YORK BARBELL LIVES ON IN THE HEART OF STRENGTH SPORTS
2009 IPA STRENGTH SPECTACULAR AND
WORLD POWERLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS

as Submitted by E.J. Hollingsworth to PLUSA
Photo provided by Scott DePanfilis, Bodytech USA

It’s been 11 years this June since York Barbell’s legendary Summer Picnic featuring “the physical culture” was resurrected as The Strength Spectacular; and eight years since The Strength Spectacular made its last appearance. York Barbell’s founder Bob Hoffman’s memorable Summer Picnic was repackaged in 1998 with Powerlifting, Strongmanism, and a Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony taking center stage for the 3-day weekend event.  The popularity of the Strength Spectacular demanded a repeat performance bringing to life the 2009 IPA Strength Spectacular sponsored by the International Powerlifting Association and Mark and Ellen Chaillet of Chaillet’s Private Fitness. The event was held on weightlifting’s “Holy Ground” at York Barbell Company in Muscletown, U.S.A. June 27-28. The weekend event featured the 2009 IPA World Powerlifting Championships directed by the Chaillet’s, and the North American Strongman “Cradle of Iron” Strongman Show directed by Matt Keller, Linden Yard Strongman.

Perhaps some lifters and spectators alike did not fully understand the historic connection when they first arrived at York Barbell.  Many wandered through the Hall of Fame and Museum which is home to hundreds of photos, memorabilia, and artifacts telling the history of Bob Hoffman (founder of York Barbell), his Olympian weightlifting team, powerlifting Hall of Famers, strongman feats, and bodybuilding legends.  It is certain museum goers understood York Barbell’s place in history when they left.  Many thanks are extended to York Barbell for sponsoring their fabulous facility to the lifters, families and friends of the IPA. 

Without our sponsors, these events just simply wouldn’t be the same. This year’s sponsors went above and beyond in terms of generosity.  Thank you to C.A. Weber Insurance Agency for its donation toward the Pro Only Powerlifting Extravaganza prize money, Iron Wolfe Barbell who provided the specialty squat, bench and dead lift bars used in competition, Crazy Tomato for super food, Conductive Technologies, Reliable Equipment & Service Co., and Westside Barbell for their continued support of the IPA.

Approximately 100 powerlifters and 31 strongmen and women made the trek to Pennsylvania’s York Barbell hoping to become another strength legend. Saturday and Sunday featured the 2009 IPA World Powerlifting and Bench Press Championships, the Pro Only Powerlifting Extravaganza.  Sunday’s events drew crowds filling the parking lots and grounds with cheers of encouragement for their favorite athletes. The NAS national qualifier “Cradle of Iron” Strongman Show wowed crowds outside with feats of strength including the Axle Press, Tire Flip, and Stone Lift to mention a few. National caliber strongmen and women captivated a large crowd of all ages while heaving, pressing and dragging huge objects outside York Barbell’s Corporate Office and Hall of Fame. Meanwhile some of Powerlifting’s strongest competed inside for $10,000 in cash prizes in the Professional Only Powerlifting Extravaganza.  It was a day not to be missed!

The powerlifting event featured two categories of competition, the trophied Pro/Am event held for all weight classes, divisions and subdivisions.  The second category of lifting was the Pro Only event limited to Men’s and Women’s open divisions and required a qualifying total. Saturday’s event included the Pro/Am IPA World Powerlifting and Bench Press Championships including all teens, women, and all men’s weight classes 114 – 220 lbs. Sunday included the trophied Pro/Am lifters weight classes 242 – SHW, and the Pro Only cash award event.

PRO ONLY POWERLIFTING EXTRAVAGANZA
$10,000 IN CASH AWARDS

Clearly some of the most exciting lifting came from Pro Only competitors.  A total of $10,000 was available as prize money.  The money was divided by coefficient (Schwartz and Malone) and split between the lightweight (198 and below) and heavyweight (220 and above) classes.  Each the lightweight and heavyweight class placements included the best squat, bench, and dead lift, and 1^st – 3^rd placements. C.A. Weber Insurance Agency and Chaillet’s Private Fitness donated the prize money.

It became evident early on that these lifters came with big numbers in mind because these folks don’t want to leave even a pound on the platform.  What began as a class of 17 lifters, 16 men and one woman, quickly became a class of 10 men and 1 woman when the squats were through.  Shannon Manning, Joey Billiot, Paul Childress, Matt Wilson, Joe Dougherty, and Luke Edwards were out by the end of the squats.  All tried valiantly to make big squat attempts, four missing 1000 lb. plus squats.  Of those who made it through round one, Anthony Bolognone came clean with the biggest squat of the meet at 1075 lbs. at a bodyweight of 329.6 lbs. Greg Panora came in with the second heaviest squat at 1000 lbs. at a bodyweight of only 258 lbs.! 

