USA Powerlifting National Governing Body Meeting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, June 19 th 5:00PM AGENDA

Transcription

1 USA Powerlifting National Governing Body Meeting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, June 19 th 5:00PM AGENDA 1) Roll call of voting members and credential check of participants 2) Reading and Approval of Minutes from NGB 2013 ( 3) President s Report Larry Maile 4) Vice President s Report Johnny Graham 5) Treasurer s Report - Geoffrey Plante 6) Committee Reports a) Coaching Matt Gary (received) b) Collegiate Zac Cooper c) Disabled Athletes Chip Hulquist (received) d) Discipline Eric Kupperstein (received) e) Drug Education Mike O Donnell f) Drug Testing Committee Mike O Donnell IMT /Cathy Marksteiner OMT g) Finance and Ethics George Shoemaker (received) h) Law and Legislation Lucian Gillis (received) i) Marketing and Publicity Priscillia Ribic (received) j) Masters Johnny Graham (received) k) Military Lanette Lopez (received) l) National Championship Greg Page (received) m) Police and Fire Tim Anderson n) Raw Joe Warpeha (received) o) Sports Medicine Committee Mike Hartle p) State Chair Committee Christy Newman Cardella q) Technical and Referees Committee Robert Keller/Bill Clayton (received) r) Teenage/Junior Joe Lewis (received) s) Therapeutic Use Exemption Dr. Mark W Rodacker t) Women s Committee Priscilla Ribic (received) USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 1 of 26

2 7) Unfinished Business 8) Proposed By-law Amendments a) Submitted by Jennifer Gaudreau, Athletes Representative Daniel Gaudreau, Colorado State Chair By-law changes All committee chairs shall have a three year term. No more than 7 committee chairs will be elected in a given year. Any committee that does not have an internal vote for chairperson shall have its vote occur at the National Governing Body meeting. No Executive Committee member shall concurrently be the chairperson of any committee. Rationale Diversity within the organization. No USAPL member shall be the chairperson of more than one committee. Rationale Diversity within the organization. Combine the Sports Medicine, Drug Education & Drug Testing committees into the Anti- Doping Committee. Rationale All three committees fall under the umbrella of anti-doping. One committee can handle all aspects and can be handled by committee members. All committees shall submit a written report to be included in the National Governing Body minutes. Rationale Transparency. Members have a right to know what is going on with committees. Add to the membership application that the USAPL may drug test an individual 12 months after their membership expires. Rationale - To prevent competitors from circumventing the out of meet drug testing policy by procuring their membership close to the championship event. This would close that window and give the USAPL a firm legal right to test members even if their membership has lapsed. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 2 of 26

3 b) Submitted by: Eliot Feldman, Executive Committee Member Bylaw Amendment Proposed change(s) to the USA Powerlifting Rulebook shall be presented to the National Governing Body for vote at the annual meeting prior to adding to or amending the existing Rulebook. Exceptions for: 1) Annual IPF updates and corrections; 2) Changes to reflect rules changes enacted by the NGB at latest meeting; 3) Changes to incorrect spelling or grammar. Rationale: The Rulebook, as it stands, has been approved by the Technical Committee, Referee Committee, Rulebook Committee, the Executive Committee and the NGB. This Bylaw amendment will prevent the Referee Committee, Technical Committee and/or Executive Committee from ruling by fiat on rules and rules interpretations. c) Submitted by Joe Warpeha Minnesota State Chair and Executive Committee Member Bylaw Amendment: Article II, Section 2.1, A.1(b) Current: A state powerlifting committee chair and any other officers desired by the state powerlifting committee (USA Powerlifting registered lifters within the state) shall be elected every two years by the state powerlifting committee. This two-year election shall take place at the state USA Powerlifting championships. The newly elected chair shall preside the day following said election. Proposal: A state powerlifting committee chair and any other officers desired by the state powerlifting committee (USA Powerlifting registered lifters within the state) shall be elected every two years by the state powerlifting committee. This two-year election shall take place at the state USA Powerlifting championships. An electronic balloting system may also be used as an alternative method by which members may cast their vote. The newly elected chair shall preside the day following said election. Rationale: Elections for state chair often have low participation rates due to the fact that members must be present at the state championship to vote based on the current requirements. A secure electronic balloting system (overseen by a neutral third party) would allow the vast majority of members within each state to participate in the state chair election. Note: This proposal is not mandating an electronic balloting system, it is merely allowing for its implementation. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 3 of 26

