super bench presser and will be back in action at this year's Bench Press National Championships in Denver with the intention of making another world record and win a slot on the USA Team to attend the World Championships. Tony, on the other hand, made a nice 848lb squat to set and strategically position to win yet another national title. He will be heading back to the World Championships in Soelden, to defend his Silver medal, which he won in Norway last year. Nice competition between these two fine gentlemen. Returnees to national level competition, after a lengthy time away, Pat McGettingan and Greg Wagner fought to the last deadlift for the 3rd and 4th positions. Dr. Patrick Anderson, under the coaching of his brother Mike, slid into the final medal spot with a solid 7/9 performance. He is not far off his long-time goal of a 2,000lb total. Newcomers Weite, Gauthier and Nord battled for the middle positions, with McDonough, Benefield, Doyle and Gousset rounding out the class. With Brian Siders out this year due to an IPF 14.9 suspension, the SHW class became wide open for all comers. Stepping to the plate was IPF Hall of Famer Brad Gillingham, and WPO sensation and hometown favorite, Jeff "King Louie" Lewis. This was the much anticipated battle of the entire competition, and the ballroom was packed to capacity with a standing room only attendance. The hometown audience erupted each time King Louie came out, and it was deafening to say the least. The contest between Gillingham and Lewis was a barn-burner all the way down to the last attempt in the deadlift. The third attempts by Lewis in the squat and deadlift were VERY close, and each were turned down 2-1, and thus became the deciding factor for Big Brad to pull the winning deadlift of 837lbs to lockout to tie Jeff, and win on bodyweight. My compliments to Jeff Lewis for his sportsmanship in cheering on Brad on his fall deadlift, and was the first person to congratulate him after he walked off of the platform! I would also like to extend my congratulations to Brad for what looks like may in fact be his final trip to the Open World Championships. Jason Christus was a solid third, and Jeff "Mountain" Fiss lifted very well, given this was his first time at Nationals. Karabel and Hulslander both experienced troubles getting a bench in this year, and subsequently bombed! Interesting to note, if Karabel was able to overcome his technical difficulties with his opener of 650lbs, he would have totaled 1052.5+, which would have made this class even that more interesting when it came time to deadlift. Drug-testing Resume I shall begin by extending my compliments to George Bartotti, for once again handling the doping control process for the athletes. Professional and very well done! As the championship technical secretary this year, I would like to report that we tested twenty-three [23] lifters in all at this championship - 28% off the total participants, which is nearly triple of the required 10% that is mandated to be tested. The highest percentage ever! Moreover, of the collected specimens to be tested [10], nearly 44% of the total samples, were sent to an IOC accredited laboratory at UCLA in Los Angeles, California, or the Cologne Laboratory in Germany, and the remaining [13] tests, 16% of the samples were sent to Quest Laboratory in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also, for the first time, we employed a battery of testing utilizing three [3] laboratories -- Quest [13 samples] , UCLA [ 9 samples] and the Cologne Laboratory [ 1 sample ] to test the samples received from the athletes. Overall, these numbers exceed the current WADA and IPF guidelines and standards for doping control. Outstanding Lifter Awards / Team Scoring Harold Gaines presented best-lifter awards for each day of the championship. The awards were presented to the following lifters: Day 1 - Damarrio Holloway [Wilks 572.12]; Day 2 - Wade Hooper [Wilks 602.34]; and Day 3 - Brad Gillingham [Wilks 575.11]. The overall Champion of Champions went to Wade Hooper. Deservingly, the Women's Gatway Open Champion of Champions went to Jessica O'Donnell with a Wilks score of 574.64. Great job and congratulations to each of you! Team awards were presented as follows: Quest Nutrition - 1st; Titan Support Systems - 2nd; Monsters of the Gateway - 3rd; Garage Ink - 4th; and the Power Plant Gym - 5th. Closing Remarks This was an exceptionally well directed championship by Harold Gaines, Rick Fowler and Rob Campbell that was filled with some exceptional lifting. Each volunteer and participant on Mr. Gaines staff should be proud of their respective role in the success of this championship. I shall conclude here by saying that I would like to again thank my core of professional referees for their tireless work and effort -- It is greatly appreciated and thank you for another job well done! On a final note, I would like to extend a sincere thanks to the sponsors of this event -- Titan Support Systems, Ivanko Barbell, PowerliftingWatch.com, Crain's Muscle World, House of Pain, Advocare, Power Body Gym, Quest Nutrition, ConCret Nutrition, Lifting Large Nutrition, and Smug-Mug Photography by Christy Newman. Without your kind and generous assistance, this championship would have not been possible -- Thank you (!!) Also, my compliments to Rick Fowler, once more, for his professional artwork and construction of the event website -- Outstanding! Until next time, I look forward seeing everyone next year, as we travel back to Killeen, Texas for the 26th Men's National Championships. Thank you, Robert Keller Technical Secretary 2007 USAPL Men's National Championships |