All remaining lifters made it through the bench press portion. Greg Panora powered up a huge three times bodyweight 820 lb. bench press that earned him a cool $1,000. David Hoff inched over Greg’s bench with an IPA record breaking fourth attempt with 825 lb. bench in the 275 lb. Pro Men’s Open class.  The biggest bench of the day came from Super Heavyweight Anthony Bolognone with a monster 860 lb. bench. The dead lift ruled out 164 pounder Elias George and 181 pounder Shay Larrisey, each of whom missed attempts of 600 lbs. and 615 lbs. respectively.  David Hoff pulled like a champ managing the biggest pull of the day at 795 lbs.  Anthony Bolognone came in a near second with a 765 lb. pull, followed by 290 pounder A.J. Roberts with a 760 lb. pull.

Winners - Lightweight Division (198 lbs. and below)

While the biggest numbers are impressive, the prize money was doled by coefficient placement.  The most impressive lifter in the lightweight division was longtime IPA superstar, Brian Crowe.  After a superb day of lifting, Brian walked away with the most prize money.  Brian never misses a Chaillet meet, and never fails to impress.  Brian usually enters the Elite Amateur Division reserved for those lifters willing to take a drug test by urinalysis every time he/she competes. This year his 1815 lb. total is over 11 times his bodyweight.  Brian won $1,000 for the best squat at 730 lbs., $1,000 for the best bench at 515 lbs., and $750 for 1^st place in the Lightweight Division. At 181.6 lbs., Dan Petrillo won $1,000 for the Best Dead Lift bringing home a 670 lb. pull. Dan also took 2^nd place overall in the lightweight division with a huge 800 lb. squat, 530 lb. bench and his award-winning pull of 670 lbs.  Mark VanAlstyne (181.5 lbs.) took 3^rd place and should be proud of his performance with a 740 lb. squat, 545 lb. bench, and 545 lb. pull.

Winners - Heavyweight Division (220 lbs. and above)

In the heavyweight division, Anthony Bolognone, Greg Panora and Dave Hoff split the pot for the best squat, bench, and dead lift.  Anthony won for his awesome 1075 lb. squat, Greg for his monster 820 lb. bench at only 258 lbs. of bodyweight, and Dave Hoff for the top pull of the day at 795 lbs., bodyweight of 264.1 lbs.  Dave managed out perform Greg’s 820 lb. bench with a fourth attempt 825 lbs. breaking the existing IPA bench record in the Pro Men’s Open 275 lb. class.  These three exceptional lifters also shared 1^st through 3^rd placements in the heavyweight division and overall including both the lightweight and heavyweight divisions. Greg and Dave differed in bodyweight by only 5 lbs. and totaled only five pounds from one another.  Competition between the two was fierce. At the end of the day, Greg took the well-deserved 1^st place with a 1000 lb. squat, 820 lb. bench, 750 lb. pull and a 2570 lb. total.  Dave took 2^nd place with a 990 lb. squat, 790 lb. bench, 795 lb. pull for a 2575 lb. total. Anthony came in 3^rd with the biggest squat of 1075, 860 lb. bench, 765 lb. pull and the biggest total of the meet at 2700 lbs.

Winner – Women’s Open Division

Though she stood as the only female lifter, Cheryl Clodfelter held her own posting superb numbers.  It’s obvious that Cheryl has been in the powerlifting game for a while.  She’s a top-notch lifter and a first-class gal who is always available to help other lifters. At 197.9 lbs. bodyweight, Cheryl posted an IPA record squat of 550 lbs., 185 lb. bench, and another record 535 lb. pull rounding out her record total at 1370 lbs.  Cheryl won 1^st place in the Women’s Open Division.

PRO/AM TROPHIED FULL POWER EVENT

TEENS

The teens were the first under the bar, the vast majority lifted in the unequipped Raw category.  Proving that equipment does not guarantee a best lifter award, Raw lifter Matt Dragovich’s stellar performance weighing 145 lbs., 18-19 age division earned him the Teen Best Lifter award.  Matt set a few IPA records along the way taking a fourth attempt 335 squat, another fourth attempt 475 lb. dead lift, for a 1050 lb. total to the record books.   At 17 years and 307 lbs. Patrick Crosmun rewrote some IPA records with a 400 lb. squat, a 230 lb. bench, for a 1080 lb. total.  Shane McCleaf managed a 10 lb. lead in the bench over Dragovich guaranteeing his mark in the record books with a 250 lb. bench in the 148 lb., 18-19 category.

