USAPL Mens Nationals Preview

By Dr. Pat Anderson

Editor's note:
USAPLNationals.com is proud to feature the writing of Dr. Pat Anderson. Anderson has written numerous articles for Powerlifting USA, has competed for nearly two decades and has a high appreciation for the history of our sport.

With machine like consistency the 2007 Seniors will begin like every previous edition of the USAPL Nationals...Ervin Gainer National Champion. The only subtle change is that Ervin will be lifting at 123 instead of the now retired 114 class. The last time Ervin Gainer didn't kick off this meet by winning the Nationals, Brad Gillingham hadn't won a Seniors title let alone a World title, Tiger Woods was finishing in 82nd place at the U.S. Open with no Majors on his resume and Lebron James was an 11 year old 5th grader watching Michael Jordan on TV, comeback to win his 4th NBA title. Although the lighter classes are historically under contested, Ervin's ability to dominate at the highest level of powerlifting, for over a decade, should be admired nonetheless.

Doc Holloway, two-time defending champ at 123, moves up to 132 this year. Doc took the bronze at last years Worlds at 123 and had the winning pull in his hands. In April, at the Quest Invitational, Doc showed a glimpse of his potential at 132 by registering an American Record 1500 total with room to spare across the board. Doc is planning to add the National Meet record total to his collection in St. Louis. The current record holder at 1471, Caleb Williams will not be lifting in St. Louis. Caleb is shifting gears for the near future into the sport of Weightlifting with his sights set on making an Olympic team down the road. It a significant loss to the USAPL and to powerlifting as a whole, to lose someone of Caleb's immense talents at such a young age. However we wish him well on his new endeavor and will be ready to welcome him back to PL, if and when he chooses to return.

With Caleb's absence, the 48's will be wide open this year. Master's lifter Eric Kupperstein moves up from the 132's where he took the silver at last years Nationals. This man has seen many power wars in his years on the platform and come out on top of quite a few, so he will be ready in St. Louis. After dominating the Junior Nationals in the late 90's and going to two Junior Worlds, T.J. Hoerner makes his return to USAPL national competition. T.J. only posted a 1327 qualifying total but I would look for him to be in the 1500+ neighborhood this weekend. Fresh off his Masters National win Darren Matsumoto will look to improve upon his 3rd place finish from last year. The favorite coming in to the meet would be former Junior National champ Marcus Williams. Marcus comes in ranked #1 off a 1567 QT with a monster pull. This is the first Open Nationals for Marcus so it will be interesting to see what he capable of on the "big stage". Marcus pulled 644 in winning the Juniors last year so if T.J. can post a big squat it could leave Marcus with a 650+ deadlift in his hands for the win. Now that will be something any power fan would want to witness.

At 165, Mike Cagliola returns after his 3rd place finish in 2006 looking to move over 1500 in the total. Former Collegiate National Champ and 2006 Junior World Silver Medalist David Hammers will be making his Senior National debut. David has vast experience in National competition for such a young lifter and should be the clear favorite for the bronze. According to the USAPL's online rankings, there have been 13 1700+ totals at 165 since 2001. The vastly underrated Eriek Nickson has one of those at 1705 in 2006. Eriek was well on his way to breaking that barrier at last years nationals when he couldn't get the lights to go his way on a 413 bench. I am sure Eriek has spent the past year working out the kinks in his bench and will be much improved this year. He is a master technician in the deadlift and had 300kgs (661) moving at last years contest.

The main reason that Eriek is so underrated is because the other dozen 1700 totals in this class belong to the same man. Defending World Champ Wade Hooper, looks to add to his WR collection this time in the TOTAL category. Wade dunked a WR 766 at the Worlds in November to go with his 534 WR bench set at this meet last summer. A repeat of those two lifts would leave Wade needing 611 for the total WR. A weight that Wade successfully managed in 2005 at the Seniors in Killeen. Holding three WR's in one class simultaneously puts you in very short company. Currently Poland's Jaroslaw Olech at 148 is the only one to hold this distinction. Wade actually has a leg up on Ervin when it comes to consecutive titles. In addition to winning all nine USAPL Nationals since 1998, Wade qualified for the IPF Worlds by winning the last two USPF Seniors in 1996 and 1997. Tim Taylor holds the existing record of 12 straight Senior National titles which Wade will equal with a victory this weekend.

