It's the top meet in the US as far as the APF is concerned.

If the totals are back to being low it doesn't mean a lot to qualify. Look at the requirements for the Pro part of the Pro-Am's. Those totals are on par with competitive lifting.

I want a total that qualifies some and excludes others. If anyone can go, why bother having totals at all?

I agree with you on what SENIOR Nationals is and should be, the qualifying marks before were too low, but now I believe them to be too high. It has really shrunk down the number of competitors who are able to qualify for this meet in all weight classes. I would love for all weight classes to atleast be 8 competitors deep, minimum. It's senior nationals, and it should be well represented with a number of athletes specially considering it is a three day event.

I think the qualifying totals should be the elite totals+100 pounds for each class. You would get more lifters like you used to but it would still make the meet a big deal. Just my opinion.

Although I like the IPA Pro/Am concept it is not an APF meet and I don't see it as a factor in considering APF Senior National qualifying totals. I have mixed feelings about how high they should be. They were definately too low before they were raised. One side of me would like to see the 'elite total' for each weight class used. This would still keep it pretty exclusive, but allow enough competitors to be there to allow the promoter a better chance to clear financially (seniors is expensive to run right). Elite for me as an Open 275 is 2000 lbs. I'll admit to a slightly selfish motive for wanting elite totals to be the standard. Some of the best Masters regularly total elite. I'm 50-54 and the 275 WPC World record total is 2105 by Volodamir Ivanenko. I feel I have a shot at that with a very good meet. The 2149 Seniors total is a total I'd probably have to be having that 'meet of a lifetime' to approach (and may never do at 52 Y.O. But maybe that's how it should be...like I said, mixed feelings and that's what Masters Nationals are for. Unselfishly, as I look around at what our top APF Open lifters are totaling I have to say that maybe the present totals are right (in most classes). Senior Nationals should be the best of the APF's best. If you look at many prominant APF meets you'll see a good number of lifters totaling in the qualifying range. Every good lifter shouldn't be at Seniors I think. That's why we have state and regional level meets, to have a level for the good lifters to work to earn their way to Seniors and Worlds. Just my opinion...doesn't mean I'm right.

No excuses! Just lift it!

The Anon. post above is me. I typed it before I relized I wasn't logged in; sorry.

With not that many lifters at these meets the totals should be way less.

For the feds to grow there needs to be a goal for people to have. Not everyone has what it takes to be elite but they still love to lift.

Mark Bell
www.SuperTrainingGym.com

No excuses! Just lift it!

We've only had 1 Seniors since the totals were changed. I'd say if the number of lifters isn't higher than last year, then maybe the totals should be re-evaled. But I don't think 1 Seniors is enough to judge by. Let's see what the situation is after Rick and Becca's Seniors next month. If the # of lifters is low 2 years in a row then maybe they are too high. Again, just my opinion.

I think they were just about right until the APF fall out. There were just way too many guys in Vegas. Now that the APF has pretty much fallen apart most of the top lifters have left. The guys that are still loyal to the APF aren't able to qualifty for seniors. I'll be doing APF seniors in Omaha this year but it is just because BIG is running the meet. I"m thinking after this meet you might as well stick a fork in the APF.

Agreed. Although Detroit and Vegas were both probably too big to handle for Seniors.

you know i waited 3 years before i tried the nationals because i needed my total to be higher.

i don't see what the complaining is all about it is the nationals not everyone belongs .

i mean if you want to do the nationals train harder, get stronger and put in the work it take to get there. please don't ask for the standards to be lowered so life can be easier for you.

i myself don't look forward to lifting till 2am in the morning because the totals where lowered so everyone can say they did the nationals.

the nationals is the biggest show that the fed has and i think the totals should reflect that.

well thats just my 2 cents i hope no one is offended but life is hard and thats what makes us who we are men not babies looking looking for momies tit.

No excuses! Just lift it!

Big Daddy, I don't know why you quoted my reply and then stated what you did. Maybe you need to re-read Mark's reply that I was responding to. I was stating to him that 1 Seniors is not enough to move the totals down from. My reply before that; I stated that I feel the present totals are probably about right. Maybe you just didn't read the whole thread and took my reply out of context. I don't know. But quoting my reply and making the comments you made after it didn't make any sense...we both agree they need to be exclusive. Just wondering why you went off on me when we both said pretty much the same thing if you read the whole thread.

You know what I should have started with saying I agreed with you. That's my fault my responce was not towards you but to to everyone that wants everything to be easy.you know you shouldn't responces on forums personally and my post was not directed towards you.

No excuses! Just lift it!

Just some stats for the Anon. who thinks the APF is ready to 'stick a fork in'. This, in case you are really that uninformed and not just a troll.

Most Fed's Nationals are able to be held in one weekend or one day. And contain all categories, even Tested and Untested in the same meet where both are offered. They will usually have 100 or so and often less in all combined categories.

The APF/AAPF's National's are so large they require that they be run in a series of meets. Here are some examples:

AAPF Nationals 08 APX. 80 lifters I believe.
APF High School Nationals 08 160+ lifters.
APF Masters, Teen, Masters Nationals 120 lifters.
Even if Seniors in Omaha has only around 120 lifters (which will shock me if it's not more). That would be approx. 480 total lifters in the series of APF/AAPF Nationals.

I'd like anyone to show me that kind of lifter numbers for any fed other than maybe USAPL (top single ply fed) and WABDL (top purely specialist fed).

Point is Anon.; the APF/AAPF is very much alive and thriving.

Back in 06 vegas was a great meet.. but the totals were to low.. and now i think the pushed them up to high to fast..they should have worked up to this total over a few years to give some people a chance to be able to keep going.. I for one have little time to train but support this sport big time if the totals would go up 100 or so lbs a year it would let more people keep up and keep the sport growing

Let's start with priority.... the AAPF nees to lower the totals for sure. This year the Mens Open had 10 lifters. TEN!!!!!!! and 4 of them were at 181. If I would have went there would have been 5 at 181, 5 lifters scattered elsewhere, and 9 then ended up finishing. It's suppose to be the drug-free novice part of the APF the totals got raised by 200-300 lbs when the APF totals were raised. You can't expect drug-free lifters to add 200lbs plus on their totals to qualify. I have been suggesting a review and I think the attendance at the mens open speaks louder than my requests ever will.

Putt Houston.... now with more Bom Chicka Wahwahhhhhh

No excuses! Just lift it!

Big Daddy, I understand; that's cool! I'm the one who misundersood.

Putt, I will have to agree with you on the AAPF Open Totals. Although I think the APF totals are pretty close to right in most classes, I think the AAPF is too high and needs a re-eval. In 2003 at AWPC Worlds I was 3rd out of 6 in the Open and won the Masters 45-49 against 5 in the 242's. If my totals were still where they were in 2003, I couldn't get to AAPF Nationals now to get to AWPC Worlds.

I don't see anything wrong with having the difference in how much the totals were raised cut in half. While any nationals should have elite lifters there still needs to be competition. No offense, but what the APF needs now is more lifters on the platform. For all you APF hardcores, you (we) should want for the days when there were 10-15 lifters in your weight class at Seniors. That was the fed's heyday and it'll be very lucky for it to be like that again. For all you elite level lifters, in between your glory of winning a title, for most it's about having fun. I think that balance between quality and quanity can be acheived with lower qualifing totals.