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TWIN PORTS RAW OPEN REPORT

To view in PDF format click here.

August 12, 2009

Greetings All, The first-ever Twin Ports Raw Open took place on June 27 and I believe it was a great success. In all, 44 lifters from Minnesota, North Dakota, and Canada competed in Duluth (I wonder where all of the Wisconsinites were). When I completed the entry form and first distributed it about 8 weeks before the meet, I was a bit concerned that the turnout might not be high owing to the fact that this meet is a new event in Minnesota and it sometimes takes a year or two (or more) to get the numbers up. I am happy that my concerns were unfounded. This writeup will serve as my final group communication to the competitors who lifted at the 2009 Twin Ports Raw Open. I will discuss the different format that was implemented and will include information about how to obtain photographs from the meet as well as the meet DVD. Also, I will highlight the lifters who placed in the top three in their respective categories and set records at the meet. Additionally, I think this write-up is the perfect opportunity to thank each of the volunteers who helped make this meet a reality. Finally, I will close by sharing some of my thoughts about the contest and will also discuss what I am thinking about for next year’s event. Please let me know if there are any errors in my reporting of the results and/or records.

The format of this meet was different than most powerlifting contests in two ways:

1) There were only five major divisions (teen/junior, masters, women, men lightweight, and men heavyweight) and winners are determined by formula without the traditional weight classes

2) The meet was raw. My reasoning for the division format was, very simply, to promote competition and create depth in the various divisions. At local and state-level events it is not uncommon to have one lifter in a given class/division owing to the numerous divisions and possible combinations. I wanted to create an event that would promote depth in the divisions and competition among the lifters. You can be assured that if you walked away with a trophy, you had to earn it.


The raw part was an experiment of sorts to see if the enthusiasm of raw lifting taking hold across many other powerlifting organizations, as well as in USA Powerlifting as evidenced by the success of the inaugural Raw Nationals in 2008, would be echoed at the local level in Minnesota. My justification for making this a raw meet was based on my observation (over the last year/three meets in the Minnesota area including the Hudson Natural Open in Wisconsin) of the trend for an increasing number of lifters choosing to lift raw when given the choice between raw or equipped. Presumably, this is due in part to the fact that raw is now recognized on a national level by USA Powerlifting. The numbers for the last three meets in the Minnesota area are as follows:

I realize that trends are not necessarily indicative or predictive of anything but, at the very least, it indicates interest in raw lifting in the Minnesota area. Since the Twin Ports Raw Open is a new meet, I didn't feel that it was taking anything away from equipped lifters since all of the other meets are still on our calendar and will retain the option for lifters to choose raw or equipped. With the precedent (and success) of the first raw nationals, I felt it was worth trying a local raw meet for an event that is not designated a state championship.

Tiffany Glinski of Tiffany Lynn Photography was the official meet photographer and she has posted her photos of the meet which can be viewed at the following link:www.tiffanylynnphoto.com or at her account on smugmug.

As you will see, the photographs are outstanding. If you would like to purchase pictures from the meet, you need to contact Tiffany at tiffanylynn@hotmail.com and she can assist you. Please tell me (via email) if you would not like me to share your email address with Tiffany. I think Tiffany took quite a few more pictures (I heard the total was in the thousands) than the ones that are posted so if you don’t see the one(s) you were looking for, there is a good chance she has it. After looking through the pictures that are posted, it appears that Tiffany has the ability to enhance the pictures in numerous ways. Tiffany did an outstanding job and I would like to take this opportunity to thank her once again. I hope we are fortunate enough to have her at future events.

The meet was digitally recorded by Sara Greely and a DVD has been made. Ray Law was the announcer at the meet and did the editing and producing of the DVD. Some sample clips can be viewed at the following link: The quality is exceptional and I would like to thank Sara and Ray for putting so much effort into this project. If you are interested in learning more about the DVD (cost, length, etc.) and/or purchasing a copy, please contact Ray Law at raylaw911@gmail.comand he will be able to assist you.

