This was a very small meet. There were about 30 lifters present. It was well run, and the judging was good (as it always is in the ADFPF - they did not give anything away, but on the other hand it was not USAPL anal). The facility was small but adequate, and the meet staff was cordial.

As of this writing I am waiting on final numbers from John Mokma and Rudy, but here is what I do know:

John Mokma decided to compete even though he has had the flu since the prior weekend. This kid was a skinny 198 lber, but having barfed his way into the 181's he was even skinnier than usual. Still John has always been VERY strong for his build. Another interesting thing about John is he is the only powerlifter I know that can slam a basketball. John showed great heart and determination in this meet and I was really proud of him.

This was Rudy's first meet and he showed the poise of a veteran. If he decides to stick with it, and I hope he does, he has a nice future in the sport. He competed in the 198 lb weight class. Again, I am not sure of his final numbers or placement, but will post them here ASAP.

Matt Marsiglia had a tremendous day in the squat hitting a HUGE RAW PR of 435.2 in the 198 lb weight class. In the bench press he hit another RAW PR of 252.5, and just barely missed a third attempt of 265. The deadlift did not go so well for Matt however. He complained after the squat that he had tweaked his back a bit so that may have had something to do with his self proclaimed disappointment in the deadlift. Matt opened with 540, a weight that I have seen him toy with in the gym. It appeared his concentration lasped however as right before lockout he lost his balance and fell forward. For his second attempt he went 578.5 for a meet PR, however he got three reds after a double hitch at lockout. He went 584 for a third and it was a replica of the 578.5 (another double hitch) so again he received 3 red lights from the judges. It was a disappointing day for Matt, but I know how strong this kid is, and he will be back with a vengeance! I guarantee it!!

Josh Decker went 3 for 3 in the squat (Josh competed equipped even though he was only in the suit a few time in the last year or so). He hit a nice 584 3rd attempt, which appeared to give him momentum going into the bench press. The bench press was not kind to Josh this day however. After hitting a massive 518 lb bench press at WABDL Worlds last November it appeared he was just a little off this day. Josh missed 3 attempts at 485. The second attempt was the closest and received one white light, but two reds for uneven lockout. I was too busy spotting, but after viewing the second video I'd have to say it was good. This was an uncharacteristically off day for this WORLD CLASS LIFTER, but Josh handled it like the World Champion he is. He made no excuses and spent the rest of the day helping his fellow lifting brothers.

Friend of Beckwith lifter Andrew Smith was lifting in the bench only division of the 242 lb weight class. He was not able to get comfortable in his Katana so he competed with an Inzer Blast Shirt. Wow, that brings back memories of the 80's! It was very nice to meet Andrew after chatting with him online via our forum for several months. Andrew did an outstanding job going 3 for 3 and showing superb form. Andrew finished the day with an impressive 385.7.

Relaxing before initial warmups

Right before squat openers

Rudy - Squatting in his first meet - nice and deep

Rudy - Deadlifting - right before locking it out for 3 whites