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CAPO 2003 Western Australian State Titles
Gee, life's boring. Being involved with a sport such as ours, you get to see such boring & monotonous acts of athletic excellence, local & National Records set/broken with alarming regularity & first-time & novice lifters challenging the 'established' top-grade performances. Sigh... A mixture of (another Record for CAPO W.A.!!!!) 'green' & seasoned lifters graced the platform on Sunday May 4th for the biggest (to date...) State Championships yet. All weight divisions represented, from 56kg to 140+. WOW.!!!!! Some who've been here, some who've been there, but all with one common goal in mind - to lift some serious iron..!!!!! How'd they fare..? Let's take a look... Flight One. Jackie Giglia, one of six lifters from the Wanneroo Health Academy (welcome aboard, guys.!!!) was the very lightest competitor. Pre-competition jitters soon subsided with strong performances in all three lifts. Finishing with an enormously gutsy pull of 120k in the Deadlift, which was very much appreciated by the audience, Jackie showed fine promise in her first ever Powerlifting competition. We'd love to see her back soon, & pay tribute to her lifting prowess. Well done Jackie..!!!! In February of this year, Natalie Rundell lifted solidly in the Teen 82.5k division, snaring a couple of Junior Records along the way. We reckon she 'slacked off' in the deadlift that day, & suggested she'd 'make good' at the State Titles. We weren't disappointed. A jump of 10k on her final Bench proved too much, but, with a good pull of 110 in the Dead., another Record was set. Much to come from Natalie, I'm sure, so watch out for her progress in comps. to come. James Figueroa has shot to prominence recently with some breathtaking performances in his forte, the Benchpress. At the lighter end of the scale in bodyweight, Mr. Figueroa seems intent on breaking records each & every time he lifts. Today, at 60k, James took token attempts in the Sq. & Dl. to try & 'blast' Tony Koykka's almost-ancient W.A. State record of 125k @ 60. Weighing-in well under the limit, James simply obliterated 127.5 for the new mark, then took to attempting 135 for Bernie Devine's 'All-Timer'..! Two times it was that close - I'm sure it'll be a 'goner' next meet..! Another great day's lifting for James..! Dave Kay at 67.5 snared a gaggle of 40+ CAPO Records rather comfortably. Usually coming in at 75k, the weight-loss seems not to have affected his ability to lift good numbers. All lifts were done well, except the final Dead., which didn't move. Why..? Well, turns out Dave 'just wanted to get drunk'..! Happy with his Record-setting day, we hope Dave didn't cop a nasty hangover the day following..! At the 2001 National Titles in Perth, Danny Brien, attempting to lift with a bad headache, didn't fare too well - so much, in fact, that I figured we mightn't see him back on the platform, which was a shame. He's a real 'fireplug', & can move almighty numbers on a good day. Appearing to be akin to a walking anatomy chart, with gigantic veins & steel-hard musculature under that thin skin, Danny flagged intentions of breaking numerous records in the O/50 75k class. Well under the limit, Mr. Brien's two opening Sq's were a cinch. A third, on 217.5, to break Colin Biesse's Oz All-Timer from 1986 went with a little to spare. The crowd went bonkers for this attempt, & rightly so..! It was a treat..!!! Next, CAPO Records of 97.5 in the Bench, &, finally, 220 in the Dead gave Danny a Tl of 517.5 - enough, at 51 years of age, to qualify himself for the Open Men's section at the National Titles..! And I thought Laurie was the only bloke that could do this..? Great stuff..!!!!! Next, my pick for the future. At only 20 years of age, & lifting in his very first competition, Ross Oldham showed class & style infinitely beyond my expectations. I'd reckon, with a little coaching & experience, we're looking at the next 'big thing' in Powerlifting. All attempts were handled with ease, & his final Dead. of 190 blew me away..! It was an absolute banger - right on the money for a