2013 USPA NATIONAL POWERLIFTING, BENCH PRESS, AND DEADLIFT CHAMPIONSHIPS JULY 12-14, As reported by George Pessell

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1 2013 USPA NATIONAL POWERLIFTING, BENCH PRESS, AND DEADLIFT CHAMPIONSHIPS JULY 12-14, 2013 As reported by George Pessell This year s edition of the USPA National Powerlifting, Bench Press, and Deadlift National Championships took place at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, in downtown Las Vegas, NV. Also the site of the IPL World Championships this year and the past two years, the Golden Nugget continues to provide great facilities for the lifters. Located adjacent to The Fremont Street Experience, there were plenty of out-ofmeet activities available for lifters, friends, and family. Steve and Shelley Denison put forth an outstanding effort once again in hosting this meet. Due to the number of lifters, approx 240. The breakdown of competitors was 147 full meet lifters with 76 lifting raw, 35 classic raw, and 36 single ply. On Sunday there were 60 benchers with 38 going raw, 19 single ply, and 3 multiply. With the deadlift competition on Sunday there were 47 deadlift competitors with 28 lifting raw, 17 single ply and 2 multiply. The full powerlifting competition took place over Friday and Saturday. All women and men up to 181 lifted Friday, while men 198 and above competed on Saturday. Two platforms were utilized for the competition, providing non-stop action for the large audience which was present over the weekend. Good to see. Sunday was reserved for bench press and deadlift-only competitors. On-line viewing of the competition was streamed for those unable to attend buy didn t want to miss the competition. The warm-up area was spacious with plenty of equipment. Drinks/water was also provided to stay hydrated throughout the day s events. The transition of lifters from equipped to raw continued at this competition. Most of the men s raw weight classes featured 8-10 lifters, with very tight competition. Many of the competitors were in their 20 s, indicating the new blood in the sport is going raw. Approximately 70% of the competitors lifted raw at this meet, including myself, having been a dedicated geared lifter for decades. I will say lifting raw takes significantly less energy during the meet. The ego just has to get past the lower poundages. Once that s accomplished, it s all fun and about making your numbers. That said, lifting on Friday began with Lisa Rothman taking the win in the raw women s open and submasters 105 class, going 220/132/343 for a great 696 total along with the best lifter for raw women. In the 114 open raw class, Lily Starobin, a newcomer to the sport, and after disappointment with her squat and bench performance, put her new deadlift technique to work and pulled a 22 lb. PR, also good for a PR total and the win. In the 132 women s raw open, master lifter Jennifer Higgins took the gold via 253/132/308 and a 694 total, along with a win in her masters class, while Laurel Purdum earned silver with a 573 total. Three women vied in the 148 raw open, two of whom were masters lifters. Genevieve Betro put up a 749 total via 281/165/303, good for the gold. Master lifter Heidi Bailey finished with a nice 545 total for silver to go along with her masters class gold, and May Rodgers, the remaining master lifter totaling 501 for bronze, also earning gold in her masters division. The 165 raw women s open featured 7 competitors and a close battle for the medals. Malinda Gustafson used balanced lifting and a key deadlift to win over fellow Diehard team member and young upstart 19 year old Tara Maier, 826 to 822. Liz Lukaszewski was close behind with a big 793 total. Myra Balina didn t quite make weight for

