Happy New Year
7 years ago
Minnesota finished the year with 536 members which is a 61% increase over the previous year (2015 = 333 MN members). As a whole, USA Powerlifting had 15,026 members (with members in all 50 states). In 2008, MN had 58 members and USA Powerlifting had a total of 3,897 members. Minnesota is one of the most rapidly growing states (and the 11th largest in terms of members) and that is thanks to our lifters, referees, meet directors, coaches, spotters, loaders, scoring table staff and the support staff behind the scenes. Look for the following in MN in 2017: at least 12 state/local meets, the Central Regional Championship, and one or two USA Powerlifting coaching certification courses. Look for the full state chair report (review of 2016 and preview of 2017) sometime later this month.
2017 MN Calendar of Events Taking Shape
7 years ago
Check out the Coming Events section of the state website to see what events have already been scheduled for 2017. More events will be added as they officially receive approval.
MN to Host 2017 Central Regional Championship
7 years ago
Minnesota will host the 2017 USA Powerlifting Central Regional Championship on September 2 & 3. Joe Warpeha will be the meet director and the venue for the contest will be the Crowne Plaza AiRE in Bloomington (just south of Minneapolis). A block of rooms has been secured for a nightly rate of $99.
The central region is made up of the following states: Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri. Labor Day weekend was chosen so people in the region can come and experience The Great Minnesota Get-Together (our state fair) and make a vacation out of the long weekend. The MN State Fair is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance and it is also the second-largest state fair in the United States by total attendance.
The venue is located 4 miles from the airport and provides a free shuttle to and from the airport. The venue is also right on the Light Rail line which travels to the Mall of America (less than 5-minute trip) and downtown Minneapolis. More information will be available on the event website as it becomes available.
Inaugural MN Women’s State Championship
8 years ago
The sanction has been approved. The hotel contract has been signed. The inaugural MN Women’s State Championship is officially on the schedule and the meet directors are Anna White and Joe Warpeha. More information will be coming soon. For now, the basic information can be found here.
MN at Raw Nationals
8 years ago
Congratulations to all of the Minnesota lifters who traveled to Atlanta, GA to compete in the largest powerlifting meet in U.S. history. A total of 1063 lifters from 48 states participated in this historic event. Full meet results can be found by clicking here. A list of Minnesota state records set at Raw Nationals can be found by clicking here. Again, congratulations to everyone.
American Records at State/Local Meets
8 years ago
At the 2016 National Governing Board (NGB) meeting on May 19 in Aurora, CO, it was voted to no longer allow American records to be set at local meets. This new rule states that American records can only be set at meets designated as state powerlifting championships. American records can still be set at regional, national, and international meets. This new policy went into effect September 1, 2016.
Referee Congratulations and Welcomes
8 years ago
Some congratulations and welcomes are in order for our MN referee group. Congratulations to Wilson Yu who successfully passed his state referee exam at the recent Women of Steel meet. Congratulations also go to Rebecca Main for her promotion to the rank of IPF Category 2 referee which was earned at IPF Raw Worlds in June. Additionally, there are two new names on the roster of MN referees. Alexa Schillinger and Mariah Hamm have joined us here in MN. Both Alexa and Mariah come to us from Wisconsin. The current roster of MN referees (which hopefully continues to grow) can be viewed here.
Halfway through 2016
8 years ago
We have 4 meets coming up in MN in July, August, September, and October (these are the 4 remaining meets on the current 2016 calendar). As of right now, ALL are filled and the meet directors have started waiting lists. If you want to get on a waiting list, contact the meet director. There may be another meet added in the Twin Cities area on December 10 (more details when this gets finalized). Information about upcoming meets can be found in the Coming Events section.
Our explosive and unprecedented growth in MN continues which is great. In 2015, we had a total of 333 members in MN. In the first half of 2016, we have already surpassed that number and we will likely finish the year between 400-500 members. Thank you to everyone (lifters, meet staff, meet directors, referees, and everyone else involved) for the support and hard work that goes into making MN USA Powerlifting such a special group to be a part of.
American Records at Local Meets
8 years ago
At the 2016 National Governing Board (NGB) meeting on May 19 in Aurora, CO, it was voted to no longer allow American records to be set at local meets. This new rule states that American records can only be set at meets designated as state powerlifting championships. American records can still be set at regional, national, and international meets. The exact date of the implementation of this rule is currently being decided and more information will be posted here when it is available.
Olympic Recognition: What is it and did we get it today?
8 years ago
***Edited on April 20***
This story is making the rounds on social media today.
First and foremost, powerlifting likely will not be in the Olympics anytime soon. To be “in the Olympics” means a sport must go through a two-step process. The International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) has been working on the first step for many years and has been denied every time (though it appears to get closer each time). That first step is to become an IOC (International Olympic Committee) recognized sport. The second (and MUCH more difficult) step is to apply for inclusion in the Olympic program (i.e., what you see when you watch the Olympics) which is limited to a very small number of sports, many of which are firmly entrenched in the Olympic program. Typically, a sport has to be dropped for another to be added. However, it still would be a great success if the IPF (and by extension USA Powerlifting as the IPF affiliate in the U.S.) simply achieved the first step as it would open up new sources of funding for the sport.
What happened today is that the Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport (AIMS) received recognition by the IOC. The AIMS represents many non-Olympic recognized sports. So, powerlifting did not become an IOC-recognized sport today but progress has been in the process toward IOC recognition. The official announcement from the IPF can be found here.
For those who are interested, this article (10 years old but still accurate) does a good job explaining the process of Olympic recognition and inclusion in the Olympic program.
