Taking Powerlifting To The Next Level

Submitted by jon on November 17, 2005 - 10:39am.

A thread at Monster Muscle is discussing what it will take to to move powerlifting to the next level.

Some of the suggestions include more youth and high school meets to introduce the sport to younger participants, consolidate the large number of federations and add some money to the sport.

ACCarl adds quite a list of ideas:

3) Better judging all around
4) Less Federations. Only 2 would be nice.
5) A more unified raw federation for beginners so they won't be intimidated by gear lifters or be frusterated they can't get their gear to work. I think after a few years of raw they'd want to move on to using gear.

A few posters mention all the visible infighting:

Less bitching about every little thing. All the elite keyboad lifters need to give their fingers a break. "this call was bad", "shirts are the work of satan himself", "it's cause he/she is on roids...". Just STFU, lift they way you want and let others lift the way they want. Less of this will help younger lifters out because they will feel a sense of respect within the poerlifting community

Lattimer answers:

I don't see why PL needs a "next level". I'm very happy with the sport as it is. Bigger $$, more noteriety, etc., will just ruin what we have now. I like the fact that the sport is mainly underground, and that nobody knows anything about it.

As for federations, I don't see why everyone feels a need to consolidate there either. At least the way it is now you have choices.

It really doesn't matter anyways. 99% of the people in the lifting community will defeat any move for change that makes sense.

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Submitted by Kevin (not verified) on June 16, 2007 - 1:36pm. » quote

You cannot take powerlifting to the next level because of all the bogus federations out there. Most folks that I speak with cannot afford the high priced gear and even higher priced drugs. As long as powerlifters are looked at as drug induced, geared freaks, we will never be able to advance the sport.
When a 1000 + squatter can only do a 600lb. raw squat, people see that the lifter is not responsible for the lift, it is the gear.
How is that looked at? These geared lifters are seen as cheaters. They are seen as a joke. Not only are they hopped up on drugs, and using the crazy gear, they are getting away with high squats, benches with no real pause at the bottom, etc.
I am disapointed in powerlifting as a whole.
Let's get back to basics. Eliminate the high priced gear, legitimate drug testing for all organizations, and unified rules.
That is the only way powerlifting will be looked at legitimate.