4 d) Submitted by Jill Arnow Co-state chair Washington Bylaw Amendment Permit online voting for state elections. Rationale: Communication about the elections can be completed prior to the elections Allows for more members to participate in the elections Prevents disenfranchisement of members in remote areas e) Submitted by Jill Arnow Co-state chair Washington Proposal: Bylaw Amendment NGB meeting run via web conference, allowing members to participate and vote over the internet. Rationale: To participate, often NGB members must travel for the sole purpose of attending the meeting. Web technology can be easily used to facilitate many viewers, moderated questions and limiting voting to NGB members. Provide more transparency within the organization Increase accessibility and participation within the organization USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 4 of 26

5 Potential USAPL By-Law Amendments and Additions 1) f) Submitted by Kimberly Walford Athlete Representative Article II Section 2.1 subsection B.4 (Current) Police and Firefighting. Police officer and firefighter members are those individuals employed full time as either a police officer or firefighter, not including those employed as a paramedic or a member of an ambulance crew. Article II Section 2.1 subsection B.4 (Amend to read as follows) 2) Law Enforcement Officers (LEO) and Firefighters. Law Enforcement officers and firefighters members are those individuals employed full time as either a law enforcement officer (federal, state, local, or tribal) or firefighters not including those employed as a paramedic or a member of an ambulance crew. Rationale: Police officers are law enforcement officers who jurisdiction is primarily a local government (i.e. county, city, and town). However, not all law enforcement officers are police officers, i.e. Federal law enforcement officers (Special agents), state troopers, immigrations officers, customs officers, sheriffs are all examples of law enforcement officers whose duties are primarily enforcing laws, maintaining public order and public safety. The differences between the law enforcement officers are based on jurisdiction (federal, state, local, or tribal) and specific level of crimes (felony, misdemeanors, infractions) that they enforce in their law enforcement duties. Article II Section 2.1 subsection B.8 (Current) Non United States citizens. Those citizens with appropriate government documents such as a green card shall be permitted to lift at any USA Powerlifting meet and shall be allowed to lift on a National team with the appropriate qualifications Article II Section 2.1 subsection B.8 (Amend to read as follows) Individuals with U.S. Immigration Status (Non United States Citizens). Those individuals with appropriate U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services documentation (i.e. lawful permanent Resident card Green Cards, employment authorization card) or U.S. Department of State documentation (VISAs) shall be permitted to lift at any USA Powerlifting meet and shall be allowed to lift on a National team as long as they meet the appropriate qualifications for those powerlifting meets and Nationals powerlifting teams. Rationale: It is important to identify what is considered the proper U.S. government documentation for meet directors and USAPL referees to use when determining whether an individual has valid U.S immigration status, i.e. USCIS or US Department of State documentation, to participate in a USAPL competition or as a member of a USAPL National team. This is so meet directors and USAPL referees are clear on what defines proper U.S. government documents to identify a lifters eligibility to compete in a USA Powerlifting Meet and/or as a member of National Powerlifting teams. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 5 of 26