2 the 148 s and competed as a very light 165 er. She garnered fourth and showed both great strength and enthusiasm on her third deadlift. Marie Lemkul landed in fifth with a nice 622 total, also winning her masters division. Moving on to the men s raw lifting, there were many young lifters present. 123 er David Wiseman was the sole competitor in this weight class, competing as a junior. David totaled a fine 760 via 225/181/352, with the deadlift being a world record. 132 Submaster lifter Cadet Bryant put of a nice 920 total. In the 148 raw open there were eight competitors with the top three again battling for the win. Henry Silva won out using his big 314 bench to go along with a 369 squat and 457 deadlift to total Henry also took the win in his junior class. Very close in second was junior lifter/division winner Kyle Ota with his 1,124 total. His total is new junior American record, while his 457 deadlift established a new world mark. Third place was awarded to Peter Pham, winner of his junior class and a total of 1,080. Corey Campbell totaled 1,041 for fourth. Henry Nguyen, placed fifth with his 992 total and also earned the silver medal in his junior class. 17 year old Christopher Leyva won his junior class, totaled 920 and was sixth in the open. 18 year old Phyman Dang landed in seventh, taking silver in his junior class, totaling 881 along with setting American records in the squat, deadlift and total. Five lifters squared off in the 165 raw open. Matthew Reep put up a huge 1,396 total with balanced lifting of 457/382/556, a 391 fourth attempt bench, and the win in the open and submasters. Nick Cambero kept things close using a class leading 501 squat to go along with a 325 bench and 529 pull for a 1,355 total. Corey Phillips, from Missouri, was third with a fine 1,124 total. Corey also won his junior class and set a new junior world record with his 501 deadlift. Master lifter Matthew Chapman totaled 975 winning his division, while 16 year old Ben Polak took his junior class with a 942. Chris Garcia pulled a huge 622 deadlift to go along with a 485 squat and 330 bench, totaling 1,438 to win the 181 open raw class. Ryan Cordano, who won his junior class, placed second with balanced lifting of 451/281/545, totaling 1,278. Finishing in third was fellow junior lifter Chas Leichner, who placed second to Ryan in their junior class, with his 1,124 total. Master lifter David Colvin won his age division, totaling 876. Submaster Jorge Gonzalez also won his division with an 815 total. The 198 open raw class feature ten lifters in yet another tightly contested medal hunt. Antonio Machuca used a massive deadlift to secure the victory and a 1,361 total. Zachariah Weaver was close behind with the silver with a 1317 total and only 6 lbs behind with the bronze medal was Brendon Cornwell with a nice 1,311 total, also winning his junior class. Submaster lifter Lars John placed fourth but won his age group with a 1,173 total. Venerable Louie Hernandez kept up with the youngsters, pulling a big 523 and totaling 1,085 for fifth in the open and a win in his masters class. Long-time training partner Dave Contreras went 9 for 9, getting raw p.r.s across the board with an excellent 1,030 total and the gold in his masters class and sixth in the open, while sparring in a closely-fought match with fellow master Michael Koufos with a 1,008 total. Junior lifter Brett Kempski earned gold in his age division, totaling 1,019. Master lifter Al Morentin totaled 964 on his way to winning his age class, and 18 year old Delvon Manning won his junior division totaling 887. The raw open 220 class featured medalists with the highest Wilks score amongst the raw competitors and with only 20 points of separation. New York s Luigi Fagiani was in third place at subtotal but used a massive 744 deadlift (and a successful 756 world record 4 th attempt) to pull out the win with a great junior world record 1,664 total. Luigi was also the gold medalist in his junior division and best lifter junior and open for an amazing day. In second with the biggest squat of the class was Grigor Khoudikian, going 600/391/639, 1,631 total, also winning his junior division. 54 year old master lifter George Pessell (me) kept the youngsters honest and was the eldest open class medalist, had a great day

3 going 9 for 9 with balanced lifting of 551/380/650, 1,581 total for the bronze open medal and a gold medal in the masters to go with masters world records in all disciplines. Noah Stangby got tired of dropping weight and went in as a light 220 lifter but succeeded with PRs in all his lifts, earning 4 th place via 529/297/628 and a 1,455 total. Look for big lifts as Noah fills out his frame. Close behind in 5 th was David Zvareck with a 1,427 total. In 6 th was another of my training partners, Howard Myers, who at 67 went a perfect 8/8, all master world records and personal PRs, punctuated by a 606 deadlift and 1,317 total. Howard won both his age class and best lifter for raw masters. 