Vice President's Message
December 1, 2002


The past few months have been exciting for our competitors and for our organization. A number of changes have come online that will prove helpful to our growth and development of athletes. Our competitors have done well, overseas, and at home. We have added the bookkeeper position as voted for by the NGB. Our fundraising program continues to assist in stable support for the services we offer. Finally, the IPF Congress has instituted a number of changes, with passage of the new constitution and by-laws, that continue to level the playing field in terms of doping, in international competition. To do so brings us closer to the Olympic ideal, and into compliance with initiatives of the World Antidoping Agency.

This fall, competition within USAPL reflects changes brought about by moving to an anniversary date membership. In the past, when a calendar year was employed, we had greater numbers of competitions early in the year, and fewer in the latter half. Athletes were reluctant to pay for a membership that would be valid for only a few months. With the change, wherein athletes' membership is good for one year from the date of purchase, it doesn't really matter what time competitions are scheduled. They may be placed anywhere in the calendar that suits a particular area or group of lifters. Greater numbers of sanctioned competitions shows that this idea's time had come.

We are also holding, for the first time, a developmental nationals for athletes who are not Jrs., High School athletes, or Masters. The American Open mirrors that held by USA Weightlifting, and our IPF predecessor, and targets competitors who have yet to make a qualifying total for Open Nationals. These athletes will be given the opportunity to compete in a National Championship-style competition against lifters of similar abilities. Winners will also qualify for Open Nationals, so will have the chance to lift on the big stage against our best. It should be exciting for them, and for us.

Our Sub-juniors, Junior, Master, and Open Men's teams have all done well in IPF competition. The results are on our database section, but the short summary is that USAPL teams, and individual lifters among the best in the world. For the first time ever in IPF competition, we have had both the Men's and Women's Champion of Champions (Sub-juniors), and our Master's teams received the Gold Medal for Team competition in every age division.

After an exhaustive search, we have hired a part-time bookkeeper, to assist in the day-to-day processes of paying bills, writing checks, tracking accounts receivable, etc. She will start work approximately the third week of December. Yeoman's duty has been done by our Treasurer, Marsha Serre, who has given her resignation, the first time prior to the NGB meeting this summer, and more recently as well. Marsha is transitioning out, and we will be looking for a Treasurer to serve on the E.C. as well, very likely after the first of the year after the bookkeeper is in place.

You will find the minutes of the IPF Congress linked to this issue of Powerlines. Please look it over carefully. If you look at the calendar, you will see that there are a number of IPF competitions returning to the U.S. We also, of course, stand ready to accept other competitions which should come open on a short notice basis. This congress included a number of initiative which tighten the prohibitions against doping and which also strongly address those who use.

All in all, the future looks bright, both domestically, and in terms of international competition. To our continued growth.

Larry