Meet Staff:

I have said it before and I will say it again: as a meet director I believe the biggest part of making a meet successful is putting the right people in the right places. If you liked the meet then the thanks need to go to the nearly two dozen VOLUNTEERS who made it happen. I was just an organizer, the people volunteering their time made everything happen. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them.

Platform Crew

Obviously, the people working on the platform are imperative for the successful and SAFE running of a powerlifting meet. The platform judges came from great distances to help out for this meet. Rebecca Main (Wisconsin Rapids, WI) was the head judge for the entire meet and Shawn Cain (Hudson, WI) sat in the side chair for the whole meet. Fran Huston (New Hope, MN) and Bob Sainati (Bloomington, MN) alternated in the other side judge’s chair. The two side spotters for the squat and bench press were Robert Trettin and Brett Bruininks (now Dr. Brett Bruininks, PhD). I spent a long time thinking about who I wanted as the spotters because I consider this one of the most important positions (if not the most important) due to the fact that these are the people charged with keeping the lifters safe. Rob has an impressive powerlifting resume and Brett played professional hockey for the Philadelphia Fliers - both are very strong guys and have the presence of mind to be able to deal with anything that might come their way within the blink of an eye. Brad Madvig and Jim Cahill need no introduction when it comes to powerlifting. The two of them alternated in the back spotter position on the squats. I don’t think there are any spotters out there more qualified and capable than Brad and Jim. I think every lifter felt 100% safe walking onto the platform with the likes of all of these spotters protecting them. We were fortunate enough not to have any accidents happen on the lifting platform. However, if an unpreventable accident did happen, these are the guys I want there. The real “heavy lifting” of the meet was carried out by the loaders who saw to it that the bar was loaded quickly and accurately for each lift and that the rack heights were properly adjusted for each lifter. It may not sound like much, but think about what that is like when you do it more than 350 times over several hours under the constant pressure to “go fast but get it right” and the ever-increasing temperature in the lifting area that day. The three guys who performed this thankless task were Phillip Allen, Jon Hanson, and Nolan Wester. Phil is a personal trainer at the Duluth YMCA and is a certified powerlifting coach for the Special Olympics. Jon just graduated from the College of St. Scholastica with a degree in exercise physiology and played football for the college’s first-ever football program which started in the fall of 2008. Nolan is from Kettle River and will be a senior at Cromwell High School where he is a three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and track. The entire platform crew did an amazing job. Thank you
again.

Scorers Table

Ray Law was the announcer for the meet and I think he did a great job in his first outing as the MC. He has been a lifter for many years and can now add “announcer” to his powerlifting resume. You will probably be seeing more of him at future events as he is preparing to take his state referee exam in the next couple of months. Deb Duffy-Smet was the official that took the attempt cards from the lifters and saw to it that the correct numbers found their way to the ladies running the computers. Angela Simons and Amy Roberts ran the computer scoring program which is what the lifters and spectators saw projected on the wall. We used the NextLifter scoring program created by Joe Marksteiner www.nextlifter.com which has really revolutionized the scoring and running of powerlifting meets over the past several years. Joe Marksteiner makes his program free to anyone who wants to use it – please visitwww.nextlifter.com/about.shtml and take a minute to learn why it is free and consider donating to this most worthy of causes. The program does have some technical aspects to it which is why Angela Simons was the number one person I wanted running the program. Angela is the previous state chair for Minnesota and she is one of the few people that can do it all and
has done it all in powerlifting both at the state and national level.