17 year old Nadeem Hamidy had a very busy weekend lifting in the full power and single lift competitions. Here he totaled 1,188, good enough to win his junior class and setting an American bench record on a 304 lb 4 th attempt as well as the world deadlift mark with a 515. The 242 raw open class was again a good fight, with Edward Wilson with the win going 451/418/661 totaling 1,532. Edward also won his junior class, with his bench and deadlift setting new junior world records. Fellow junior lifter Eric Asatryan placed second in both the open and junior class with a 1,499 total via 518/358/622. Third place went to Logan Ketcher with his 1,438 total. Master lifter Wayne Jandoc led a big crew of lifters through the weekend s lifting. Here, he placed 4 th in the open along with his win in the masters, with a 1,351 total, all lifts and total being new master world records. Very close behind, like 1 lb close, was another master lifter, Tom Fahy, who won his age group. 6 th place went to Michael Wiegers with a nice 1,300 total. In 7 th was junior lifter Anthony Nocera, with a fine 1,267 total and a gold medal in his junior division. Master lifters Gregory Cotteral and Thomas Matlock also won their respective age groups. Emilio Paez, of Orange County Strength Club had a rough day in seeking to qualify for the Olympia, landing only his opening squat and bombing in the bench. The 275 raw open men featured 4 lifters with Rick Simmons going 534/402/606 1,543 total for the gold. Junior competitor Zachary Langdon gained the silver in the open to go with a win in his junior division with lifts of 545/347/600 1,493 total. Kevin Smith earned the bronze with his 1,267 total. Rounding out the competition, Bradley Humble, from Australia, was close behind with a 1,245 total. The 308 raw open had two entries. Joseph Llamas went 374/341/485 1,201 total for the win. Unfortunately, Eldon smith could not get past his bench and bombed. Michael Carter took the win in the supers with a big California State record total of 1,730 via 606/418/705, with his deadlift being a new American record. Michael was also successful with a 4 th attempt California state record 622 squat. Wesley Bradley took 2 nd with 1,559. Junior divison winner Steven Maradona was close behind in 3 rd with 1,543. Moving on to the classic raw competition, there were few women competitors. 14 year old Nisa Salazar got the gold in the junior women s 105 class with 308 total. Keri Nichols of Canada, took the 114 open with a nice 507 total. Oregon master lifter Becky Price covered the 132 class with a big 832 total, establishing all new master world marks via 281/198/352, and also took home the best classic raw women s lifter trophy. Martha King, another master lifter competing in the 165 class, totaled 429, while Zee Helmick took her 181 masters class with a 490 total. In the men s classic raw lifting, the 148 open featured two lifters. Junior division winner Carlos Zarate duplicated his winning efforts in the open going 363/248/435 for a 1,047 total. Master lifter Joseph McMahan was runner-up with an 848 total, but gained gold in his age group. Reggie Dukes, lifting out of Indianapolis, put up a huge world record 1,455 total in winning the 165 open, with lifts of 507/369/578. His 578 pull is also a new world mark. Jon Gerhold placed 2 nd, helped by a big world record 380 bench to total 1,383. Vahana Dorcis was 3 rd with his 1,168 total. In 4 th was junior division

4 victor Luis Montano with a 920 total. Rounding out the competition was the last of my training partners, ageless Tom Miller. At 72, Tom succeeded with the second leg of his journey to total elite in raw, classic raw, and single-ply. Tom went 7/9 with an outstanding 843 total via 303/154/385, all world records. Next stop the IPL Worlds and a single-ply elite total. John Killin was the lone 181 lifter, competing in the masters class and totaling a big 1,091 by way of 407/220/462, all world master marks. John also took home the best master lifter award for classic raw. In the 198 classic raw open, Matt Moore was the big winner with great lifts of 611/374/661 totaling 1647, good enough for new squat and total world records and the best raw open lifter award. Close behind in 2 nd was Matt Gaechter, winner of the submaster class with lifts of 606/369/628 and a 1,603 total. Junior division victor Jorge Gonzalez placed 3 rd