Does this mean they hardly have any entries???

They won't post the amount of lifters or the names. I'm guessing there are very few lifters doing this meet. Pretty disappointing that lifters won't come and do the meet because of BIG. Unfortunately APF is on the way out and Omaha isn't the most spectacular place to hold nationals. It is fine to me because I know BIG will put on a great meet.

To the people above...

The qualifying marks were put in place when the WPO was in full tilt. The meet got out of hand wit people trying to qualify, so Seniors adopted the higher marks of the WPO to make it more selective.

When the WPO fell out and the lifters were split into their respective feds it will naturally reduce the number of lifters in the APF, and the number of high totals.

Its just simple math that if everyone was going towards the WPO and then they leave, the numbers have to be brought down to make it feasible.

A few other things that are affecting turnout is gas prices. I know of at least 5 top tier guys that will not be traveling to this meet purely for the price of traveling. and this leads to the other thing...

Meets. The major feds need to get together and discuss who is putting on what meets at what time. If IPA and APF hold meets within two months, it makes people choose, and both meets suffer. If you space out all of the major meets between feds then people will be more likely to lift in a meet, rather than harp on the fed. putting it on.

With Masters drawing a large crowd recently it sucked alot of the southern lifters out of seniors as they could lift in a big meet without the travel expenses.

If this meet doesnt have a massive turnout (70-100+) it is purely because of location, travel expenses, and meet timing. APF just had two really larg successful meets. If someone wants to spin senior being down as for some other reason besides the above mentioned, then they are delusional.

No excuses! Just lift it!

Good observation Happer.

If entries are low (i have no idea) then i'm sure totals and BIG/omaha are NOT the main factors.
We are accepting registrations for a conference where I am employeed and the numbers are a third of what we usually have. When surveying law enforcement that the conference is open to....the #1 response is $$$$$. It wouldnt suprise me at all if several lifters we not making trips/doing big meets because of the economy.

www.myspace.com/squat_angel

No excuses! Just lift it!

I agree Melissa, Gas prices are killing everybody! Almost all meets are down in # of lifters this year.

Right on Milissa. The economy sucks right now. Travel costs are rising. Anyone that reimburses people for corporate expenses knows that everyone is cutting back. We are in for a tough year for disgretionary income.

what are the new numbers?

I missed qualifying by the old standards and the cost of travel being prohibitive even with the lowered totals, I still won't be able to go.

I still believe most of the top lifters will go to APF Seniors when things are better financially.

Good luck to Big Iron...

Glenn Baggett
NGBB Elite

To bad they didnt do this sooner.. I would have loved to go.. my total was 100 lbs short of what i need for seniors this year.. o well next year

In my opinion this is just another thing to add to the APF/WPO bullshit. Like someone said before if they wanted to raise the totals they should have done it gradually instead of the huge increase. I understand that the idea of the increase in totals was to have high quality lifters and not just everyone running to participate in the circus. By raising the bar just a little they could have achieved this with no problem. To me the problem with the APF/WPO is not about the totals but constant bullshit that went on for a couple of years with other things associated with the federation like the WPO being canceled for what ever reasons, lifters not being paid, and the list goes on. Lowering the totals might bring in some of the lifters who are good but do not have that top total and maybe a handful of the lifters that left. But they have a shitload of work to do inorder to get back to what it was like 3-4 years ago. They have to earn the trust of the lifters and until then they will have problems no matter how bad the economy is. If lifters are smart, this lowering the totals is not a big deal and will not win the trust of lifters over night

How in the hell can you say that everything was fucked a couple years ago, but then say that they have to work to get it back to what it was 3-4 years ago.

Pick one or the other.

KK owned APF. WPO was a non profit org. setup just for that meet. It was not a branch of the APF.

On one hand you say that you are pissed that the totals were high, then you say that lowering the totals is the downfall. Then you say that the problem isnt the TOTALS!!!

Pick one or the other.

So let me get this straight.

The APF messed up because it had an abundance of lifters at a high level.

It the raised the totals to be competitive.

People who couldnt make the totals, are pissed because they are shut out of their meet.

WPO crashes and people bail on APF, because of KK.

They hire a new president and Vice pres because they wanted KK out.

People are pissed because the once needed qualifiers are too lofty.

They bring them down.

For every single problem that you list. The APF has gone to great lengths to fix.

Now that they have fixed or on the road to fixing it, the changing of the ways is sen as weak and now THATS your problem.

Whatever fed you are in. Stay there.

I wont talk about the money owed, simply because im not owed money, and because i dont know what is going on with that. I heard something about him paying, but meh,... i'll believe it when i see it.

I jumped on you, and i shouldnt have. But your post summed up the gripes for 90% of people about the APF.

What i think is shitty is that its expensive to get there, and the timing is personally bad for me. What i think could be done better?...I honestly dont know.

I do know that money and the close timing of meets has a lot of guys thrown around as to what they can do physically and financially.

But it sucks that at a very critical time in the eyes of people who want to hate on APF, a meet is being run that people are just not going to be jazzed up about going to. That sucks.

Maybe masters is to be blamed because they stole some lifters. Maybe people already qualified for worlds and will save their money for that. Maybe some people cant even afford to go.

All im saying is that APF has changed many problems that people have with it. But its an uphill struggle when the meet is held far from the base of the fed.

we actually have a pretty good turnout of top lifters I dont know the exact number but there are alot of big names. Nebraska is actually not that bad of a place. its going to be a blast. im sure coker will get arrested on saturday night when he goes out. im sure that will be fun to see. redding will probably expose himself and we all know shawn will total something stupid.