6 3) Article II Section 2.2 subsections A (Current) A. State Chairs. One representative from each state committee may vote. The representative shall be the chair of the state powerlifting committee, or the chair's representative, and shall be designated as a proxy in writing prior to the commencement of the National Committee Meeting Article II Section 2.2 subsections A (Amend to read as follows) A. State Chairs. One representative from each state committee may vote. The representative shall be the chair of the state powerlifting committee, or the chair's representative, and shall be designated as a proxy in writing prior to the commencement of the National Committee Meeting. State Chairs are elected to three year terms. Nominations and elections will take place at the state USA powerlifting championships by the state powerlifting committee. If there is not state election, the president of USA Powerlifting shall appoint the state powerlifting chair (Per Section 2.1 subsection A.1 (b) and (c)). Rationale: To ensure a sense of continuity among all national committee member term limits, all term limits should be the same. Other National Committee member position hold terms of three years, while other positions such as the state chair position show terms of two years (Section 2.1 subsection A.1(b), Section 4.8, Section 4.10, Section 4.15). The term limits for state chairs is listed within the By-Laws however they are not easy to find within the document. Because section 2.2 subsections A addresses the voting membership of the national committee (specifically state chairs) it is the ideal place to also list the term limits for those positions. Thus, making it easier for USAPL members to identify the term limits for leadership positions that they can apply for if qualified within the National committee. 4) Article II Section 2.2 subsections B (Current) B. Executive Committee. Members of the Executive Committee are elected national officers and non-officers and include: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and six elected non-officer members of the USA Powerlifting Executive Committee. Article II Section 2.2 subsections B (Amend to read as follows) B. Executive Committee. Members of the Executive Committee are elected national officers and non-officers and include: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and six elected non-officer members of the USA Powerlifting Executive Committee. Executive Committee officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer) are elected to a three year term (section 4.15). Executive committee non-officer members are elected for a three year term (Section 4.10). Nominations and election will take place at the annual Association National Governing Board meeting so that the Association National Committee members may participate in this election. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 6 of 26

7 5) Rationale: The term limits for executive committee officer members is listed within the By-Laws in section 4.8 as a two year term. However, section 4.15 advises that because of staggered terms of office that the elections of the officers and Executive Committee members shall be held accordingly so that each officer and member shall have the prescribed three year term. Furthermore, the Association official website advises that Executive Committee member positions are three year terms ( ). Additionally, because section 2.2 subsections B addresses the voting membership of the national committee (specifically executive committee members) it is the ideal place to also list the term limits for those positions. Thus, making it easier for USAPL members to identify the term limits for leadership positions that they can apply for if qualified within the National committee. Article II Section 2.2 subsections C (Current) C. Members at Large. Each chair of the following committees shall be considered members at large of the National Committee: Collegiate, Masters, Teenage, Military, Women's Committee, and Raw Committee. The six committees shall exist to represent that membership, which falls in that category. (A second voting representative will be awarded to five states with the highest number of USA Powerlifting registered athletic members during the previous registration period.) Article II Section 2.2 subsections C (Amend to read as follows) C. Members at Large. Each chair of the following committees shall be considered members at large of the National Committee: Collegiate, Masters, Teenage, Military, Women's Committee, and Raw Committee. The six committees shall exist to represent that membership, which falls in that category. (A second voting representative will be awarded to five states with the highest number of USA Powerlifting registered athletic members during the previous registration period.) The current article Members at Large are elected for a three year term. Nominations and election will take place at the annual Association National Governing Board meeting so that the Association National Committee members may participate in this election. Rationale: Association National Committee members (Executive committee members (section 4.8) to include the non-officer executive committee members (section 4.10), State Chairs (Per Section 2.1 subsection A.1 (b), and Athlete Representative (2.2 subsection D) all have term limits associated with their positions. Term limits should be listed within the By-Laws for Members at Large committee chairs to ensure clarity on how long each Member at Large may serve in their term before their term ends. Furthermore, identification of the ending of a term initiates the opportunity for re-election or the election of another qualified candidate for the Member at Large position. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 7 of 26