with a 1,471 total. Master lifter and division winner Richard Payne landed in 5 th in the open with a 1,410, with his 391 bench and 551 pull being new masters world marks. Three lifters were in the 220 raw classic division. John King took the gold with 1,504 by way of 567/435/501. John also gained the gold in the masters class. Submaster winner Aaron Barnell took the silver with his 1,300 total. Joseph Mundo couldn t get a squat in with the judges approval and had an early exit. In the 242 class, Oregon s Kirk Sabalka got the win in the junior and open classes with his 1,638 total and lifts of 607/396/633. Submaster winner Freddie Tackett picked up the silver in the open with 556/385/600 1,543 total. The bronze medal winner was Robert Schieder with a good 1,460 total. 17 year old junior victor Hunter Rossman placed 4 th in the open with his 1,212 total. Unfortunately, Josh Sanderson could not land his bench and was out. David Zyski was the victor in the 275 open classic raw with a huge 1,818 total using balanced lifting of 655/435/727. Garrett Brassington was the runner-up with a good 1,658 total. Master competitor Tony Rodenburg placed 3 rd with an 854 total to go along with his win in the age group. Paul Tabone got his squat in but ran into trouble with his bench ending his day. The Supers had two competitors, with one finishing the day for the win. Mark Glusica went 523/435/650 1,609 for the gold, with AJ Hesser bombing early in the squat. Only nine women competed in the single-ply full power meet. Dede Leinwohl took the masters and open 132 classes with her 772 total to go along with her successful 4 th attempt and American record 275 squat. In fact, all her lifts were American master records. Master lifter Gayle Arrowood took 2 nd with a solid 696 total along with several American and world masters records. Anna Kelske, ably coached by her husband, Jason, secured 3 rd with a fine 683 total. Master competitor Karen Parnow earned gold in the 148 masters class with her world record 755 total via 264/187/303, and successful 4 th attempts in the bench and deadlift of 192 and 314, respectively; all masters world records. Another master lifter, Betsy Spann went gold in the 165 s with lifts of 242/143/ total, along with a successful 4 th attempt 297 deadlift, an American masters record. Nicki I Anson returned to the platform with a redeeming performance, with gold medals in the open and masters 181 class and the best womens single-ply open and masters lifter awards. Nicki went 413/231/407 for a big 1,052 total. Nicki s squat, deadlift and total were new masters world marks. The single-ply men s competition began with two 165 master lifters, one of which bombed. Arthur Fu earned a gold in the group with lifts of 429/286/473 1,190 total. In the 181 s, Micah Marino was primed for a big meet and didn t disappoint. He started out with a huge 716 squat opener. Unfortunately, his next attempts to improve upon this mark didn t meet with the referees approval. His bench of 523 was nearly triple-bodyweight. Moving on to his deadlift, he pulled a massive 767 with amazing speed, making it look remarkably easy. The end result was a 11x bodyweight total of 2,007, a

5 gold medal in the open and junior classes, along with best lifter in open and junior men s single ply. Master competitor Bill Carlough took the silver in the open and gold in the group via big lifts of 573/419/446 1,439 total. Close behind, Rudy Garcia earned the bronze open medal and a gold in the sub-masters with a 1,416 total. OCSC lifter and national referee Jose Hernandez placed 4 th in the open to go with his gold in the masters class with a 1,333 total. Master lifter Ron Scott also put time in the ref s chair and still had time to place 5 th in the open and took the gold in the masters class with his 925 total. Shawn Buckley returned to defend his national title and won the 198 open with a big 1,813 total by way of 716/451/644. Master lift Roy Ericksen was the runner up with a 1,212 total and also won his group along with best master men s single ply lifter award. In 3 rd was another master lifter, Bob Kinsey with a 815 total and silver medal from the age group. There were seven competitors entered in the 220 class, with four bombing out. Master lifter Asa Barnes survived the onslaught taking gold in the open and his age class with a 1,824 total anchored by a big 