By Erin Dickey This past weekend at the Women's National Championships the inaugural class for the Women's Hall of Fame was inducted. Last year the idea to honor our predecessors was brought to the Women's Committee by Jim Ford to recognize how far women's powerlifting has come, and to thank those who made it possible. Both men and women were considered. A team was formed to create the criteria and select the fist class of inductees. For the first year 7 individuals were chosen to begin this tradition. After this year, one individual will be chosen each year to be added to the Hall of Fame. The criterion is based on lifting accomplishments, refereeing, coaching, meet directing and the promotion of women's powerlifting. More information on how and when all USAPL members can nominate inductees for next year, along with criteria, may be up on the USAPL website soon. Pictures and biographies of all the inductees will be shown. The inductees are: Jan & Terry Todd, Mabel & Perry Rader, Pat Malone, Ruth Welding & Judy Gedney.

Judy Gedney's powerlifting career began in May of 1980 as a competitor and, today, takes on the many roles of athlete, coach, International WDFPF and National USAPL referee and promoter of drug-free sports as well as an encourager of women to become involved in resistance training. She was first introduced to the sport while looking for a way to strengthen her gymnastics team at Western Illinois University. After a successful experiment on herself, and then her athletes she decided to enter a women's powerlifting meet held in a Chicago suburb. Unlike the high stress levels involved in coaching and competing in gymnastics, the powerlifting competition was relaxing as well as fun. And with that she decided to resign as the women's gymnastics coach and return to the role of athlete.

Terry began his lifting career as a weightlifter in 1956. He decided he was more suited for Powerlifting and proved that to be so by winning national championships in 1964 and in 1965 in the first 2 official Senior Nationals-as a super heavyweight. His involvement in the development of women in Powerlifting included helping Jan, his wife, and Joe Zarella organize the first women's nationals in 1977. He also coached the women's team in Canada with Joe Zarella from 1976-1979. Of all the things he's done in the sport, however, the thing he is most proud of is the stance that he and Jan took on the drug issue, which led them to abandon the USPF when they could not convince the organization to institute a steroid testing program for men and women lifters.

Jan began lifting in 1973 shortly after marrying Terry Todd. She competed in her first contest in May of 1975 when she lifted at the Chattanooga Open and broke her first record. In 1977 she was the first women to officially squat 400 pounds and then broke that in 1981 by squatting 501. In 1978 was the first woman to total over 1,000 pounds and in 1982 the first to total over 1,200 pounds in a three lift meet. She was also first women inducted into the IPF Hall of Fame in 1981. In 1981 [Calcutta, India] and in 1984 [Dallas, Texas] she was chosen as the coach of the USPF's Men's World Championship Team. She was also head coach in 1991 and 1984 of the USPF Women's World Championships teams. All of these teams won their respective championships. At the collegiate level, she coached the University of Texas Longhorns as well as at Auburn University, producing many collegiate and national champions.

Perry and Mabel Rader were truly the first couple of powerlifting. They are the first and only couple to be inducted into the hall of fame in all three sports of physique, weightlifting, and powerlifting. Mabel was the was also the first woman referee in all three sports as well as being the first women to be named to a weight-oriented Hall of Fame, being a promoter of women's lifting, a seller of their own name brand weight equipment, and a co-founder (along with Perry) and associate editor of Iron Man magazine & Lifting News. Mabel was very adamant on keeping the sport drug-free and involving women. She explains that she was ostracized by many of the men involved in the sport, but that it didn't stop her. If her husband could do it so could she!

Pat Malone is one of the pioneers and one of the strongest advocates for women in Powerlifting. In the days pre-Title IX and in the early years, he never understood or tolerated women not having the accessibility to athletics that men had. When many of the combined men/women meets frowned on the women he did something about it by hosting meets for women only. Pat was instrumental in coaching and seeking out women that would benefit from strength training. In an effort to get his teams performing to the best of their abilities, he became an international referee, a meet promoter, an equipment manufacturer (from bars to benches to wraps and suits), a committee member and leader, and always a cheerleader and innovator. Pat had 60 different women on his teams go the nationals and 8 women won nationals or world titles and set records. The Purdue Women's Powerlifting Team won the Nationals team title many times from 1979 through 1990.

Ruth Welding began her powerlifting career in 1978 and since 1979 has competed at each nationals since, missing only 2 years. In the past 25 years, she has competed in IPF Open Women's World Championships, worked her way up and earned her IPF CAT 1 Referee endorsement, been an active member of the women's committee since its inception with the ADFPA. Her attention to detail and always looking out for the lifter is constant. Ruth competes in multiple sports and is one of the few lifters that has been around since the beginning and still competes. Her dedication to herself, all lifters and the sport is an inspiration to all of us.

In attendance to accept their awards were Pat Malone and Ruth Welding. Presenting the plaques were, USAPL President Larry Maile and three of our first generation youth lifters, Kalyssa Maile, Caitlin Miller and Kendra Miller.

A special thanks to Tom North for graciously donating the plaques and the Hall of Fame committee members who volunteered many hours to make this all possible, Disa Hatfield, Priscilla Ribic, Katie Ford, Jim Ford, Kim Newman, Liz Willet, Maura Shuttleworth, Michelle James, Sue Hallen and Erin Dickey.