McDaniel 2010 APF Involvement -- Lenexa, Kansas 02/06/10 Meet

Late 2009 there was some lifter feedback/interest pertinent to my and/or Garry's Frank's involvement in or support of the APF. I committed to the APF Executive Committee to post such through 2010. My intent is to document personal involvement, share my perspectives of our federation based on current experience, and to share anything that might result in improvement.

I appreciate Al Caslow inviting me and Beverly to judge at his APF "Best of the Best in the Midwest" 02/06/10. To avoid one of the waves of winter storms we drove to Lenexa Thursday instead of Friday. As typical for me I got lost once resulting in the drive up being 802 miles instead of the 748 per MapQuest (Orange, Texas to Lenexa, Kansas). Time on the road was 14 hours. I was surprised when we arrived Thursday at how many lifters were already at the hotel. We spent Friday watching snow accumulate (very pretty), had a great time at the meet Saturday, then drove back Sunday. To avoid potential icy road conditions we didn't take the shortest route home but instead opted for mostly interstate highways until we were out of Oklahoma. The drive home was 842 miles -- 15 1/2 hours.

The Crowne Plaza was the meet hotel. The location was easy access and easy to find. It was in great shape, and had really nice rooms. Beds had the "Sleep Number" mattresses. There had previously been powerlifting meets at the hotel. As a result we weren't a surprise to anyone, and folks working at the hotel were very welcoming. There was a great buffet every morning beginning at 6:00 for just under $7. Full menu was available in the bar each day beginning at 4:00, and several restaurants were within easy walking distance.

I'd seen Al Caslow lift before but until this meet I'd never really met him or had a conversation with him. Consistent with our experience with others in powerlifting he was very polite, easy to deal with, and focused on making the experience the best it could be for everyone. He planned every detail well, worked his tail off on anything that needed attention, and was constantly in contact with lifters through the day to ensure their needs were met.

Greg Damminga rounded out the judges for the meet. I've lifted with and judged Greg and his family a number of times through recent years. They're really good people, excellent lifters, and strongly committed to helping the APF be the best it can be. This was the first time I'd judged with Greg. From my perspective he did an outstanding job (no surprise). It was an honor to share the platform with him and I look forward to doing the same in the future.

At the meet Saturday we did practical judging exams for Rachel Nutter, Pete Berg, Charlie Kadrlik, and Scott Nutter, all of Minnesota (I think). They were pleasant to deal with, had a lot of interest in doing a great job, are supportive of the lifters and very respectful in their exchanges with them, and their calls were very consistent with ours. Saturday's lift calls were by me, Beverly, and Greg, but we checked for agreement with those testing prior to throwing a light. We announced this in the rules briefing so lifters would be aware in case the process resulted in a slight delay for switching the lights on. The process was additive, and didn't disrupt the meet in any way. Assuming these new judges continue to make their calls in the future as they did Saturday, they'll do a great job and be additive to the APF.

Great lifters from all across the country competed. BIG brought an entourage and as typical worked their tales off to do whatever possible to help the meet run smoothly, and to help all lifters be the best they could be that day. Rick and his team are class acts.

There were a number well known lifters that for a variety of reasons didn't complete the meet. There were a number of well known lifters that posted big numbers, including some p.r.s. Lifters that didn't reach their goals directed their efforts to helping those still in the meet be the best they could be Saturday. It's really nice to see folks across the board look beyond just themselves and help others.

The current highly experienced top tier lifters are still healthy enough to stay at the top of the game for quite a while but there's new talent coming up that will round out some of the weight classes and make the competitions much more interesting, especially if top tier lifters falter at all. The increased competition will benefit everyone.

Of note at this meet was Logan Lacey/age 21 from Texas. In what was his 4th or 5th meet he totaled 2501, and from the watching his lifts there's still a lot in the tank with current conditioning, and conditioning will improve.

-------Seniors '10 should be outstanding-----

A special thanks to Heather Tillinghast (Texas APF co-Chair) for jumping in to assist with scoring.

There was an outstanding group of spectators. The seating area was the size you'd expect for this size/type meet, with every chair full and folks lined up around the walls all day. If the crowd thinned at all at any time I didn't notice it.

As for judging, is was no different than we always do. We all worked as hard as we could to ensure lifters received credit for everything they accomplished consistent with rule requirements. We worked just as hard to ensure no one got credit for anything that wasn't accomplished consistent with rule requirements. The effort as usual is to neither take away anything earned of give away anything not earned. Also as typical, after working as hard as we could to consistently be in the best position we could to make the right call versus rule requirements, at first indication of doubt in our decision process, the call favored the lifter.

To all APF judges, please work as hard as you can to ensure lift integrity is consistent with rule requirements on every attempt, that everyone at the meet (lifters, workers, and audience) are fairly treated and feel appreciated for being there, and that your performance of your duties is a low-key activity not distracting any attention from the lifters. Check your egos at the door. Add no negative emotion to any situation. Treat every situation and every lifter with more dignity and respect than the situation warrants. Especially follow up with lifters as appropriate that didn't reach their goals to ensure them you wanted them to be successful, and that you're disappointed for them they didn't reach their goals for the day.

Lifters, coaches, and families want judging to be by the book. Requiring more than the rule cheats lifters and results in a non-value adding hostile environment for lifters. Requiring less than the rule cheats the lifters, results in a lack of respect for the judge, results in the lifter not getting the full sense of accomplishment for the lift, and is destructive to the federation. Review the rulebook often. Print the most recent version off the web and review it each of a couple of nights in advance of the meet, and keep a copy in your bag on the platform for easy reference.

Thanks again to Al Caslow, all the lifters aty the Lenexa meet, all spectators, and to the APF in general.

Best to all,
mike mcd
apf12766/wpc441

Gregg Damminga, my apologies for only one "g" in Gregg in my initial post.

mike mcd

Great post Mike you truly are an asset to the APF/WPC!

Thanks, Mike... I'm just glad I could help out.

All three of you live up to your reputations when it comes to judging. Great job!!