At 181, we will see the debut of a couple of young guns. Fresh out of the Junior division Josh Rohr will be looking to go over 1600 in St. Louis. Collegiate National champ Nicholas Gutierrez rode a 655 squat to a 1660 total and a large win in April. World Class bencher Lance Kirchner is on the roster with an American and National meet record in the bench on his mind. Expect Lance to break the record on his opening attempt with something in the 551 range on his 3rd. Five time World Champ Dave Ricks registered his first 1900 total at last years edition of this contest. He followed that up with a Silver Medal at the IPF Worlds. At 47 yrs of age Dave is still growing strong and an absolute master at his craft. Anytime you get to watch a surefire Hall of Famer compete you should consider yourself blessed. Make sure you are in your seat on Saturday for the Ricks show and you will be glad you did.

With 16 lifters on the entry list, the 198's will have all aspects covered. Local lifter Rodney Wood returns to the National stage, he lifted in 2004 in Baton Rouge. Rodney will have one of the biggest benches in this class. Sean Dicataldo will look to take his balanced lifts up a notch from his 5th place finish at last years meet. The defending champ and runner up from last year are on board in the form of Greg Jones and John Pena. Greg finished on top last year but John has bumped his total up over 1800 this year and has his sights set on the top spot. Hometown favorite Tyson Greene will be lifting in front of friends and family and his 1758 QT at just 24 yrs of age is a testament to his ability to contend this year. Masters lifter Craig Terry is always a threat courtesy of his prodigious pulling power. Craig broke the Masters World record in the DL with 751 in May so if the other contenders let him hang around at subtotal the outcome could very well be in his hands at the finish.

Lastly but absolutely not least, POWERLIFTING LEGEND EXTRAORDINAIRE Mike Bridges is on the roster. For those lacking in their power history, here is a very brief overview of where Mike ranks in the annals of powerlifting. In the 70's and early 80's, Mike was the best powerlifter on the planet with a decent drop off down to the next guy. Bridges was Ed Coan before Coan had picked up a weight. Bridges would go to the Seniors and total more at 181 than anyone below 275. He squatted a WR 837 at 181, that still stands today, at a time when the WR squat at 242 was 867. After a sabbatical from powerlifting Bridges made his return at the 1988 ADFPA Nationals, also in St. Louis, and went head-to-head with Rob Wagner in a back and forth record breaking squat tussle that is considered by many to be the greatest squat off in ADFPA/USAPL history. Mike is now 50 years of age and still putting up huge numbers including a near 1800 total to win the Masters in April. That total exceeded all of the 40+ 198'ers as well. Rumors abound of some even bigger numbers in store for St. Louis so be sure and get your tickets early because powerlifting royalty will be in the house on Saturday.

The 220's are stacked in 2007. How about three former Senior National Champs at 220 including the defending champ? The current National meet record holder in all three disciplines and the total is scheduled to compete which includes an Open World record holder as well as the last two Americans to medal at the Worlds in the 220's. Throw in a former Collegiate National champ and a lifter who has collected at least one national title of some variety for the last five years and you have a smorgasbord of power that is rarely seen in one class. Making his open Nationals debut will be Travis Werner, the 2001 Collegiate National Champ. Also making his much anticipated Seniors debut will be Jeremy Hartman. Jeremy is on an impressive string of success on the National stage. He won the Teenage Nationals in 2002, the Juniors in 2003, the Collegiates in 04, back to win the Juniors in 05 coupled with a bronze at the Junior Worlds and concluded with another Collegiate title in 06. The calendar says that the 2007 Juniors and Collegiates have already taken place so that leaves the Open title left for Jeremy to keep his run alive. Sherman Ledford of Quest Nutrition, who has worked closely with a large percentage of the top USAPL lifters of the past decade, speaks very highly of Jeremy. I haven't had the pleasure of seeing him lift but am looking forward to seeing him take on the "big three" on Saturday.

The big three starts with the 2004 National Champ and IPF bronze medalist Charr Gahagen. Charr has been working closely with the extremely successful University of Southern California athletic program as an assistant strength coach. He did not compete last year in Miami but still holds the National Meet record in the deadlift and an over 2000 LB total to his resume. Charr is not the kind of guy that you want pulling the last deadlift to beat you. Up next is the 2005 runner-up in this class and WR holder in the bench (634) Tony Succarotte. Tony had a nasty forearm injury in training last year that hindered his bench and ended up sending him home early. When Tony is on his game a mid 2000’s total is in his sights. The leader of the pack is clearly, Virginia’s Jason Beck. Jason has dominated this class stateside the past two years but came up short at the Worlds with back-to-back IPF Silver Medals. Last year, a nagging injury kept Jason from his best but when he is on his game it is 2100+ that is his true capabilities. Jason is balanced across the board and that is what makes him so tough to beat. Jason will have the lead after the squat, where he currently holds the National Meet record at 799. He will out bench everyone but Tony and out pull everyone but Charr leaving him with a great shot to add to his current National Meet record total of 2077. This class will showcase some tremendous depth at the top with a 2000 total not necessarily garnering you a medal.