WOMEN

While this year’s class of women lifters was sparse with only five competitors, they put on a great performance.  Sarah Welcheck fell shy of her goal to beat her own the IPA records in the squat, dead lift and total.  Accomplishing only 3 for 9, Sarah still shone brightest winning the girl’s Teen Best Lifter Award.  Amateur 147 lb. lifter Jennifer Runco made two gallant efforts with a 420 lb. squat attempt, settling with a super 400 lb. squat to her credit.  Jennifer finished out the day with a 225 lb. bench and 355 lb. dead lift winning her the Amateur Women’s Best Lifter Award.  Beth Poplin had less than one pound to lose to lock herself into the 123.5 lb. weight class. After a couple of re-weighs and no more energy to spare, Beth decided to jump up a weight class to the 132 lb. class.  She came through like a champ setting a new IPA bench record in the Amateur Women’s Submaster division with a 200 lb. bench. 

The big numbers from the Women’s Division came from Brooke Fineis-Curry who competed in the 165 lb. Elite Amateur Women’s Open Division.  The IPA created the Elite Amateur Division dedicated to those exceptional lifters who surpassed the Amateur status and remain true to their natural style of lifting.  The Elite Amateur Division requires drug testing by urinalysis for steroids each time they compete. Brooke broke three IPA records with a huge 570 lb. squat, a fourth attempt bench of 355 lbs. and a huge 1330 lb. total.  Brooke is a real professional under the bar, always collected with a laser beam of concentration.  Her demeanor serves her well.  Brooke won the Professional Women’s Best Lifter Award.

AMATEUR MEN - EQUIPPED

There was a near even split between the number of equipped and non-equipped Amateur lifters. The number of Raw category lifters continues to grow posting ever increasing numbers.  Among equipped lifters whose performance catapulted them to the top was Michael O’Brien, Jr.  Obviously some great coaching and a lot of hard work paid off for Michael as his strength continues to soar.  Michael lifted in both the Amateur Men’s Junior and Open divisions accomplishing two fourth attempts, a 575 lb. squat and 402.5 bench broke both division’s record.  All tolled, Michael’s 1477.5 lb. fourth attempt record total, and 1425 lb. meet total won him the Amateur Men’s Lightweight Best Lifter Award.  Andrew Williams had a super day going 7 for 9 in the 220 lb. Men’s Amateur Open Division.  Andrew took home the Amateur Men’s Heavyweight Best Lifter Award with an authoritative 700 lb. squat, 475 lb. bench and 580 lb. dead lift rounding out his day with a 1755 lb. total.  Dr. John Mattei narrowly escaped a bomb-out getting his IPA Record breaking 700 lb. squat in the Pro Masters Division on his third attempt. Lifting in both the Pro and Am Divisions, the 275 lb. Men’s Master (55 years), John stoked his fire powering up all three bench attempts, landing him yet another record in both the Pro and Am Divisions with a 470 lb. bench press.  John rounded out his day with a 600 lb. dead lift winning John the Amateur Men’s Master Best Lifter Award.

AMATEUR MEN – UNEQUIPPED

Teen Matt Locondro was the event D.J. who proved to be as great a dead lifter as he is a D.J.  At 147 lbs., Matt broke the existing Teen (14-15) dead lift record with a 360 lb. pull.  Matt took 400 for a ride, but the steam just wasn’t there to finish.  Vasyl Khoroschak showed he was a strong Amateur Raw contender in the 181 lb. class pulling through a 10 for 10 day including his fourth attempt record squat of 500 lbs. totaling another fourth attempt record of 1450 lbs.  Larry Dyles continues to improve his placement in the record books with a three times bodyweight squat of 510 lbs. at a bodyweight of 160 lbs. Vadym Kotsaga joined us again making the long trip from Ukraine.  Vadym competed in both the Pro and Am Raw Men’s Open Divisions. While no records were broken with his 445 lb. squat, 310 bench and 465 lb. dead lift, he commanded first place in the 181 lb. Amateur Raw Men’s Open class, and second in the Professional Raw Men’s Open class.  Great job; always great to see our friends from Ukraine!  Both Jason Fortino (242 lbs.) and Joseph Sauble (275 lbs.) turned in some top numbers in the Raw Men’s Submaster Division each with squat, dead lift and total records.  Each took home first place awards for a job well done. Dave Richardson cleaned the 220 lb. Raw Men’s Master (40-44) slate breaking all the records finishing with a record 1335 lb. total.  Russ Stoudt, also Raw Men’s Master (40-44) rewrote three IPA records in the 242 lb. class with a 475 lb. squat, 455 lb. dead lift and a 1315 lb. total.

