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		AMERICAN RECORDS FALL ! On Saturday Feb. 28th two of the largest records in USA Powerlifting history fell before a packed house in Granite City, IL. In the squat, Jeff Lewis erased the name of Mark Henry with a magnificent 959 lb. dunk as crowd noise rose to a deafening level. Henry's record was set in 1995 and was previously the largest lift in USA Powerlifting history. Lewis wasn't done there. After the squats, Jeff went on to do the same in the benchpress. Three strong attempts went up, and the final lift was 705 lbs., taking the record the Brian Siders had established late last year. Lewis' subtotal of 1,664 was also the largest in USA Powerlifting history. Completing these lifts put him in a position to set an American Record in the total. Although I was told Jeff needed just 727 lbs. to break Siders existing total record of 2,387, Lewis wanted more. As it turned out, 738 lbs. would be the magical number needed for Jeff to be the first lifter in the USAPL to go over 2,400 lbs. 738 was loaded, it went up fast, and stalled at the top. As one of the side referee's, I could see he was close to locking out, but the lift was no good. Lewis was credited with a 677 lb. deadlift, which left him with a sum of 2,341 and the 2nd largest total in USA Powerlifting history. Next contests...    Look for more great drug tested contests later this year! The Opens..A HUGE success! What can be said? The 80 year old Y was rocking as 25 lifters put on a great powerlifting show. In one of the old' girl's last events, she dressed up nicely and it was nearly standing room only at times. The Meet Results:   Powerlifting | Benchpress Stanley still the Suitcase Champ! On Saturday we also held the very popular Suitcase Challenge, sponsored by X-Treme Strongman and Ironmind. Get the Full results Gritty spotting crew delivers I would like to thank a group of guys that made me feel pretty comfortable yesterday when some pretty big iron was being moved. Thanks to Rick Nigh, Terry Stanley, Justin Newsome, Jim Davis and Darrell Campbell for covering the squats. Y members Keith and Kyle also did an enourmous amount of work during the benchpress, deadlift and cleanup that took some of the load off of everyone. Your work was appreciated and your spotting was perfect as several good catches were made. [The Chosen 5] The YMCA in Granite City: An Old School Ironhouse If you could take a step back in time, to see gyms back in the 60's and 70's when the pioneer's of our sport were blazing trails in the lifting world, to a degree the YMCA in Granite City would resemble something out of this time frame. Built in 1924, it is a commodity for serious training. While the place does lack modern conveniences of air conditioning, it does make up for it in training environment. The weight room is located on the lower level of the Y, positioned at sidewalk level with metal screens on the windows like cages. Surrounded by brick walls, you will find no rules here as far as chalk or powder. In fact, as long as nobody gets hurt, there really aren't any rules to the downstairs weight room. It is a building that has character, and often times it's share of characters. With steel miils in viewing distance from the Y, it has been an icon in downtown Granite City since it was built in the 1920's. A grand old building at one time, it still has much of the ornate ceramic tile on the outside when it was built almost 80 years ago. Although the place has lost a bit of it's luster, it is an excellent place for lifting and the old building dresses up nicely. [Back to Top] Lewis calls 2 out of 3 ! Jeff Lewis, pictured right, was featured on Channel 5 by Frank Cusumano earlier in the week. Frank placed Jeff's goals on a chalkboard, and as it unfolded on Saturday, that interview would be a bit prophetic, since Lewis actually made 2 out of the 3 lifts he had predicted. How is that for Bambino-like drama? Ironmind Products! Randy Strossen of Ironmind Enterprises will be sending us his Captains of Crush grippers. The industry standard in grippers, these babies are tough! Look for the grippers to be used as prizes in either the Suitcase Challenge or the Raffle! [www.IronMind.com] Crain Muscle World Don't miss the Crain Muscle World items in the Mega Raffle! Each person will get a raffle ticket and can also buy extras for several raffle items that will be given away! [www.CrainsMuscleWorld.com] Today's Fitness had Inzer gear! Tom Perez of Today's Fitness had some great products at the competition! Tom brought in a boatload of gear, equipment and products that would suit nearly everyone invloved in powerlifting and fitness. The only distributor of lifting gear in our area, anyone wishing to see gear before purchasing it should go to his store! [www.todays-fitness.com]
The Mission Statement of the Missouri USAPL: "The Missouri USAPL’s mission is to provide quality, drug tested powerlifting competitions, under a specific set of rules that are judged by the book, that allow lifters the safety and benefit of supportive equipment without going too far away from a traditional strength contest. It is also our goal to create an atmosphere for lifters to the enjoy the camaraderie of competition side by side and with one another."