733 squat, 523 bench, and 567 pull. 17 year old junior lifter Dylan Wade Tripp took the silver, with a great 1,416 via 617/297/501, with his squat being a new junior world record. Master lifter James Bell won the bronze open to go along with his gold in the group with a 1,355 total. First and second place in the 242 open was hotly contested, with junior division winner Mike Giunta firing off the initial salvo with a big 793 squat. Master competitor group winner Dennis Reneau had trouble getting his squat in, needing all three attempts to notch his 606. Dennis closed the gap with a huge 694 bench to Mike s 523. Mike was only 5 kg up at subtotal time, pulling a 639 deadlift to Dennis 622 for the win with a 1,956 total to Dennis 1,923. Master lifter Delbert Shay placed 3 rd with his 1,300 total and a win in the age group. Ron Pagal was close behind in 4 th with a 1,278 total along with a win in the age group. Junior lifter Stetson Kinnison placed 5 th in the open with his 1,262 total, also winning the junior class. Nick Pastorello was 6 th, and a winner of the junior class. Only three lifters competed in the 275 single-ply; however the competition was again very good. Lewis Hamer got off to an early lead with his squat then finished with a nice pull to total 1,664 via 600/402/661 for the win. Master lifter Frederick Martinez went 529/429/650 for a 1,609 total and 2 nd place. Close behind in third was another master lifter, Eric Welch with a 1,581 total. Frederick earned gold in the masters class, while Eric did the same in the group. David Douglas was the lone entrant in the 308 s. After missing his opening squat on depth, he came back and cleanly made it, going on to a big 2,177 total and a likely invite to the Olympia, via 744/727/705. Looking forward to seeing his squat and deadlift reach equal footing with his outstanding bench. Henry Thomason was the only competitor in the supers, going 920/705/606 for a big 2,232 total. His total would have been significantly greater had he made a couple key attempts. No problem for Henry, as I m sure he ll be back again with more huge lifting. Sunday started out with the single lift athletes, beginning with the bench press. Highlights of the day include Angie Robertson, using her ample guns to push up a 203 bench in winning the 148 raw open along with the women s raw open best lifter award. Fellow Diehard team member Tara Maier backed up her great lifting on Friday with a win in the junior raw and open 165 classes with a 192 effort, which established a new junior world record. Malinda Gustafson, another Diehard teamer, took all three attempts to post a 170 for the silver in the 165 raw open. In the men s raw bench competition, junior lifter Trenton Tanioka went 225 in the 132 s for the gold. In the 165 s, two masters lifters vied, with Rick Gutman taking 1 st with a 228, and venerable Jim Merlino, 75 years young, runner up with a 192, which is a new world record in the group. Master lifter Roy

6 Mitchell was the gold medalist in the 181 raw open with an excellent age group world record 347. Junior division winner Wade Hunsaker, was close behind garnering the silver in the open with a new junior world record 341. The bronze medal was awarded to master competitor Randall Moore, with a 225. The 198 raw open class featured 8 competitors. Master winner Jess Santos doubled his gold with a win in the open and a big 418 bench. Jeremy Davis landed in second with a 363, followed closely by Willie White with a 352 and Tom Delong with masters world record junior division winner succeeded with a 319 for 5 th place in the open master class winner Barry Moores went 303 for 6 th in the open followed by another young lifter junior competitor Brett Kempski with a 253. Stacy Dedrick went double bodyweight for the victory in the 220 men s raw open with a 446. Runner up was Wyoming s John King with masters world record 407. Both men gained gold s in their respective masters classes junior lifter Nadeem Hamidy returned from his Saturday full meet lifting and placed 3 rd in the open with a 303, followed closely by fellow junior competitor Roc Pifferini with a 292. Steve Bloom, kept busy refereeing, expediting, etc. throughout the week, made time to bench putting up a 236 at 72 years. Jim Phraner started his big day off with winning the 242 raw open class with a big world record 507. More on Jim s accomplishments in single ply later. Cory Dexter followed with a nice 479 for 2 nd, with Scott Hoekstra in 3 rd with a 451, also going gold in the group. Master Jeff Hunter placed 4 th in the open with a 424, winning the age group. Mark Johnson went 418 placing second in the submasters and 5 th in the open. 70 year old Daniel Smith III pushed 352, winning his age group. Submaster Ryan DeWitt was the sole entry in the 275 s, but put on quite a show, benching a massive world record 600, and earning best raw open lifter. Nick Summers took the gold in the 308 open with master competitor Rudolph Schaap went 518 for silver, and a win in his age group. 