PROFESSIONAL MEN – EQUIPPED

The most spectacular two performances among the Professional Division lifters came from Clint Koser and Mark Bailey, both competing in the Junior category.  At 179 lbs., Clint turned in a 700 lb. squat, nearly four times bodyweight!  Clint tried for a record 465 lb. bench settling for his opening 405 lb. first attempt, rounding out his day with a 625 lb. pull winning him the Professional Men’s Open Lightweight Best Lifter Award.  Mark Bailey worked hard to earn the Professional Men’s Open Heavyweight Best Lifter Award successfully finishing a 9 for 9 day, giving a wholehearted try at a 785 lb. fourth attempt squat. Though missing the fourth attempt squat, Mark still broke an IPA record with his third 735 lb. squat attempt. Mark finished out his day with an 1815 lb. total.

 Dan Dague lifted on Saturday, outside his weight class ensuring that he would be available to volunteer as a judge for Sunday’s Pro Only lifters. Dan and his club, LexenXtreme from Columbus, Ohio is a vital part of the IPA.  Dan runs several superb meets for the Association in Columbus.  Dan never disappoints whether as a meet director or as a lifter.  Dan posted some super numbers on Saturday with an 810 lb. squat, 555 lb. bench, rounding out his day with a 655 lb. pull in the 275 lb. Pro Men’s Master (55-59) Division.  John Varrone is no newcomer to the IPA or powerlifting as was evident from his masterful performance winning him the Professional Men’s Master Best Lifter. Lifting in the 181 lb. class, 65-69, John posted three records with a 545 lb. squat, 525 lb. pull and a 1250 lb. total.

PROFESSIONAL MEN – UNEQUIPPED

Eric Giusto couldn’t have asked for better day breaking the 181 lb. Pro Men’s Junior and Open squat records with 520 lbs., a Junior record bench with 340 lbs., and a Junior and Open fourth attempt dead lift of 570 lbs.  Eric’s 1430 lb. total was also a Raw Junior and Pro Open record.  Nelson Snyder posted some great numbers in the 198 lb. Raw Men’s Open Division with a record-breaking 560 lb. squat, 570 lb. dead lift for a 1540 lb. record total.

TROPHIED PRO/AM BENCH ONLY EVENT

The 2009 IPA Worlds enjoyed a super turnout of top-notch bench pressers.  Joe Mazza gave the crowd the most excitement of the day with two attempts at a 700 lb. bench at a bodyweight of only 163.75 . . . incredible!  Lifting as a guest lifter on Saturday, Joe opened with a massive 685 lbs., moving on to his goal weight of 700 lbs.  Joe’s second attempt shot off his chest stopping at about 80 percent to completion when the weight suddenly fell stunning the crowd.  Thanks to some quick spotters, Joe walked away unharmed able to take 700 for a ride on his third attempt.  The crowd roared, the music blared, Joe took 700 lbs. out for a third try but stopped shy of lockout.  It is clear 700 lbs. is just around the corner for Joe. 

Mike Bingham posted a 165 lb. class Master (40-44) Division IPA record with his opening attempt of 440 lbs.  Mike took 460 lbs. out a couple of times, but with no success.  Mike won the Amateur Men’s Best Lifter Award.  Gary Larson at 220.2 lbs. won the Professional Men’s Open Best Lifter Award benching an IPA Pro Men’s Open record 735 lbs.  Pro Men’s Open records are hard to beat, congratulations, Gary!  Larry Short had a tough start missing his first two attempts at 600 lbs.  Weighing in at 270.6 lbs. competing in the Amateur Men’s Master (45-49), Larry pulled through with a 600 lb. bench on his third attempt, unsuccessfully taking an IPA record fourth attempt with 625.  Though Larry only got one bench in, it was spectacular enough to win him the Amateur Men’s Master Best Lifter Award.  Lifting in the 242 lb. Pro Men’s Master (55-59) Division, Scott Bixler won the Professional Men’s Master Best Lifter Award with a 390 lb. bench.