JEFFERSON — It was literally a powerful start for local strength athletes at the first day of the American Powerlifting Committee (APC) National Championships in Jefferson at the Jefferson Civic Center as they came home with National titles and in some cases, National and World Records.
The Hall County area sent competitors in full-power (squat, benchpress and deadlift); push/pull (bench and deadlift) as well as in the bench-only category.
Leading the way was Flowery Branch’s Jerry Crow who battled through a left quadriceps injury he suffered during a missed second squat attempt; He bothered it some more on his third attempt which he also missed. After that, the thought of scratching out of the meet crossed his mind, but after he started to warm up for the deadlift, he began to feel better.
"I gave it all I had on the deadlift and was pleased with it,” Crow said.
Crow wound up setting deadlift full-power World Records for the Raw 75 kilogram/165.35 pounds, MM 65-69 year old weight class on every lift, finishing with 175 kg./385.81 on his 3rd lift for a World Record total of 395/870.82. Crow bumped the Deadlift World Record to 182.5/402.34 on a fourth lift; and the total to 402.5/887.35.
Oakwood’s R. Garry Glenn of the Gainesville based IronDawgs, also got in on the records, bumping his own Raw push/pull National and World deadlift marks to 183 kilos/403.44 pounds in the MM 60-64, 100 kilo/220.46 lbs. weight class. It was Glenn’s second National Championship in push/pull to go with nine National Titles in bench-only.
“The fact that I got the record is on the Man upstairs; and I am very grateful," Glenn said.
Gainesville’s Marcell Allen had the heaviest total of the day in Raw fullpower at 795/1,752.66 in taking the Open 100 kilo weight class. Jordan Clark of Gainesville, 22, won the National Title in the Junior 90 kilo/198.41 pounds by totaling 520/1,1146.39.
Veteran IronDawg benchpress specialist Tim “T” Moon of Gainesville helped a number of the local lifters on Saturday, including his 23-year-old daughter, Leslie, of Braselton who made her powerlifting debut by winning the Raw Junior Women’s 67.5/148.81weight class with a total of 280/617.29. T Moon, the all-time World Record bench-presser over the age of 50 with an Equipped benchpress of over 820 pounds, will lift on Sunday in the Equipped bench-only category.
Other Georgia IronDawgs who competed Saturday in bench-only include, the dean of the IronDawgs, Flowery Branch’s Zack Layfield, who moved up an age group to the 75-79, 75 kilo/165.45 pounds class and benched 85/187.39. Gainesville’s George Bradley, another IronDawg, who was the only local lifter to lift Equipped on Saturday, won another National Championship by taking the title in the MM 55-59, 67.5 kilo class with an equipped press of 102.5/225.97.
The wife/husband team of IronDawgs Dana and Russ Tripp of Lawrenceville also won National Titles in bench-only. Dana set a World Record in the MW 40-44 56 k/123.46 lbs. with her bench of 50 kilos/110.23lbs. Russ took another title in the MM 45-49 75 kilo class; and despite a sore pectoral muscle, benched 140/308.64.
The meet will conclude on Sunday with lifters 110 kilograms/242.51 pounds and above in competition. Best-Lifter and Team championships trophies will be awarded after tomorrow’s competition.