Food and Drink

If you got anything to eat or drink at the contest, you were most likely served by a member of the Eggenberger family. Rachel, Cheryl and Helen [Podgorski] did an outstanding job tending to the needs of lifters, spectators, and meet staff for the entire day. I received numerous compliments from people at the meet about how friendly these ladies were. Tom Eggenberger collected the money at the door and I can honestly say that there is no one I feel more comfortable with keeping the cash box than the second-in-command of the University of Minnesota auditing department. Cheryl, Helen, and Tom traveled up from Minneapolis the morning of the meet and Rachel lives here in Duluth, having graduated with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Minnesota a week before the meet and passing her licensure exam on August 3. I would also like to thank Greg Toon who is the general manager of Famous Dave’s in Duluth. Greg and his managers saw to it that we received plenty of good food and I would like to thank Famous Dave’s for catering the event.

Meet Check-in and Weigh-in

One thing I wanted to offer, in an attempt to make lifters’ lives a little easier, was an early check-in and equipment check on Friday afternoon. Ken Andrs came over from Superior the afternoon before the meet and checked the lifters in and performed equipment checks. Pastor Ken founded the Lake Point Church in Superior www.lakepointsuperior.com and took some time off from his minister duties to help out. Ken is no stranger to powerlifting having been a lifter and referee for many years as well as a former Minnesota state chair. On the morning of the meet, lifters were greeted at the check-in table by Deb Duffy-Smet and Fran Huston and then proceeded to equipment check which was run by the head platform referee Rebecca Main. Ken Andrs tended to the weighing in of male lifters and Fran Huston took care of the female lifters. Speaking of tending, Pastor Ken will be tending to the marriage of our very own Amy Roberts and Brad Madvig on August 15. Please join me in congratulating these two on their impending nuptials and wishing them the best in their new life together. The ceremony will be less than 2 miles from where the meet was held so I would have to guess that powerlifting was not the only thing on Amy and Brad’s minds when they came up to help at the meet.

Impact Sports Training, T-Shirts, and Trophies

It should go without saying that there could not have been a meet without a place to host the meet. Chris Bell is the founder, owner, and operator of Impact Sports Trainingwww.impactsportstraining.com and offered to let us use his facility for the day. The layout of the facility was conducive for a powerlifting meet with the warmup areas already “built-in” along the sides and the central portion used for the platform and spectator seating. This made my job as meet director much easier since the layout worked well and the only big things that needed to be transported to the venue was the platform equipment. A big thank you goes out to Chris Bell as well as Katie Bersheit who works for Chris as a strength coach and helped at the meet by directing traffic and showing people where to park. I would also like to thank Cosmo Rich (owner/operator of Rich Designs in Superior, WI) for the great T-shirts and Stewart’s Bikes and Sports (Duluth, MN) for the beautiful trophies.

Results

Below you will find an abbreviated results section which highlights the top three place finishers in each division.Please be reminded that the placing order was determined by formula (which took into account bodyweight and, in some cases, age) and it is possible for one lifter to finish behind another lifter with a lower total. The weights below have been converted into pounds and the totals may not add up perfectly due to rounding. The value listed as “Points” at the end of each line is the result of the formula(e) applied and is what determined the final placings. Below, I have also included those who broke state and American records. For those of you who broke state records, the state records keeper has been inputting those. If you do not see your accomplishment listed at www.thepress.org/records.html please contact the state record keeper at the link provided at the bottom of the records page. For American record setters, I have mailed in the paperwork and, in time, they will appear on the national websitewww.usapowerlifting.com/records/index.shtml If you don’t see your record posted in the next month or so, you are advised to contact the webmaster for the USA Powerlifting website and ask who to talk to regarding your record(s) – a new record keeper has recently taken over and I don’t have that individual’s specific contact information at this time. Please be advised that various American raw records were set in July at the Raw Nationals and your record may not show up if it has since been eclipsed. Please remember that a three-lift competitor who exceeds a single-lift bench press record will also be credited with the single-lift record (this is also the policy for national, American and world [IPF] records). Complete results (clickwww.thepress.org/Results/2009/twinportsopen.html

