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The 4th IPF/NAPF Central America Powerlifting Championships was on October 8-10, 2004, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and was a tremendous success! As the following report shows, this trip shall pave the way to much promise for the future. The following is a day by day report on the championship. Jack Marcus served as technical advisor for the championship and I attended representing both the IPF and the NAPF.
Day I: Arrival in Guatemala I met Jack Marcus (IPF Category II Official) at the Miami International Airport, after enduring a Miami traffic jam - not pleasant, but survived nonetheless. A trip to the airport that normally takes me 40 minutes ended up taking over 2 hours, due to a major accident on I-95, a major rain storm, and the US President flying to town for another visit and fund raiser that evening. Nonetheless, once inside the airport, I was able to squeeze to the front of the line and make my flight by a matter of 2-3 minutes. The short 2 hour flight from Miami was uneventful, and we were picked up at the airport by Ron Cambora, the Executive Director of the Guatemala Powerlifting Federation. After checking into the hotel, which included a beautiful view overlooking the city that included, believe it or not, the [dormant] Pacaya volcano. After a short nap, we were taken on a tour of the Guatemala National Sports Training Center. This training venue included a center specifically geared for Powerlifting that is not shared with weightlifting. Moreover, their National Training Center houses some 45 sports recognized by the Guatemala government - each receives funding for their specific programs, to include Powerlifting. We also viewed some of the other training centers within the facility that included gymnastics and karate. The karate session included a world class medalist from Cuba training with the national team coach for Guatemala. After this most interesting tour, we met and had dinner with Alicia Valenzuela, the President of the Guatemala Powerlifting Federation. The selected restaurant was an El Salvadoran hacienda, which included live music and entertainment frequented by the local towns people. Overall the dinner was quite delicious and entertaining. Afterwards, we turned in for a well deserved nights rest. Needless to say, I positive and most encouraging start to our trip! Day II: Opening Ceremony and National Olympic Committee Visit After breakfast at the hotel, we were picked up at the hotel by Ron Cambora and taken to the venue, where the championship was to take place. The venue was spacious and decorated with flowers and blue and white ribbons and streamers, representing the Guatemalan National Colors. After taking a tour of the facility, we were driven to the Guatemalan National Olympic Headquarters. There, we met with Mr. Oswald Johnson, the past-president, and now spokesperson for the current president of the Guatemalan National Olympic Committee. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador Powerlifting Federations. After brief introductions by the attending delegates, discussion centered on the International Powerlifting Federation's (IPF) application to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as the application process of El Salvador and Honduras to the North American Powerlifting Federation (NAPF) and the International Powerlifting Federation. Discussion on Honduras and El Salvador's applications to the IPF, included support by the NAPF and travel to both Honduras and El Salvador to meet with their respective National Sports Federations. Moreover, discussion included the formation of the Central American Powerlifting Federation as part of the North American Powerlifting Federation. Not withstanding, I made that the recommendation to the delegates of Central America that once the federation is formed that they begin looking at the prospect of having Powerlifting included as a demonstration sport into the coming IOC/PASO recognized Central American Games that will take place in Guatemala next year. Overall, as I see it, this shall be a positive step to include Powerlifting into the Pan-American Games sometime in the future, and both the IPF and the NAPF stand behind such and initiative in our quest for IOC recognition. I shall continue moving towards After the meeting, we were transported back to the championship venue for the technical committee meeting and opening ceremonies of the championship. The technical committee meeting was handled masterfully by Ron Cambora, to include the application and use of IPF rules to all of the athletes, coaches, and referees. During the technical committee meeting, it was announced that Costa Rica was not able to attend for not being able to obtain travel documents. Costa Rica is a relatively new affiliate member (less than 6 months) to the IPF and is still forming their federation. We anticipate their full attendance in future championships. After the technical meeting, a question and answer session regarding the technical rules was held, with Jack Marcus (IPF Category II Referee) providing assistance with the answering questions presented by the attendees. Interestingly enough referees and officials of sporting events in Guatemala are required to attend a National Officials Academy for one year, and are certified not only in powerlifting, but other sports as well. Ron Cambora has been through the academy in Guatemala as well as the National Officials Academy in Spain. Once the technical committee was complete, a short break was held, to prepare for the opening ceremonies. The opening ceremony was quite impressive and awe-inspiring to say the least. It included opening speeches made by Ron Cambora, Alicia Velasquez and myself. Once speeches were complete, the national teams of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador lined up, similar to that of an international soccer tournament, with each team singing their respective national anthems to musical hymns of their homelands. It was one of the most inspirational and stirring opening ceremonies I have ever witnessed in my powerlifting travels - touching very deep into your heart! Once the opening ceremonies were complete, a short photograph session was held with the delegates, athletes and their coaches. Day III - Championship (All Women & Men 52kg - 75kg) The championship was attended by 22 women and 28 men from three (3) countries. It is important to note, the majority of the lifters competing in this championship lifted unequipped, with minimal supportive equipment. Nonetheless, some very impressive lifting took place at the championship, given the fact that the athletes to this point, have had little to no exposure to powerlifting gear. On this note, I