8 5) Article II Section 2.2 subsection D (Current) D. Athletes Representatives. Up to five athletes representatives may be elected to a twoyear term to be served on the National Committee by the active athletes. Nominations and election will take place via the USA Powerlifting Newsletter so that all registered USA Powerlifting members may participate in this election Article II Section 2.2 subsection D (Amend to read as follows) D. Athletes Representatives. Up to five athletes representatives may be elected to a three year term to be served on the National Committee by the active athletes. Nominations will be advertised on USAPL official website ( USAPL Facebook page, and the USAPL Twitter account. The election will occur online via a survey created by Google Form or online survey website such as so that all registered USA Powerlifting members may participate in this election Rationale: To ensure a sense of continuity among all national committee member term limits, all term limits should be the same. Other National Committee member position hold terms of three years, while other show terms of two years (Section 2.1 subsection A.1 (b), Section 4.8, Section 4.10, Section 4.15). Additionally, the Association official website advises that the athlete representative position is a position for three years ( ). The USAPL no longer advertises in an association newsletter. USAPL primarily uses , and its social media accounts to contact USAPL members related to any USAPL associated correspondence, i.e. USAPL official website ( USAPL Facebook page, and USAPL Twitter accounts. Additionally, the 2014 elections for the two athlete representative position terms that ended December 2013 were conducted online via a Google form survey that USAPL members accessed via a web hyperlink to vote on the two available athlete representative positions. Both Google Form and create free survey (to include free analysis of results) with no cost for use of both services. Thus no cost to the Association. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 8 of 26

9 6) Article III (New By-Law to read as follows to be listed as section 3.3) Membership. The National Committee of the Association shall include: A. The Board of Directors (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Members of the Executive Committee (six elected non-officers) B. Six Members at Large (Section 2.2 identifies members at large) C. Five Athletes Representatives D. State Chairs Rationale: Article III does not have a section identifying what positions comprise the membership of the National Committee. Additionally, Article IV (executive committee) list in section 4.2 the members of the executive committee. 7) Article III (New By-Law to read as follows to be listed as section 3.4) Duties of the National Committee Members. The duties of the national committee members of the Association are those which are promulgated by the Association, and in addition, are as follows: A. The duties of the Board of Directors (also known as the Executive Committee) is listed in section 4.9 and the Members of the Executive Committee (six elected non-officers) is listed in section B. Six Members at Large (Section 2.2 identifies members at large) a. Collegiate Committee (provide description of duties here) b. Master s Committee (provide description of duties here) c. Teenage Committee (provide description of duties here) d. Military Committee (provide description of duties here) e. Women s Committee (provide description of duties here) f. Raw Committee (provide description of duties here) C. Athlete Representatives D. State Chair Rationale: Article III does not have a section identifying the duties of each specific National Committee members. Article IV (executive committee) does list in sections 4.9 and 4.10 the members of the executive committee. Furthermore, a description of each National committee member s duties is needed to have a better understanding of how each position plays a role in the decisions and/or actions of the committee as a whole. Additionally, providing a USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 9 of 26

10 description of duties ensures that all members have a clear understanding of their exact role and responsibilities related to the overall responsibilities for governance and success of the National committee. 8) Article IV Section 4.11 subsection A.3 (Current) The Executive Committee shall advertise such a vacancy. Accepted advertisement shall include a notice in the Association newsletter stating the vacancy, requesting nominations and the deadline for accepting nominations or a notice sent to the members of the National Committee stating the vacancy, requesting nomination, and indicating the deadline for accepting nominations. Article IV Section 4.11 subsection A.3 (Amend to read as follows) The Executive Committee shall advertise such a vacancy. Accepted advertisement shall include a notice via to all USAPL members; on the USAPL official website ( USAPL Facebook page; and USAPL Twitter accounts stating the vacancy, requesting nominations and the deadline for accepting nominations or a notice sent to the members of the National Committee stating the vacancy, requesting nomination, and indicating the deadline for accepting nominations. Rationale: The USAPL no longer advertises in an association newsletter. USAPL primarily uses , and its social media accounts to contact USAPL members related to any USAPL associated correspondence, i.e. USAPL official website ( USAPL Facebook page, and USAPL Twitter accounts. 9) Article IV Section 4.6 Operating Committees Standing Committees (Current) Subsection A. Appointment of Operating Committees Subsection B. Listing of Operating Committees, Subsection C. Rules for Operation Committees Article IV Section 4.6 Operating Committees Standing Committees (Amend to read as follows) Subsection A. Appointment of Operating Committees Subsection B. Listing of Operating Committees, Subsection C. Rules for Operation Committees Subsection D. Term limits for Operating Committees. Rationale: Association National Committee members (Executive committee members (section 4.8) to include the non-officer executive committee members (section 4.10), State Chairs (Per Section 2.1 subsection A.1 (b), and Athlete Representative (2.2 subsection D) all have term limits associated with their positions. Term limits should be listed within the By-Laws for operating committees chairs to ensure clarity on how long each operating committee chair may serve in their term before their term ends. Furthermore, identification of the ending of a term initiates the opportunity for re-election or the election of another qualified candidate for the operating committee chair position. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 10 of 26