71 year old Ed Stanley earned a bronze in the open and a gold in his age group for his 187 masters world record effort. Master lifter Quinn Bremes pushed a good 414 new world record. Highlights of the single-ply womens bench included Trace Ryan s 203 in the 148 open and master. Also in the 148 s, 75 year young Romy Brubaker benched 82. In the men s single-ply, Tsunehiko Yagi went 347 in the 165 s. Stacy Dedrick doubled up in the bench also going single ply and added another gold with a 507 in the 220 open, followed closely again by John King with a 501. Master lifter Everett Cutburth went 236 for the bronze. Each of these men also gained gold in their respective age groups. In the 242 open, Jim Phraner continued his winning ways and went 3/3 finishing with a new world record 766 and best lifter award. Very nice lifting. Submaster Cory Dexter also shirted up and went 694 for silver and a gold in submasters. Masters lifter Bryon Brubaker went bronze with a big 584, along with a win in his age group. Marc White was 4 th with a 551 and a win in the age group. Wayne Jandoc came back to bench after competing in the full meet on Saturday and earned a 5 th in the open with a 486, a new world masters record. Herb Strange rounded out the 242 competitors with a new masters world record 242 effort in the age group. Dennis Reneau also returned for the bench only meet after completing his first full meet the day prior, going 661 in the process at 275. In the 308 s, David Douglas did the same after putting together a big total the day before; however, he went for broke trying to bust through the 800 barrier, missing two tries at 804 before passing his third. In the supers, Henry Thomason also gave bench-only a shot, making a 705.

7 There was one woman and two men entered in the multi-ply bench competition. Betsy Spann, competing in the 148 lb, masters, completed a 148 lift. 181 open and master Mike Bingham put up a big 551, over triple bodyweight and a new open and masters world record. Masters lifter Alfred Franke succeeded with a 264 bench in the 198 class, another masters world record for the books. Deadlifts finished off the three day strength-fest. Beginning with the raw competitors, 13 year old Savannah Sparkes made her dad proud with her 159 pull in the 97 lb class. Junior lifter Kate Gondales pulled a big 248 in the 105 class for a junior and world record. In the 114 open, Tajsha Jordan made all her lifts look easy, finishing with a solid 286 for a gold medal and new world record. The 123 open featured three competitors. Master lifter Suzanne Davis was the victor with a 325, capped off with a successful 4 th attempt of 330 for a new open and master world record. The silver was won by yet another Diehard team member, Araceli Real, with a nice 225. Canadian Kerri Nichols took the bronze with her 198 effort. In addition to her big win in the bench portion, Angie Robertson took the gold in the 148 submaster and open deadlift with a great 385 pull. Angie also won the best lifter award for the raw open women s deadlift. Master lifter Blanca Rios was the runner up in the open 148 with a 209 and a gold in her age group. Tara Maier added two additional gold medals to her weekend s hardware collection with a huge 359 pull in the 165 open and junior classes. Sophia Hussary pulled 336 for a win in the 181 open and submasters. Masters Lil Stewart made a big 227 for the silver in the open and gold in her age group and a new masters world record. Daughter Nicki was proud of mom. Rounding out the women s raw competitors is submaster victor Kimberly Myles with a nice 259 effort in the 198+ category. In the men s raw deadlift, beginning with the 165 class, Vahana Dorcis was the gold medalist with