If you thought that sounded deep, wait until you hear this line up at 242. Women's World Team assistant coach Mike O'Donnell brings an 1825 QT to the table. The 2002 runner-up in this class, Chad Holmes will have the local crowd behind him. Chad is an explosive lifter with the ability to pull with even the top dogs in this class. Hawaii's Al Fritz finished in 3rd last year with 1868 and will be in place should any of the "Big Five" in this class falter. 2004 runner-up in this class Jeff Douglas will be coming up the Mississippi from Ruston, Louisiana to throw hit hat in the ring. It seems like Jeff has been putting up consistently big numbers for about fifteen years and at the young age of 44 isn't slowing down anytime soon. Next up is Steve Mann of purepowerlifting.com, Steve is right on the door step of an 800 squat and not far from a 600 bench. That combo is a rare feat at the USAPL Nationals and has never been accomplished in this class.

The Freakshow Nick Tylutki will bring a few rows worth of spectators down from Minnesota to watch him go to battle. Nick's 2033 at the Worlds in November included his first ever 500 bench. Nick routinely squats over 800 and pulled a sumo style 760 for the win last year so a great day for him could end over 2100. The man he beat with that pull is the ageless wonder Tony Harris. Tony has totaled 2044 or above on eight different occasions in the last five years, all at National or International competition, including a PR of 2105. Tony could very well need that and then some to win this deep and talented class. The wildcard in this class is the Pittsburgh Brickhouse Mike Mastrean. With legs that belonged on a good size 275er, Mike motored up with 826 last year in the 220's. When I saw Mike lift at a full 242 in April at the Quest Invitational I knew that he was capable of putting those beer kegs he was walking around on to good use. Well 887 LBS later, I was right. That's not a misprint, Mike Mastrean squatted 887 at 242 and with room to spare. I was fortunate enough to be in Houston in 1994 when Kirk Karwoski set the World Record at 914 and it was an awe inspiring sight. To see another lifter within earshot of that lift is hard to imagine. Mike isn't entering the Squat nationals though, he placed a 534 BP and a 755 DL on the scorecard following the big squat and when it was all added up the total was an American Record smashing 2176. The challenge will be to repeat that under the most pressure packed conditions in U.S. powerlifting. A special treat for the entire USAPL will be the return of powerlifting's version of Cal Ripken, the Ironman Shawn Cain. This will be the 21st time that Shawn has lifted in the ADFPA/USAPL Nationals, by far more than any other lifter. This class is going to be an absolute joy to just sit back and watch.

The 275's are 13 lifters strong, including four lifters who have represented the U.S. at either the IPF Open or Bench Worlds. Local product Nick Weite brings an 1890 QT to his first Nationals. Wisconsin's pulling machine Scott Schoen returns from an arm injury that kept him out of last years meet. If healthy, Schoen should be over 1900 for the first time. I finished in 4th last year with a PR 1923 total. My goal is to move closer to the elusive 2000 LB club, a benchmark that I've always considered to be a significant accomplishment under IPF conditions. 2002 World Team member and the runner-up last year in Miami, Greg Wagner will be in the hunt for the medals. Greg has an 854 squat to his credit at the 2003 Seniors in South Dakota. That is the highest squat done at this meet in this class in over a decade. The 2000 National Champ and National Meet record holder in the deadlift, Pat McGettigan returns to the USAPL platform. Pat has been doing strongman events in recent years so his strength will obviously be there. If he can shake off the platform rust, Pat will be well over 2000 with an 800+ deadlift to close out the day.