third..!!! Ross is to be congratulated for lifting today, as he's a potential star in this sport - keep at it Ross..!!! Danny Jones, today at very light 82.5, came to set some Records. Already the holder of CAPO marks in the 75k division, Danny lifted well enough to re-enter his name in the next division, though, not easily. Possibly a little disappointed with his performance, with a couple of 'stumbles' along the way, Danny ended his day with a 422.5 Tl. (more on this soon.). I'd say the next outing should 'set things to rights'. A good day's lifting, nevertheless. Also in the 82.5's, Dennis Anderson, ten years Danny's senior at 58 years of age, lifted well enough to grab his own share of Master's records in this age division. Whether it was by accident, or good planning, Dennis totaled 425k, just 2.5(!!) more than Danny for the overall win..!! I couldn't believe it..!!!! It wasn't apparent to myself 'til we added up the scores, & re-checked. This almost never happens in the sport on a State level, so, both lifters are to be congratulated on such a close battle..!!! Again, great stuff..!!! The heaviest lifter for the first flight was young Dave James. Weighing in right on the class limit of 100k, & at just 16 years of age, Dave did a marvelous job in his very first competition. A good majority of attempts received white lights, & he seemed happy. Dave's a tall lad, & could quite easily fill out to 110. Another with good potential, my advice would be to stick with it for another year, & we'll look forward to seeing him lift in a heavier weight division in 2004. This brought about the conclusion to Flight one, so...... Flight Two. While the lighter lifters were 'doin' their thing', the 'premier' dudes were warming up. Eight of the best W.A. has on offer. Daniel Steenbhom dropped slightly in bodyweight from a too-light 100 earlier this year to the 90's. He ended up with the neat figure of 500k in the Total, & looked forward to bigger & better things within the foreseeable future. Another 10k of bodyweight on his frame will do wonders, & I'd reckon he'll be looking at 650+ by next May. Good lifting from a newcomer - well done Daniel. Exactly 200kg more in the total, in the same bodyweight division, gave seasoned body-building & part-time powerlifter Dean Riordan a win in the 90's, & a berth to the Open section of the Nationals in Melbourne. Whilst not having taken part in a Powerlifting competition since gosh-knows-when in his home country of NZ, Dean absolutely blitzed his attempts here today..! 245 Sq., with kilos to spare, 170 Bp. & a well-fought 285 Dl. gave Mr. Riordan the class performance of the day. He reckons it wasn't that good, though, I'd disagree. A little work on his technique will bring wonderous results. I'm predicting 750+ by year's end, & potentially low 800's by Xmas '04. And, he'll be a youthful 40 by then. Wow..!!! Clive Rego has been the W.A State Champ. at 100 for three years now - and looks set for many more years to come..! Not as yet a Sub-Master, his on-stage performances are willing & strong. 300-190-290 for a 780 Tl. A Pb in the Bench of 210 was that close, & should be quantified at his next outing. Well done Clive..!! Ditto for bro' Colin. Almost the very same attempts, though one weight division heavier, Colin was a little down on his monster performance of 2002. Though, both brothers qualified for the Open section for the Nats. Colin's 750 Tl. has 100k to spare, & we look forward to seeing him in top form for the 2004 season. Great to see both other brothers, Carl & Con assisting with off-stage duties, & look forward to seeing both back to lifting with CAPO in the near future. Imagine that..!!! Four brothers all lifting for W.A.!!! WOW..!!!! Also in the 110's, big Peter Phillips. You'd just have to know Pete was in for a great day - arriving on a gigantic motorcycle 'Easy Rider' style, hung-over from the previous evening's 'entertainment', & rarin' to go..!! And, what a session for him..!!! All O/45 W.A. Records, &, by his own admission, the same (637.5) Tl. he'd made as a Pb ten years ago..!!! He was WRAPT..!! And, rightly so - a crowd-pleasing lifting