The following message appears in the July 1997 issue of Clean Power:
USA Powerlifting (formerly known as the ADFPA) is having a great year! Our current number of registered lifters is 4,806 as of this writing, which is a three-year high for this time of year. Meet Sanctions have been strong, but there is always the need to provide more venues for our drug-free athletes to test their power. I encourage all Club/Gym managers to host a specialty meet later this year. Promoting a USA Powerlifting meet is good for business too!
The use of supportive equipment in our sport continues to be a hot topic worldwide. Sentiments vary widely, with significant interest in meet divisions that are sometimes called "raw", or without supportive personal gear. One prevailing theory is that for Olympic consideration, powerlifting will have to share similar gear standards as those used by weightlifting, to gain public acceptance. Others say that many Olympic sports utilize specialty gear; - aerodynamic helmets, slick polypro suits, etc. If our sport is the ultimate test of human strength, at what point does the technology of supportive personal gear become overly critical to our level of performance? I encourage Meet Directors to offer raw divisions for those athletes who are interested. This will give us all a basis of comparison for making informed decisions on the future of our sport.
Our Out-of-Competition Drug Testing Program is aggressively moving forward under the direction of Dennis Brady. Approximately 40 of these collections/tests have been done over the last year with little or no notice given to the selected athlete. All returning Open National Powerlifting Champions must now be out-of-competition tested prior to defending their title. Other out-of-competition tests originate from Committee referrals. It is truly a badge of honor to be selected for this testing, as the results prove to the world that the members of USA Powerlifting are committed to keeping drugs out of our sport. As this program grows, we find a need for more Drug Testing/Collection Officers. If this is an area of interest for you, please contact Dennis Brady or the National Office.
This past year has been filled with many positive changes for USA Powerlifting (formerly ADFPA) as well as a few unfulfilled goals. The quest for unification in the U.S. has proven to be an arduous target. In this effort, and in life, we must encourage each other to release some of the baggage we carry along with us from the past, being careful to keep the positive things we've learned that have contributed to our success. Upon this foundation we can build a better future for powerlifting. The most awesome realization has been to see this 5,000 member strong organization move so dramatically to support the goals of the future. In one year's time, USOC Drug Testing, dropping the polygraph, OMT (out-of-meet testing program), Strategic Plan, changing our name, adopting By-Laws revised for eventual Olympic Recognition; intense, comprehensive efforts devoted to unification. Each one of us should be proud. USA Powerlifting has made deliberate steps to execute the goals of the future.
Sincerely,
Michael W. Overdeer
USA Powerlifting President
