USAPLNATIONALS.COM

27th Annual USAPL Ozark BP Meet Results St. Louis, Mo April, 21, 2001
(Click here for results from Missouri State Powerlifting meet) (Click here for results from Ozark Powerlifting Meet results) (Click here for meet photos) Other links on this site: Menu of past meet results USAPLNATIONALS.COM

The benchpress competition was a bit smaller than both the Missouri State and Ozark Powerlifting meets. However, with that, some of the lifts posted were very good, as the number of records set will attest to that. The meet brought out quite a few new lifters as well, especially teenage women. Members of the Missouri Warcats softball team were getting their feet wet and set several records in the process. Another bencher in her first meet was Kathleen Jones, who lifted an impressive 176 lbs. in her first sanctioned meet. Along with Kathleen, her WallyWorld teammate Andrea Apple also did some fine lifting. Andrea made 99 lbs on her 2nd attempt. making 2 out of 3 benchpresses on the day. For first time lifter Yarnell Russell, he did good also making 2 out of 3. Yarnell finished 2nd in the 181's with a fine 363 lb. lift. I met him last month at the Ultimate Gym's High Rep contest where he was a winner doing 37 reps with his bodyweight. That being said, it's obvious once he learns more about the rules and training, he could go far. The winner of the 181's though, was no stranger to members of the Misouri USAPL. Dennis Riney, a buzzsaw of a lifter built low to the ground with thick limbs, won this battle in a landslide. Riney finished with 407 lbs., but actually pressed 429 lbs. on his third. Had he kept his hips on the bench, he would've upped his own full meet record. He looked strong though, and good for plenty more than what he attempted. Count on him to push his records up even higher in the future...I GAR-OWN-TEE IT! In the 198's, Roger Petzoldt completed the triple crown by taking the Ozark Bench title as well as the Missouri and Ozark PL titles. He pressed 380 lbs., which I'm sure has to be close to PR land for the Rog. In the 220's, Nick Kannady of WallyWorld placed 3rd with a lift of 330 lbs. Runner up in this class was longtime Missouri lifter, Kurt Richardson. Kurt made 380 on his 3rd attempt, and looked good for several more lbs. Although he lifted as a 220 lber, he only weighed 205.5 that morning. He indicated that his goal before totally abandoning the 198's, was to hit the 400 lb. milestone. From the way he looked, it won't be long. The winner of the 220's was Mike Metheny, who recently relocated to Kansas. Talk about dedication, he continued to train even though he had the task of loading up the truck and moving to his proverbial Beverly Hills. His lift of 396 lbs. gave him the victory in what I believe was his third USAPL meet. He has become a regular at our meets and is also a good lifter. I'd expect Mike to also go over 400 lbs. soon. Speaking of handling some weight, Jeff Lewis brought the show to St. John the Baptist that day and what a show it was! King Louie opened up with a laughable 573. After blowing this off of his chest, his goal was to up his own record set back in Sept. at the Benchpress Nationals. After this lift, 611 lbs was wiped away and replaced with a new mark of 617 lbs. For his third, 628 was a bit much as he missed at the top. he indicated that his shoulder had gave him a little trouble in the weeks prior to the meet. When healthy, expect him to go even higher because he's more than capable of doing it. I can't even begin to list each and every one of the Master benchers. I'm glad to say that we have a high number of lifters in this division, which is good because it sets a great example to all of us young guys that age and treachory overcomes youth and skill. I would urge all that are capable, to go to Ohio in September and compete in the Benchpress Nationals. For the Masters, the World Masters BP meet will be in USA, held down in Texas in early 2002. This is the chance of a lifetime. If your lifts are up, get to the meet because you could very well be selected for the World team. There were a handful of lifters that missed their chance to go to this year's Worlds in Luxembourg because they didn't compete in our Nationals last year. For Maureen Post, Jim Bourisaw and Greg Chrun, this wasn't the case. They lifted, they were selected and all three represented their country in the inaugural Masters BP Worlds. So, strike while the iron is hot and compete! In the team division, we had only one team entered and it was a team from Rolla Missouri, headed up by Ed Finnell and George Heleine. Could we see a freindly rivalry developing between The WallyWorld gang and Rolla Power? Stay tuned, because it could get fun. Wally brings a whole gang of lifters of all ages and sizes that just keep coing through the door. This guy has been in the lifting business as long as this author has been breathing. So expect him to have his team ready. You can also expect to get something in print from the Waltmiester soon, too. In trying to recruit authors to pen some articles for the webpage, with all of his history and experience Wally was the first person I called. Congratulations to all who competed in the benchpress competition! Rick Fowler