Powerlifting - Top Three Place Finishers

Teen/Junior:
1. David Nelson (20y/217.2lbs): 501-325-551-1377 (Points: 394)
2. Travis Sohlman (23y/179.7lbs): 402-308-501-1212 (Points: 371)
3. Seth Falk (21y/237.0lbs): 485-226-474-1184 (Points: 325)

Masters:
1. Sid Reid (60y/180.1lbs): 352-231-446-1030 (Points: 422)
2. Barry Shaw (46y/196.4lbs): 512-303-540-1355 (Points: 421)
3. Eugene Edberg (41y/285.5lbs): 507-358-578-1444 (Points: 374)

Women:
1. Sheri Zimmerman (24y/129.9lbs): 209-165-319-694 (Points: 356)
2. Fawn Friday (37y/121.5lbs): 248-121-281-650 (Points: 351)
3. Maura Shuttleworth (33y/113.5lbs): 215-148-237-600 (Points: 342)

Men - Lightweight:
1. Tony Reid (37y/180.3lbs): 523-358-639-1521 (Points: 464)
2. Barry Shaw (46y/196.4lbs): 512-303-540-1355 (Points: 394)
3. Eric Lohman (20y/177.7lbs): 385-259-457-1102 (Points: 339)

Men - Heavyweight:
1. Steve Powell (38y/210.3lbs): 529-391-639-1559 (Points: 439)
2. Marshall Johnson (25y/252.2lbs): 534-369-611-1515 (Points: 400)
3. Tony Rootes (38y/266.3lbs): 551-325-600-1477 (Points: 384)

American Raw Powerlifting Records:

Men
Travis Sohlman (Junior 181): SQ-402, BP-308, TOT-1212
Barry Shaw (Master-1B 198): SQ-512, TOT-1355
James Effenberger (Master-2A 181): SQ-137, BP-187, DL-330, TOT-665

American Raw Single-Lift Bench Press Records:

Women
Jonnel Rivet (Master-2A 132): BP-148

Men
Brandon Braner (Junior SHW): BP-391

State Raw Single-Lift Bench Press Records:

Women:
Maura Shuttleworth (Open 114): BP-148
Jonnel Rivet (Master-2A 132): BP-148
Jessica Skallet (Open 198): BP-126
Samantha Broderius (Open and Junior SHW): BP-132

Men:
Kyle Norman (Open 165): BP-253
Travis Sohlman (Junior 181): BP-308
James Effenberger (Master-2A 181): BP-187
Sid Reid (Master-3A 181): BP-231
Barry Shaw (Master-1B 198): BP-303
Jeff Braun (Master-2A 198): BP-308
David Nelson (Junior 220): BP-325
Seth Falk (Junior 242): BP-225
Jeff Chamberlin (Master-1B 242): BP-281
Eugene Edberg (Master-1A 275): BP-358
Brian Woolsey (Master-3A 275): BP-275
Brandon Braner (Junior SHW): BP-391

State Raw Powerlifting Records:

Women:
Sheri Zimmerman (Open 132): BP-165, DL-319, TOT-694
Fawn Friday (Open 123): SQ-248
Maura Shuttleworth (Open 114): SQ-214, TOT-600
Anna White (Open and Junior 132): SQ-231
Tammy Dian (Open 123): BP-137
Samantha Broderius (Junior SHW): SQ-314, BP-132, DL-319, TOT-766
Samantha Broderius (Open SHW): SQ-314