Is there a rough number of people entered yet?

Happer,

I was not bashing or putting down the APF at all. My thing was to say that they have had a good year so far and I know it will continue to be better but it is not going to happen overnight. The Masters Nationals, the Team Competition meet in June, Seniors, and The WPC are good examples of the organization moving forward. I am not "ThePeoplesChamp" who puts everything down. I have spoken to a lot of top lifters and they see positive changes and want the negative problems out. It will happen over time but some, not you, think that because of the change people should come back now. It takes time and you are right they are doing a great job so far.

Sounds like a good time. Anyone who says there is going to be a low turnout because BIG is putting it on is full of shit. Maybe they just don't want to get beat. I would be there in a heartbeat if I had the $$. Being an old retired fuck, living on a fixed income limits the $$ I can spend on meets. Good luck with it and I'm sure there will be some records broken.

Brad, I've always known you to be the voice of reason. I can already see Rob carrying you out of a strip club by your belt, like a suitcase again. Cheers to the good times. Best of luck Brad.

This thread is actually humorus. I'm LMAO reading it.

I would go to Nebraska for a meet anyday, just as I would go to Columbus..... Oh, different federations - who cares? Your going to lift, no? Oh you want to sight see, or go to a vacation destination - then we hear complaints that it is too close to Thanksgiving. I would LOVE to be able to go to Florida the weekend before thanksgiving and lift in the WPCs - it would be an honor, and I'd make it work.

Come on guys, there are people bustin' their ass to provide a venue for us to participate. They bust, and we bitch. I don't get it.

I have never put on a meet. I don't have the time. I used to think that was the key criteria besides knowledge. I think the primary trait of a good meet director is a thick skin because of all cheap internet shots that will surely come their way. Quit yer whinning and hit a PR. (and yes, even in my 50's, I hit a PR in the gym this week - probably because I've been ignoring the web)

Respectfully submitted.

Im not sure where i am or what any of you are talking about, but i agree with brad...omaha is cool, redding will expose himself, and shawn will total something stupid.
I wish there would be a low turnout cause my bench sucks, but i highly doubt there will be.

Will lifters who didn't anticipate going to the SR's be able to:
A. Book travel and time off from work with only 3 wks. notice?

B. Peak out for a meet that they didn't think they'd be attending?

Seems like changing the rules this close to the meet is a bad idea. I'm just wondering if this strategy will actually attract many people.

I’m not usually to vocal on these boards but:
“the split has happened and the lifters from big will mostly lift in upa”
I don't know where the Anonymous masses get their information but if anybody thinks they have any idea of what federation BIG will be lifting in you're wrong. I don’t even know and I have been on the BIG team for 10 years. The only person that decides where BIG lifts is Rick Hussey and right now that's the APF. Not the UPA or the IPA or any other Federation.
Last I heard Rick and Becca are still the Nebraska APF Co-Chairs and the host of the 2008 APF Senior Nationals.
Historically this has been a great meet.
I watched Heroes of mine like Garry Frank break 2600lb barrier for the first time ever at this meet in 2001. I watched Steve Goggins hit 10x's bodyweight @ 242 at the same meet. This meet inspired me to be a full meet power lifter.
I can't wait to get back on the APF Nationals platform after being absent for two years.
Give Nebraska a chance it might surprise you. It’s going to be a great meet.

SUCCISA VIRESCIT
Sponsored by IAD.

The problem with APF and UPA considering right now as we see it they are both standing ground as the two dominant multi ply feds is that they are split up between 50% dedicated powerlifters and 50% whiners who want something, expect something and cry for more. What they don't realize is that this is a give and take relationship, you can't just support this sport when it beneficial and only beneficial for you.

Look at Westside, when was the last time those guys traveled outside of OHIO? Give me a break.

Support the sport you want to be a part of. The last two years, I have competed in my home state once out of 8 meets.

Too many guys who don't make the sport a better by contributing, unless it's EXTREMELY beneficial for them or convenient for them. But it's typically these same guys whining about nothing improving.

APF so far atleast continues to uphold and create a more univeral federation for the masses.

BIG will grow, has been growing and I love going there to see those guys. They go everywhere, compete anywhere and promote powerlifting.

nebraska is great, we can go cow tippin, throw stuff off the bride, whatever you can handle!

Seriously tho, ive been liftin at BIG for 2 monthes and its been one of the best experiences of my life, Rick cares just as much about the worst lifters on the team as he does about the best. That alone should be drive enough for people to come and lift. to help support him and BIG.

what are you talking about? westside was always at the big meets outside of ohio until kk screwed the ukrainians. and the ipa is currently putting on the biggest meets with the pro ams.

im sure coker will get arrested on saturday night when he goes out. im sure that will be fun to see.

We're going on the buddy program Brad!

Jason Coker

I agree. Rick and Becca put on a great meet. Omaha, NE or Dubuque, Ia it doesn't matter. It all depends on the meet director and what they offer for the lifters. I have several big name lifters coming to the UPA Pro-Am because they know I go all out for the lifters and put on 5 star meet. Rick and Becca do too.

Big Iron will put on a great meet.

is the shwanke-he-beast going to be at apf seniors? he is so damn sexy.

I just checked www.kayak.com for round trip tickets to Omaha, Ne
WOW There pretty cheap.
Columbus $194
Chicago $118
Dallas $215
Orlando $216
Houston $297
Los Angeles $236
Tampa $226
Las Vegas $220
Indianapolis $205
Phoenix $301
Baltimore $212

He said "Cow Tippin".

Brad gets too touchy feely for my taste, Coker.