The rules...

This is a reminder. The most current rules of the WPC can be found on the home web site of the World Powerlifting Congress. There will be rules meeting before every session and ASK any official any question.Some points, as examples, would be...

• Squat-the legs must be straight before and after the lift.


• Bench-proper placement of the feet or hands.


• What are the verbal and hand commands.


• Deadlift-What is a "hitch"?


• When can you declare and change your attempts?

The point is BE PREPARED and ASK BEFORE the concern becomes a problem. You can ask me anything!... irnmike@aol.com

It's all about the PEOPLE!

This is Sergy Druzhkov, The President of the WPC/AWPC/WPO in the Primorye Territory. He does it all! He treats every lifter as they are the most important person there and they are. We are fortunate to have Sergy as part of our organization!

Taking full advantage...

..of the arch in the bench. The high arch reduces the distance the bar needs to be pushed. The man and women in these pictures registored very high numbers.

The Fans In Rostov, Russia...

They love WPC powerlifting there. The place was packed!

Fans, fans, fans..

It the past couple of months, I have watched the World Championships in both Track and Field and Gymnastics. Even with the great Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt out running every living thing. The stadium was less than 30% full. We see this in powerlifting all the time. Normally just family and very close friends come to watch.
The LA FitExpo is packed with fans. The ARNOLD Sport Festival is mobbed with fans! The Convention for the Chicago Marathon was packed with fans. What do these all have in common? The vendors all give away something free, small samples, tee-shirts, etc.

Siver Medal in Beijing Olympics..

In the past 4 months I have met all three Olympic medal holders gold, silver, and bronze. This is Olympic lifter Dmitriy Klokov of Russia and he is in training for the next Olympics and more "Bing"...I asked the question, Is there any substitute for hard work?...NO!

Big Weights...

...bring in Big crowds and fans. There is nothing better than to give your best effort in front of thousands of fans right in front of you, cheering you on!

The red ones are....

25 kilos or 55 pounds...so that at least 550 pounds and the 45 pound bar and some smaller weights or 600 pounds plus. Nice RAW bench!


more Rostov reports...

Hotel and pick up information for 2009 Worlds in England...

www.worldpowerliftingchampionships.com

Super Master Russian WPC powerlifter...Yuriy Chepets

Geared or RAW....Yuriy is the MAN!...ex-INTERPOL officer...he sets World Record after World Record...excellent lifter...excellent person!

Yuriy in charge...(yellow tie)

Rostov...and Yuriy Ustinov...

Yuriy is the driving force of the Eurasia Group and one of the meet directors in Rostov. He engineered the staff and the goals of this International World meet. Great Job!
...side story...at dinner Yuriy said that he had been approach by other organizations....I said yes, so have I! I expect all individuals doing a good job to be looked at by others, it is a complement!

The people!

This year I have been to the LA FitExpo with Scott Mendelson, the Arnold Sports Festivial, the Ukraine with Mr. Bobchenko, British Bulldog Nationals with Brain, Finland with Ano and Minna, Azerbaijan with Aladdin, Rostov Russia with Yuriy, and in November WPC Worlds in England with Brian again.

The meet directors pay for my expenses and travel, I paid for the ARNOLD, it's that good and close to home.

I thank you all and have seen tremendous movement and lifter numbers grow.

Now back to Rostov.....

2009 WPC Worlds...

20 countries confirmed and the list is growing...one month out...you can ask me anything..irnmike@aol.com


http://www.worldpowerliftingchampionships.com/

A true hero for any nation...

...the individual with all the medals was a solider in the Afghanistan/Russian War named Sergey Luhkov and invilad sports person is Sergey Istomin....I told you I meet interesting and brave people...

Credibility

The judging was at a very high standard. All questions and concerns were answered before the problems developed. In the WPC/AWPC we do not "target or limit" lifters, rather we focus on safety, extreme weights, and fun!

He makes the magic happen!

This is Max Tomchin, Russia. He is a top rated WPC World Class Powerlifter, as is his wife. Max is the computer engineer that made it all happen! His days were very long and he competed too! I have known him for years which makes me a lucky man! Good Job Max!

Coaches and friends checking...

...lifters status!

Computer screens for..

...lifter information, current results, loading screens for each platform, and big Plasmsa's to watch the action on the main stage were everywhere!

Informations...

...were always hand written and taped to a wall...not any more!

The Championship was massive....

...close to or over 700 powerlifters. Only computerization could help get the information to the lifters. Rostov had it all! From the weight in to the final results. The information was current, accurate and everywhere. The some days went 15 hours. The key was each lifter knew exactly when and where he was lifting. At times, on the main stage, there were three platforms going at once. They were all independent of each other and worked like a expensive Swiss watch! The table...

The Venue...

...was a ultra modern convention center with great sound. The was a hotel attached for the lifters. The was a coffee shop/restaurant and plenty of bathrooms. I had zero problems getting around anywhere.

The warm up area...

...had plenty of everything!

The views....

The stage...

All pictures and there were many and interviews for newspapers, TV, etc. had the perfect background!

The equipment...

New, plenty of room and plenty of weights, benches, mono lifts, medicial care, computerized information. The lifters knew exactly when their group was competeing. The platform was extremely well orgainized, the benches all had safety racks. The spotting team was first rate. The visual picture of lifters on the platform was stunning.

2009 RAW Worlds continued...

I have covered travel, media, and now the equipment and venue.

2009 Chicago Marathon....

45000 athletes...34 degree weather...1.5 million fans lining the 26.2 miles ...two winners only, one man and one women...no coaches on the course...how did I do?...a bird passed me twice.....walking!
experience......priceless...yes, I started and finished!

Rostov...

The lifters officials, and myself took part in many video news clips and interviews. The fans had the lifters take 100's of pictures and signed autographs. The city had many full size bill boards on the busiest roads through out the city.

Meeting with Olympic Committee...

...in Azerbaijan as reported on the front page of the National newspaper. Yes there were television interviews, and much more press! I explained our mission and yes, they are recognizing a championship we will hold in Baku in May, 2010.

Media coverage...

this year has been tremendous. Starting in Finland, England, Azerbaijan, and Rostov WPC events have been heavily televised, and covered in local and National press. This is a picture done in Rostov last week on live Television.

The View...

The bathroom...

The room...

Traveling to Rostov on the Don River, Russia...

I live in Chicago, Illinois in the USA. We have one of the largest International airports in the World. It is easy for me to travel world wide. As you know I travel overseas a lot. The airline I flew on for my last two trips is Turkish Air. They did a great job. There was plenty of seat room and all the food and drink I wanted, without paying a extra charge. There were TV and video/audio screens in every seat.
I landed in Istanbul in 10 hours, which is a great airport and on to Rostov, which is about 2 hours in the air. The cost of my entire flight travel was 1038 US dollars.
The point is travel is fun! The WPC has several very high profile International meets in 2010, if you plan, you will have fun!

...next hotel and local food!