Local powerlifting team breaks more state records

Four months after they shattered 15 state records, member of a powerlifting team in Mountain Home set new records during a recent meet in Boise.

Competing at the USA Powerlifting meet May 25, two members of the Mountain Home Barbell Powerlifting Team won in their respective divisions while setting six state records in the process.

Jessica Doyle, who is preparing to enter her senior year at Mountain Home High School, won the women's 165 pound teen raw division with a three-lift total of 560 pounds. At age 16, she's just 29 pounds away from breaking the national deadlift record for her age group and weight class.

Meanwhile, team co-captain Wesley Beach won the Men's Masters Raw 242-pound division with a three-lift total of 1,565 pounds. In addition to the three-lift record, Beach went on to break two more state records during the meet with a 550-pound squat and 640-pound deadlift 640.

Beach, 43, is just 50 pounds away from setting a new national record for a three-lift total and 15 pounds shy of setting a U.S. deadlift record for his class and division.

In January, the local powerlifting team qualified four members to represent the state at the USA Powerlifting Raw National Championships, scheduled for July in Orlando Fla.

The team is clearly on a roll, according to Beach.

"The programs that this team is utilizing for its athletes are clearly working," he said. "They have become some of the strongest people in Idaho."

USA Powerlifting is the nation's leading powerlifting organization and a member of the International Powerlifting Federation. The governing body of powerlifting internationally, the IPF includes of member federations from 83 countries on six continents.

Distinct from weightlifting where weight is lifted above the head, powerlifting features three lifts: the squat, bench press and deadlift. Powerlifting competitions can include one, two or all three of these lifting disciplines.

Athletes are categorized by sex, age and body weight. Each competitor is allowed three attempts at each lift with the best lift in each discipline added to their total. The competitor with the highest total is the winner. In cases where two or more lifters achieve the same total, the person with the lightest body weight wins.

In the United States, USA Powerlifting has representative chairs in 44 states. Each state chair is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of USA Powerlifting's local competitions, state championships and state records.

"These drug-free, amateur athletes are powerful role models in the world of competitive sports," associaiton representatives said. "Their dedication, hard work and winning attitudes are a testament to the purity of competition for the love of their sport. In a world where steroids and other performance enhancing drugs have become the norm, USA Powerlifting stands apart."

More information on USA Powerlifting is available online at www.usapowerlifting. com.