Wisconsin's Scott Lade holds the distinction of the 2nd highest total at 275 in the USAPL Nationals era courtesy of his 2138 in 2005. Scott has an 800+ squat to go with an absolutely monster bench. In 2005, Scott set the WR in the bench on a 4th with 694. He has since gone over 700 in bench only competition. If Scott can move his pull up towards 700 as well, a 2200 total is in range. Unfortunately for Scott and all of the other 275er's in the U.S., a 2200 total is a bad day for the defending champ Tony Cardella. Tony, the Silver Medalist at the IPF Worlds in November is closing in on 2300. At the Quest Invitational in April, Tony hit a strong 843 squat as well as a personal best 815 deadlift. Tony is looking for his 5th consecutive National title and his 7th straight trip to the IPF Worlds. Now that he has tasted the IPF medal platform after years of climbing the ladder, don't expect him to let up. Tony's balance is what sets him apart in this class. In the squat he can hang with Wagner, he is only bested by Lade in the bench and he will give McGettigan all he can handle in the deadlift. Currently, nobody else at 275 can step on the platform without at least one weakness.

Rumor has it that local strongman and powerlifter Pat Rankin will be making an appearance on the mike for Sunday's final session. Pat's announcing style can best be described as "exuberant enthusiasm". As Pat likes to say when the Supers hit the stage, "the cattle truck is unloading in the back, the BEEF has arrived", and this year the BEEF is in abundant supply. The explosive power and excitement returns in the form of last year’s 4th place lifter, Dennis “Niko” Huslander. Niko was able to break the 800 SQ, 600 BP and 700 DL barriers in 2006. He is always a crowd favorite and will be looking to avenge his narrow defeat at the hands of the 2006 3rd place finisher Jason Christus of the powerful state of Wisconsin. Jason treats powerlifting as if it was a UFC fight and the bar and plates are his opponent. He attacks the bar with an aggression rarely seen and considers it a personal challenge against his manhood to be defeated. Well last year the scoreboard read Christus 9 Weights 0. His 9/9 2138 last year gives him all of the momentum necessary to hang with these giants. Illinois lifter Lance Karabel won’t have to travel far for this year’s meet. After sitting out the 2006 Nationals, Lance is looking to improve upon his 2276 total and 3rd place finish from 2005. Lance’s 903 SQ that year puts him in an ultra exclusive club of lifters to break that barrier at the Seniors. His combined attempts that year would have given him 2342 so the potential for a big number is clearly there. The scuttlebutt has been that Lance has had some health issues in the off-season and that he might not be back to 100%. If true, that is a shame because this is the one lifter who could surprise people and move into the top two.

Making his return to the sport of powerlifting is local product and true SUPERheavyweight Jeff Lewis. Jeff has been competing on the “strength entertainment” circuit the last few years with tremendous success. In 2006 at the Arnold Classic, Jeff finished on top of a class filled with the best lifters in that sport and registered the biggest total in WPO history. In recent months Jeff has begun the arduous task of adapting his training to meet the demands of lifting under IPF conditions. He is aware that it will take him some more time to get running at full speed but didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to lift in front of the home crowd. Jeff is a celebrity in the St. Louis area and often recognized around town for the numerous articles and news reports that have been broadcast over his career. What he is capable of under IPF conditions is anyone’s guess, but you can be sure that it will include the largest subtotal of the meet and a steadily improving deadlift that will surprise many people for a man of his size. The man Jeff will have to deal with is the recently inducted IPF Hall of Famer Brad Gillingham. Since turning 40 last year, Brad has been on a tear through the Masters record books. After winning the Masters Nationals in May 06, with the highest masters total in USAPL and IPF history (2237). One month later at the IPF North Americans Brad moved that record up to 2243. Brad went on to become the only Master lifter in IPF history to break 2300 at the Masters Worlds in October with 2309. Like Ricks and Harris in the classes below, Brad is not content on success in the Masters division, he wants to add to his collection of medals at the Open Worlds, which includes two of the Gold variety.

The battle between Brad and Jeff should be an intriguing way to end one of the most closely contested Nationals in recent memory. Jeff has the definite advantage in the squat and bench but has to get used to the powerlifting rules of performance in a very short time. Brad has a sizable margin in the deadlift and as that lift is the concluding discipline that gives him a large strategic advantage. Brad is equally adept at picking attempts as he is at lifting them, he knows exactly what he can do on a given day and is skilled at judging the limits of his competition as well. I would look for the man who makes more attempts to come out on top and fully expect Brad to have the final attempt deadlift in his hands for the win. The question is can Jeff make that weight high enough to keep Brad from reeling in the victory. Only time will tell, but I for one will make sure I have an excellent seat for this epic match up.

MS Word Printer Freindly page