Men:
David Nelson (Junior 220): SQ-501, BP-325, DL-551, TOT-1377
Travis Sohlman (Junior 181): SQ-402, BP-308, DL-501, TOT-1212
Seth Falk (Junior 242): SQ-485, BP-225, DL-473, TOT-1184
Tony Reid (Open 181): SQ-523, DL-639
Kyle Norman (Open 165): BP-253
Sid Reid (Master-3A 181): BP-231, DL-446
Barry Shaw (Master-1B 198): SQ-512, BP-303*, DL-540, TOT-1355
Eugene Edberg (Master-1A SHW): SQ-507, BP-358, DL-578, TOT-1444
David Aldrich (Master-2A 198): SQ-347, BP-292, TOT-1036
Gary Grahn (Master-2A 198): DL-402
Erik Maki (Master-1A 198): SQ-303*, BP-369, DL-457*, TOT-1129*
James Effenberger (Master-2A 181): SQ-137, BP-187, DL-330, TOT-655
Note: the 4 lifts above indicated by an asterisk (*) may or may not be records; this will be determined when the former Master categories (i.e. 10-year increments) are finished being sorted into the new 5-year increments.

In closing I would like to thank all of the lifters and volunteers who made the Twin Ports Raw Open a success. I did my best to make it as lifter-friendly as possible. It has been my observation over the course of 12 years of competing that meet directors and others frequently talk about the importance of making events “lifter friendly” but often fail to follow through with those sentiments for various reasons (e.g. focus on making a profit, disorganization, etc.). A lifter-friendly atmosphere was one of my major goals and I hope you walked away from the meet with that sense. The early equipment check, the pre-meet lifter informational packet, and free food and drink for lifters were just some of the ways I tried to make this meet as friendly as possible for lifters.

However, I know there were some concerns raised by lifters and I welcome the feedback so I can improve upon this event in the future. The lifting area did become quite warm which was a distraction to many lifters. I did not foresee this problem with the weather forecast being cloudy skies and a high temperature of around 60 degrees for the day of the meet. The venue has never held nearly as many people as were there on the day of the meet so I was unable to predict how the internal environment would respond. If the meet is held at the same venue in the future, measures will be taken to better regulate the temperature. Also, it did seem a bit cramped at times and I know some in the audience had difficulty getting a clear view of the lifting platform. Again, if the meet is held at the same location in the future, I will do whatever I can (working within the confines of the physical building) to maximize space for the warmup areas and optimize the seating area for spectators. Also, had I known there was the potential for the number of lifters that entered, I would had left open the possibility for two lifting sessions (morning and afternoon). In order to keep the flights fair (lifters competing head-to-head with others in their division) and within the rules (14 or fewer lifters per flight), I had to make 4 flights in one session which was the best that could be done in a single session. However, a two-session format would have been the preferred method and that option will be on the table in the future running of this event.

On a slightly unrelated topic, I did notice that a couple of the inscription plates were scratched on the trophies. If any of you would like those replaced, let me know and I will get you a new one. Finally, since I was unaware of the number of lifters that would attend this first-time event I did not reserve hotel rooms. In the future, I will explore the possibility of reserving a block of hotel rooms for the event, probably in the Canal Park area (if the meet is at Impact Sports Training) which is less than 2 miles from the venue. I would like to thank all of those lifters who had concerns about the meet and brought them to my attention in a very respectful manner. Although some people had concerns, no one was disrespectful and, as the meet director, I very much appreciate that.


As of right now, I am planning to hold the Twin Ports Raw Open again next summer. The only way I will not run it is if I move out the area between now and then which does not appear likely at this time. The tentative date for next year’s Twin Ports Raw Open is Saturday, June 26, 2010. My plan for holding this event in the future is to keep it on the Saturday that falls after Grandma’s Marathon (an event that floods Duluth with tens of thousands of out-of-towners); this also should ensure the event is held before the July 4th holiday. In the mean time, please visit the Minnesota state website for details regarding the two events remaining on the Minnesota calendar for 2009 www.thepress.org/events.html. I would like to apologize for my delay in getting this meet write-up put together and distributed. After the meet, my main concerns were getting the results posted and ensuring the drug tests and record applications were sent out; this write-up continued to slip through the cracks, so to speak. Well, that is about it folks. May your training be injury-free and lead to many PR’s. I look forward to seeing you at future powerlifting events in the region.

Sincerley

Joe

Joe Warpeha
Meet Director - Twin Ports Raw Open