President's Inaugural Message

July 24, 2003


This week starts my tenure as President of USA Powerlifting. I am in my 27th year of lifting, and my 20th year in USAPL. As such, I have served as State Chair (Alaska and Wyoming), Chair of the Armed Forces Committee, Chair of the Coaching Committee, member of the Drug Testing Committee, and for the last three years, as your Vice President. I have coached in more than 20 international meets, and have lifted in a World Championships myself.

I bring some clear objectives to the office of President for the future, but haven't forgotten the spirit of the organization as it was founded. I hope to move us forward at the same time, continuing to respect the foundation layed by Brother Bennett at our beginnings.

USAPL faces some significant challenges for the future, but we enjoy some significant assets and strengths as well. One of the areas that we will increasingly move is into marketing of our product, drug free lifting with a strong grassroots constituency and a viable international affiliation. There is a place in USA Powerlifting for everyone, from the novice to the elite international competitor. All are welcome, and each of you is valuable to us.

On the challenges side, we have a number of areas in which we might improve. Among these are: publicity and marketing, and showcasing our athletes; working toward a cooperative relationship with the USOC; television broadcast of our championships; continuing to improve our communication with members; enhancing member services; increasing funding base; and extending the reach of our organization into areas that are not well covered now. Each of these areas has a specific project team associated with it. My expectations as President are that they will return with concrete ideas for growth and improvement, plans for implementation, and timelines in which progress will be measured. Please contact me if you would like to serve.

Our National Office will remain in Columbia City, Indiana. We have two valued employees, physical infrastructure, and our bookkeeper is there. Our level of service will continue with regard to contacts from meet promoters, athletes, and the public.

Finally, I would like to close with a note of thanks to our outgoing President, Michael Overdeer. Michael served as President during some of our most exciting times. He was instrumental in negotiating our affiliation with the International Powerlifting Federation, set up our current system of team coaching, and pioneered many of the processes that make the day to day business of USA Powerlifting run smoothly. Mr. Overdeer has also layed the groundwork for expansion of our youth program; soon, USAPL competition will be open to younger athletes.

To close, I welcome the honor of serving as your President. I have high hopes for the continued growth of our Federation and the popularity of our sport. I intend to enlist YOUR assistance in making this happen. I'll be in touch.

Larry