a 468. The silver medal was awarded to master competitor and winner Kevin Meskew with a new masters world record 418. Kevin also won best lifter for the mens master raw deadlift. The bronze went to submaster winner Jonathan Daves with his 363 effort junior lifter Wade Hunsaker pulled a big 551 in the 181 s en route to wins in the open and junior classes. Wade was also the best raw junior lifter master lifter Randall Moore was the runner up in the open, to go with his gold in the masters, with a 325. In 3 rd was another master, Stan Miyahira, competing also in the group, with a successful 275 lift, good for a new masters world record. The 198 raw open had 4 lifters, with Sam Brooks the winner with a junior group winner Atom Cook was the runner-up with 545, a junior world record. In 3 rd was junior winner Brett Kempski with 451. Gaven White, also a junior, was close behind with a 424. Nadeem Hamidy closed out his weekend with a gold medal in the junior class with a 485 pull junior competitor Jason Jimenez made a big 595 at 242, good for another junior world record. In the 275 junior division, Greg Jones pulled 600. In the supers, Dave Fitzgerald got his opener in with a big 677, good enough for the win, a masters world record, and best lifter award for the men s raw deadlift. Junior winner Steven Maradona pulled a 551 for 2 nd in the open. Master lifter Quinn Bremes placed 3 rd in the open with 485. Only two women suited up for single-ply deadlifting. 148 class, master, Trace Ryan made a solid 358, for another medal for her hardware collection and a new masters world record master 148 er Karen Parnow made a nice 303, another master world record.

8 In the men s single-ply deadlift competition, Matthew Covell was the lone entry in the 165 s, making a 435. In the 198 s, 7 men competed. World record holder David Hansen made his opener of 744 for the win, but couldn t lock out his 805 to up the record. David also earned the best lifter award for open men single-ply. Master lifter Warren Fahrenfeld got the silver with a 611, along with a masters gold. Bronze went to master class winner Peter Tapia with a 523. Also of note is masters competitor Roy Taylor, who easily went 4/4 pulling a new masters world record 429, taking his age group gold and best lifter for masters single ply. There were seven lifters also in the 220 open with masters deadlift machine John Bostick leading the way in a competitive group, with a solid 722 on his opener. Two tries at 766 just could go. Tim Sparkes joined the 700 club with his 705 effort, getting the silver in the open and gold in the masters. Jason Kelske went bronze with a big 688 pull. OCSC s Vithuran Arulmoli crained up a nice 584 for 4 th. Junior lifter Weylen White placed 5 th in the open with 529. Finishing off the lifting results, lifter Betsy Spann lifted in the multi-ply deadlift and made 292, a masters world record. On the men s side, master competitor Alfred Franke pulled a solid 435 for a new masters world record in the 198 s. In the team competition, Sonoma s Ikaika Hoomau Power Team took the win, with Arizona s Diehard Gym the runner up. In summary, this was yet another well-run major meet held by Steve and Shelley Denison on behalf of the USPA and its lifters. The sport appears to be thriving, with a significant number of new, younger lifters, primarily in the raw sector. Even some of us veterans are returning to our roots and lifting raw as of late. See everyone at the IPL Worlds in November. Until then, go heavy or go home. Thanks go out to all the support staff including: Announcers Lisa Wheeler, Kevin Meskew, John King Scorekeeper: Kelly King, Anna Kelleher, George Pessell, Dave Contreras Spotters/Loaders: Tom Moormeister, Andreas Gallagher, Chris Whelchel, Brittany Pryor, Keith McGee, Joel Callison, CJ Poteete, Tom Mani, Danny Hernandez Referees: Ron Scott, Gordon Santee, Bernice Fuss, Lisa Wheeler, Jim Merlino, Kevin Meskew, Alan Aerts, Scott Layman, Bonnie Aerts, Jose Hernandez, James Bell, Tom Miller, Dan Martin, Tony Rodriguez, Tracie Marquez, Steve Bloom, Lord Elliot, George Pessell, Jesse Branham Thank you to our Vendors/Sponsors: Ken Anderson Powerlifting, Iron Rebel Power Gear, Nobody Trains Harder Clothing, My Healthy Meal, National Academy of Strength and Power, Inzer Advance Designs, Cellucor Nutrition, Titan Support Systems, Vidration, Hansen's Energy Pro.