must point out the kind and generous support of both Inzer Advance Designs and Titan Support Systems on their donations of powerlifting gear to the federations of Central America. Like most powerlifters, once these athletes master the gear, their lifts will match those of most nations within the NAPF/IPF. Also, the meet ran with the high speed precision, which the IPF is noted for, and special recognition should be given to the spotters and loaders for their hard work! In addition, the national referees from the countries of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala displayed a [very good] understanding of the technical rules, with minimal corrections, and did a super job! The lifting was a of a high-level as well with Marta Cano winning champion of Champions with a Wilks score of 415.5 in the 52kg class. In the men's category, El Salvador rebounded in the hunt for the team competition by taking the final three weight classes with close wins by Felipe Rivera (60kg), Carlos Santos (67.5kg) and Francis Alvarado (75kg), after being defeated by Guatemala in the 52kg and 56kg classes. Dinner that night in the hotel restaurant included the much anticipated and discussed soccer match between Guatemala and Costa Rica, which Jack and I watched with the other hotel guests. This match was pivotal in Guatemala winning the Central American Championships in soccer and the citizens of the country were paralyzed with excitement and enthusiasm for their nation's team. Even despite a loss of 5-0, they still remain in contention for a chance to win the title and win a slot in the World Cup finals. It was later found out that Guatemala had played this game without their three (3) best players, who had to sit out for receiving a red card the previous game. After dinner, Maynard the bellman took us for a tour of the city, which included the Guatemala City's party center (Zona -Viva) that in some cases, rivals both South Beach (Miami, Florida) and the French Quarter (New Orleans, Louisiana). After the [brief] tour of the Guatemalan night life, Jack and I turned in early for the final day of the competition. Day IV - Championship (Men 82.5kg - 125+kg) The final day of the championship included some exceptional lifting. Overall, to this point, the competition was directed very well, which included a scoreboard with computerized scoring, and a homemade version of the Barload system. As for the lifting, El Salvador completed a near clean sweep, by winning 5 of the last 6 weight classes. These performances were lead by Carlos Recinos(82.5kg), Miguel Benitez(90kg), and Ronald Urias(125kg). Interestingly enough, at just 21 years of age, Ron has great potential and plans to lift at this year's North American Regional Powerlifting Championships in Miami, as well as the World Junior Championships in Indiana (USA), next fall. All of his lifts were made quite easily, and with more technical work, will be a contender for the world junior title this coming year. Directly after the championship was concluded and awards were presented, a post-contest review was held with the delegates and presidents of the Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala Powerlifting Federations. Applications were provided to both El Salvador and Honduras to be included as official members of the IPF family. Also, future regional competitions were discussed with Guatemala entering a bid for the 2006 NAPF Regional Powerlifting Championships, and El Salvador entertaining a bid for the 2007 Championships. Honduras intends to host the 2007 NAPF Regional Bench Press Championships. Day IV - Sightseeing Sunday afternoon was devoted to sightseeing, which took us to [old] Guatemala City that is positioned high in the mountains overlooking the modern capital of today. The drive took us within feet of cloud cover, and the view of the city was spectacular. Once arriving at the peak overlooking the city, I was in awe with the 15th century Spanish architecture that included several churches as well as an historical fortress/mission that was built by the Spaniards. Old Guatemala City also boasts to have thee oldest Catholic Church in the hemisphere. On an interesting note, for those that follow theological history, Guatemala was the home of St. Francis of Issis, the famous theologian. Dinner in old Guatemala City was spent in a garden style restaurant, featuring Spanish Renaissance décor. After a hearty meal, we visited the Camilla de Santa Ana church that was constructed in the year 1579. Once inside, we were met with a completely full congregation of town's people and their children singing the Spanish Catholic hymns - stirring to say the least. Final Thoughts Despite the severe economic hardship in this region of the world, the championship was expertly directed as well as an overall success! Compliments to Alicia Valenzuela and Ron Cambora for their exceptional work in directing this championship. Powerlifting is emerging in this region of the world, and with some time, and the advent of powerlifting gear and good equipment to train with, teams from Central America will be quite competitive on the regional and world stage. On a final note, special thanks are in order to Norbert Wallauch, Gaston Parage, Detlev Albrings, Julio Conrado and Larry Maile for their support in the venture. I would also like to especially thank Jack Marcus for assisting with this trip. His contributions were invaluable and were significant in the success of this trip. On a final note, I would like to again express many thanks to both Titan Support Systems and Inzer Advance Designs for their generous contributions to the federations of the IPF and NAPF. Also, I would like to send special welcome to both the El Salvador and Honduras Powerlifting Federations to the International Powerlifting Federation - Welcome (Bienvenidos) Robert Keller , General Secretary - North American Powerlifting Federation (NAPF) |
Contest Photos
 Visit to the Guatemala Olympic Committee (Left) Delegates from Guatemala, El-Salvador, Honduras, and the USA meet with Guatemala National Olympic Committee Officials prior to the start of the IV Central America Powerlifting Championships. Special thanks to Alicia Valenzuela, president, and Ron Cambora, the Executive Director, of the Guatemala Powerlifting Federation for arranging this meeting.  Womens 75kg Class Medalists Margarita Valenzuela of Guatemala, gold medalist in the 75kg class, stands atop the podium with teammate Lucia Salvador to her left and Carolina Ramos of El Salvador to the right.  National Powerlifting Team of Honduras The National Powerlifting Team from Honduras, with Robert Keller and Jack Marcus.  Men's Champion of Champions - Carlos Recinos of El Salvador.  One thee oldest Catholic Church in the Americas. |