IronDawgs win another state title, defend crown in Athens

ATHENS -- Late last week, the Georgia IronDawgs Powerlifting and Bench Press Teams were presented with a framed resolution from the Georgia state Senate. Sponsored by Senator Butch Miller of Gainesville, the award honored their achievements from 2011 when they won State and National Titles in Bench and Fullpower and helped Team USA win four different World Championships.

At the 11th Annual American Powerlifting Committee Georgia Open Powerlifting and Bench Press Championships in Athens Saturday, the IronDawgs got off to another great start as they successfully defended their APC Georgia State Championships they won last year. The 'Dawgs racked up five Best Lifter Awards on their way to again winning team trophies in the Full Power and Bench-Only categories.

In the bench-only division, Dahlonega's Eric Head won the Open Best Lifter Award with his bench of 187.5 kilograms/413.36 pounds in winning the first place medal in the 75 kg./165.35 lb. Raw (Unequipped) classification. Grayson's Dana Tripp won the women's bench BL with her press of 40.5 kg./89.29 lbs in taking the first in the 52 kg./114.64 lb. Women's Sub-master (35-40 year old) Raw class. Both Head and Tripp set American records in their wins. (Since this was just a State Meet, only State and National and not World Records could be set.)

In full-power, Gainesville's Gary Hatfield, the strength coach at Brenau University, took the Master's Best Lifter award in winning the Master's Men's Equipped 50-54 year old 100 kilogram/220.05 pound weight class with his total of 775 kg./1,708.57 lbs. Hatfield had a squat of 300 kg./661.38; a bench of 230 kg./507.06 lbs; and a deadlift of 245 kg./540.13 lbs. North Hall athlete, 14-year old Lincoln Hewett took the teen male BL with a squat of 157.5 kg./347.22; a bench of 125 kg./275.58; and a deadlift of 165 kg./363.76. All of his lifts and his total of 447.5 kg./986.56 were all American records in the Raw Male 13-15, 90 kg/198.41 lb. category. The IronDawgs swept the teen awards when Alpharetta's Ariel Bulmesh won the Ladies' BL award with a win in the Raw 16-17, 60 kg./132.28 lb. class with a squat of 112.5 kg./248.02 lbs; a bench of 77.5 kg./170.86 lbs.; and a deadlift of 147.5/325.18 lbs. Her bench, deadlift and total of 337.5 kg./744.05 lbs. were all National Records.

Other IronDawgs who won in the Fullpower categories were Winterville's Andy Williamson with American records across the board in the MM Raw 45-49, 110 kg./242.51 lb. class (Squat-195 kg./429.9 lbs.; Bench Press-145 kg./319.67 lbs.; Deadlift-473.99 lbs.; and Total-555 kg./1,223.55 lbs.) as well as Suwanee's Landon Jameson in the Open 140 kg./308.64 lbs. weight class (S-282.5 kg./622.8 lbs.; BP-200 kg./440.92 lbs.; DL-250 kg./551.15 lbs. and T-732.5 kg./1,614.87 lbs.). Jameson, who trains at Iron Beast Barbell in Gainesville, only a couple of weeks ago competed in the Central Georgia's Strongest Man Strong Man competition in Macon where he won the tire flip event and finished 5th overall in his class. East Hall alumnus, Gainesville's Dwon Johnson, won the Sub-master 140 kilo-plus class with four records (S-365 kg./804.68 lbs.; BP-200 kg./440.92 lbs.; DL 320 kg./705.47 and T-867.5 kg./1,912.49 lbs.)
Team Fullpower captain, C.J. Allen of Gainesville, won his class-the Junior Men's Equipped 125 kilo class with a total of 642.5 kg. /1,416. 46 lbs. - despite having to take a token lift in the deadlift after tweaking his back early on. His squat of 242.5 kg./755.08 lbs. and bench press of 225 kg./496.04 lbs. were both National marks. Kevin Eubanks of Bogart rebounded from major knee surgery and a near-fatal staph infection last year to win the MM 40-44 Raw 82.5 kg./181.88 lbs. class with records in all categories: S-175 kg./385.7 lbs; BP-142.5 kg./314.16 lbs.; DL-501.55 and T-545 kg./1,201.51. Trion's Danny Overbay also helped out the 'Dawgs with his win in the Equipped MM 50-54 90 kilo class (S-272.5 kg./600.76 lbs.; BP-150 kg./330.69 lbs.; DL-235 kg./518.08 and T-657.5 kg./1,449.52 lbs.).

Uwe Thormann of Palm Harbor, Florida drove up to lift with the 'Dawgs and won the MM 55-59 110 kilo Equipped Bench-Only Class with a press of 175 kg./385.81 lbs. and the Raw Push/Pull (Bench/Deadlift) with a 150 kg./330.69 lbs. bench press and a 230 kg./507.06 lb. deadlift totaling 380 kg. or 837.75 lbs.

In bench-only, Dana Tripp's husband Russ set an American Record in the Raw MM 40-44 75 kg./165.35 with his winning lift of 135 kg./297.62 lbs. Veteran lifter George Bradley of Gainesville won the Equipped MM 55-59 67.5 kg./148.81 lbs. class with his press of 102.5 kg./225.97 lbs.

The dean of the IronDawgs at the meet was Oakwood's R. Garry Glenn, who turns 58 next month and who took first in the Equipped MM 55-59 year-old 90 kilo class with a lift of 180 kg./396.83 lbs.

"I hit my second lift at 180 kilos after weighing in Friday at a shade over 196 (pounds)," Glenn, who served as Bench Press Team Captain said. "I tried to break my own (National) record but missed #3 at 185 kg. (407.85 lbs.) when I couldn't quite lock it. You ideally would like to set records of some sort at every meet; but for most of us, that's just not feasible. You learn from it and move on. It gives you something to shoot for with the Nationals coming up near Atlanta in June."

"C.J. and I are both very pleased with defending our team titles in fullpower and bench," Glenn added. "We're really glad to have some new blood with the IronDawgs. We now have folks in their teens, 20's, 30's and 40's lifting with us old guys. We've got some of the strongest people in the world in their respective classes on our team. We'd like to say thanks to our former Captain Mike Kidd who's meant a lot to all of us in many ways over the years; and I would also like to express our gratitude to Butch Miller and the State Senate for the high honor they gave us. We'll do our best to try to live up to it."

The APC Nationals will be June 1-3 at the Clarion Hotel in Jonesboro, Georgia.

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