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Re: Jason, how is the USAPL going to clean up
Posted By: Jason Burnell In Response To: Jason, how is the USAPL going to clean up (George Phipps)
Date: Thursday, 17 November 2005, at 4:23 p.m.
:its image? I have never lifted USAPL, but I know
:any of my friends who have, and almost every one :tells the same story of politics and stuck up :attitudes.George,
Thank you for asking that question. While I can't speak for USAPL as an organization I do have an opinion on this. In some ways USAPL has a great reputation, in others there are things we could definitely improve on. Ultimiately, I think the changes will have to come from the lifters/members themselves.I think one of the problems is one of perception. This is something I've discussed with some of my friends who lift primarily in APF/WPC. First, we have to acknowledge that there are some pretty serious differences. A USAPL judge is going to call squat depth at it is written - top of the thigh at the hip below top of the thigh at the knee regardless of weight class or body size. This will place a lifter significantly below parallel.
In most APF meets I've been to that is not the same standard to which the squat is judged. There are also some rules which are in the books and enforced at USAPL meets that I've never or rarely seen observed at an APF meet - 60 second clock when bar is loaded, knees locked at start and finish etc. Finally, there are simply some rules that are completely different - T-shirt pockets, thumb loops, Press vs no press command, belly benching, thumbs vs thumbless grip and of course gear that is allowed.To a lifter coming from the APF who has never been to a USAPL meet (and/or who isn't aware of the differences) it will seem like everyone is out to get him. It would be similar in a WABDL meet as there are some lift performance differences in the bench. In any event, I've seen that on more than one occasion where a lifter is surprised that his normal squat depth isn't deep enough or that he got red lights for the bar touching too low etc. It's easy to pass those off as "politics". The only real answer to that is for a lifter to be familiar with the rules of each fed before competing. As a meet director and a ref in a couple of feds, I'm still surprised at how many lifters don't know the basic rules.
If you prepare your lifters as to the rules of USAPL, that would go a long way to ensuring they have a positive experience. The rule books are available online and if you have any questions I'm sure we can find the answers.
:I coach over a dozen teenagers who compete with :me and my team, and I want a good atmosphere for :my lifters to lift in; and given the resent :politics on the net I want to know if there is a :move to clean things up.
I'm not 100% sure what recent events you are talking about. I've never really seen a bad atmosphere at a meet but I'm usually so wrapped up in lifting/coaching that I don't pay attention to much.
I would guess that there are differences in meets that vary from state to state. Here in California, we have several feds that operate and I see a lot of lifter crossover so most people know about 1/2 the lifters at every meet. Maybe we don't see as many bad attitudes because everyone knows everyone. I'm curious because I've heard something similar from Billy in the past but he's all the way on the other side of the country.
While I don't see a lot of that at meets, I have seen some things on the net that have made me cringe. There is a lot of discussion about squat depth and lift performance and I have no problem with that. We have, however, had a few vocal members that take every opportunity to ridicule certain lifts/lifters calling them circus lifts and such. While the criticism may be valid, there is a better way to get the message across. Calling someone a clown or a joke isn't going to convince them to change. It is more likely to make them dig in in their heels.
If you are looking to take your lifters to the National level,(Men's Nats, Womens Nats) I don't think you can do better. It's no cakewalk and there aren't going to be gifts but the meets are great.
Best of luck to you.
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