GAINESVILLE — The taste of the first day of the American Powerlifting Committee (APC) National Championships at the Iron Beast Gym in Gainesville had a very distinctive northeast Georgia flavor as local lifters led the way in mining gold and silver at the 2017 edition of the APC national meet.
Leading the way was Valerie Smith of Flowery Branch, who came home with three golds and a Best Lifter Award on the day. Smith entered three different divisions in the Women’s 67.5 kilogram/148.8 pounds class and won all three, taking both the Open and Master’s Women’s 40-44 year old raw full-power (squat, bench, deadlift) divisions in the weight class; and the raw deadlift only gold as well.
Smith finished with raw Master’s National records in the full-power squat (125 kilos/275.6 lbs.) and benchpress (80.5/177.5) and total (368/811.3). In an unusual twist, she lost out on the raw deadlift national mark to Luyn Ho-Bui of Dacula, who re-set the National record for the Master’s class at 163 kilos/359.3) when Ho-Bui got the weight on a fourth lift. Fourth lifts are for record purposes only and do not count in the regular meet totals or for Best Lifter awards. Smith’s deadlift of 162.5/358.2 got her the BL trophy.
The Georgia IronDawgs based in Gainesville got off to a good start in defending their bench-only team title Saturday. Mt. Airy’s Joey Murphy doubled up on the day, competing both raw and equipped (with the special benchpress shirt). He won the National Championships in the Master’s Men’s 45-49 year old 100 kilo/220.5 lbs. division with a National Record raw press of 182.5/402.3, and a State Record equipped lift of 260/573.2, for the heaviest benchpress of the day. Murphy narrowly missed a press of over 600 pounds on a fourth lift.
The dean of the IronDawgs at the meet, R. Garry Glenn of Oakwood, won his 10th National bench-only title, to go with another in push/pull (bench/deadlift) won in 2016. Weighing in Friday at a little under 204 pounds, Glenn hit his second lift of 140/308.6 in the raw MM 60-64, 100 kilo class. He came pretty close, but failed to lock out 145/319.7 on his third try. Also benching 140 kilos on the day was IronDawg Russ Tripp of Monroe in the raw MM 45-49 year old 75k/165.3 lbs. division. Tripp also tried 145, but did not get it either. His wife Dana set the National Record in the raw MW 45-49, 56 kilo/125.8 lbs. class with a press of 50/110.2.
Gainesville’s George Bradley won the title in the MM 60-64 67.5 equipped bench-only division by locking out 102.5/226. Kendall Dean made the trip up from Orlando, Florida to compete with the IronDawgs and won the bench-only championship in the raw MM 50-54, 100 kilo class with a lift of 82.5/181.9. The Dawgs’ have other lifters competing in the heavier weight classes on Sunday, among them all-time Master’s 50-plus World Champ, Tim “T” Moon of Gainesville.
Other northeast Georgia lifters who got first places included 16-year old Seth Gaston of Winder who took firsts in his teen-age raw class at 90 kilos/198.4 pounds in full power with a total of 515/1,135.4; and in push/pull at 332.5/733, Gaston hit a full-power national record in the squat (190.5/420) on a fourth lift, as well as a national full-power and push/pull mark of 227.5/501.5 in the deadlift. His push/pull benchpress of 115/253.5 was also a National Record in the division. 23-year old Jonah Ingram of Commerce won the National Junior Division raw full-power championship by totaling 570 kilos/1,256.6 lbs. His was the second heaviest full-power total of the day, behind only 19-year old Julian Gomez of Bethlehem, Ga. Gomez hit 573/1,263.2.
Randy Jordan of Homer won the full-power MM 40-44 raw 100 kilo class by totaling 540/1,190.5.
Local push/pull winners included Flowery Branch’s Jerry Crow who had a record-setting day in winning the raw MM 65-69, 82.5 kilo/181.9 pound class with a World Record total of 290/639.3. He had a push/pull record in the bench at 100/220.5 and the deadlift at 190/418.9. Crow bumped the bench record to 105/231.5 on a fourth lift.
Jacob Ross of Winder, just 18-years-old, won the push/pull 18-19, 90-K class with a total of 310/683.4. Finishing second in push/pull was Gainesville’s Jordan Henderson in the Open 90 k division with his total of 267.5 kilos/589.7 lbs.
The oldest lifter of the day was 82-year old George Matthews of Cumming who set an age group raw bench-only 90 kilogram weight class World Record with his lift of 101/222.7.
The meet resumes Sunday morning at 10 with the weight classes above 220.5 pounds. The team and more Best Lifter awards will be decided at the conclusion of the tournament.