performance it was..!! Slap-on-the-back - well done, Pete..!!! The heaviest lifter for the day, at a 'guesstimated' 150+(!!) bodyweight, & just 22 yrs of age, was Steven Delich. With attempts seemingly becoming easier as the competition progressed, lil' Steve showed great promise in the Superheavy division. A 630 Tl., along with an excellent 260 Dl. is just a mere 'taste' of things to come. With his size & proportions, I'd say Steve could do wonders in the upper-bodyweight-limit classes. All W.A. & CAPO Records, to boot..!!!! Stick with it, Steve..!!!! I just have to do it. I've just gotta poke fun at these two guys. Hope you don't take offence - all in the 'fun' of things, ya know... Prior to the competition, I'd had in mind to 'fine' Henry Day for an abysmal performance at the Pro. Bench comp. in Melbourne. Flew all the way to the East Coast to....bomb out..!!! Sorry Henry, just couldn't help it..!! I reckon you owe CAPO the nominal sum of $4, to be paid at your leisure..!! Anyway, on with it.. Stuck in the middle of two bodyweight divisions, Henry (105.5) set himself a GIGANTIC task with an opener of 230k in the Bp. It was obstinate from the start, & didn't look too easy. The second went, but just, & a third on 245.5, for the All-Time Biggest press in W.A. history was la-la land. What was he thinking..? You'd have thought Henry would have learnt his lesson from Melbourne..?? Well, who knows - it's a mystery to me.... Henry's training partner, & 'sometime champion' in his own right, Mr. Rod Marchesi opted for the 100k division. A reasonable opener of 220k in the Bp. Looked ok, but, things got worse. A terrible attempt on 227.5 was (rightfully so.) turned down, followed by a 'shocker' on 230. Not close AT ALL..!!!!!, which brought about many giggles from Paul Jordan HIMSELF..!!!! That's right folks, we were honored to have Sue & Paul Jordan & Mr. Bruce Waddell in attendance..!!! Three of W.A.'s GREATEST EVER at the 2003 CAPO State Titles..!!! Why..? Well, thanks ENORMOUSLY to the efforts of the Rego brothers, Carl, Con, Colin & Clive, with important input from Mr. Danny Brien, these legendary lifters from the recent past were presented with what I could only describe as (undoubtedly.) the finest medals I've yet seen. No words I'm able to utilize could aptly describe or give proper tribute to these hand-crafted works of art, which, in my opinion, would outclass ANY prize from the Olympic Games. I sincerely believe these incredible medallions did justice to, & were commensurate with, the contribution(s) these three fine athletes have been credited with. It was a presentation ceremony even an interested onlooker would have become a tad 'emotional' at, & absolutely 'made' the day..!!! We 'tip our hats' to Sue, Paul & Bruce for their long-standing involvement in the sport of Powerlifting, & the legacy they've left us. Truly amazing..!! Best lifters by Reschel..? No. 1 Clive Rego 713.7 points, No. 2 Dean Riordan 685.3, No. 3 Colin Rego 663.75, & in fourth, Mr. Danny Brien with 617.895..!!!! What a comp., & WHAT A DAY..!!!! We look forward, in eager anticipation, to the National Titles in Melbourne, &, further down the track, to next year's 2004 CAPO W.A State Championships..!! Thanks enormously to Ref's Bill Harnett, who'll be making a long-overdue comeback in August, Big Henning Bach, who, because of injury, wasn't able to compete & 'guest' ref., Mr. Paul Jordan. Many, many thanks also to 'score-ladies' Danitza (I hope this is the correct spelling..?), & Bec, Henry's better half. Eric 'Hercules' Perryman is taking a well-deserved break from Powerlifting competition, & was of great assistance throughout proceedings - thankyou, sir..! Various Ms, Miss & Mrs. Regos provided obligatory service 'behind the scenes' - thanks also..!! And, finally, not to be 'outdone' in the 'cheer-squad' department, a bubbly & noisy Brooke Rego, daughter of Colin, who led the way for nearly ALL the competition. WELL DONE..!!!! Thanks to all who lifted & attended the competition, & looking forward to some excellent performances VERY SOON..!!!!! A.C.
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