11 Furthermore, term limits serve as notification for USAPL members to know when the opportunity to apply for such positions ( if they are qualified) occurs thus encouraging our organization to develop new leaders who can provide new perspectives and ideas helping to improve our organization as a whole. g) Submitted by Lucian Gillis Chair Law and Legislation Committee Proposed Bylaw Amendment To amend section 7.3 by adding a subsection G. to provide: Section 7.3. Condition. All games, meetings, benefits, exhibitions or entertainment of any kind where sanction is required according to Section 7.1 are subject to the following conditions:. G. Every meet director who is awarded a USA Powerlifting meet sanction must make all the arrangements for the meet, including the dates of the event, its location, equipment, and personnel. Meet directors act as independent contractors and not as agents or employees of USA Powerlifting. USA Powerlifting is not to be a party to any contracts made to produce these competitions, unless USA Powerlifting is producing the meet itself as the meet director. All profits and losses from the meet accrue to the meet director. Unless USA Powerlifting is acting as the meet director, USA Powerlifting does not share in the profits or losses its sanctioned meets generate. The following clause will appear on all sanction application forms: In applying for this sanction and producing this event, I am acting as an independent contractor and not as an agent or employee of USA Powerlifting. I am solely responsible for any contracts made to produce this competition. I have not purported to act and I will not purport to act on behalf of USA Powerlifting. Comment: The USA Powerlifting bylaws contain a detailed statement of its purposes. One primary purpose is to sanction drug free powerlifting meets. To sanction a powerlifting meet means that USA Powerlifting acknowledges to potential competitors that the meet director who puts on the powerlifting event has agreed to conduct the contest according to all the rules and regulations of USA Powerlifting. The USA Powerlifting web site includes an events calendar in which all concerned can see what events USA Powerlifting has sanctioned. The requirements and procedures for obtaining a meet sanction are set forth in Article VII of our bylaws. Except for the Arnold Sports Festival, all the meets USA Powerlifting sanctions are produced and conducted by third-party meet directors. The meet directors make all the arrangements for the meet, including the dates of the event, its location, equipment, and personnel. Meet directors act as independent contractors and not as agents or employees of USA Powerlifting. USA Powerlifting is not a party to any contracts made to produce these competitions. It does not approve those contracts and does not normally see them or know their terms. All profits and losses from the meet accrue to the meet director. USA Powerlifting does not share in the profits or losses its sanctioned meets generate. Nonetheless, it has recently come to light that some meet directors are purporting to contract for facilities used for powerlifting meets in the name of USA Powerlifting. They purport to act as agents of USA Powerlifting, although they have no authority to do this. In some cases USA Powerlifting has not even sanctioned their meets. This has put USA Powerlifting in the position of having to refute these misrepresentations. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 11 of 26

12 To help prevent such future misrepresentations, our bylaws need to reflect affirmatively that meet directors act as independent contractors and not as agents of USA Powerlifting. h) Submitted by Larry Maile USA Powerlifting President Section 6.1. The Disciplinary Committee - Designation and Purpose. A Discipline Committee shall handle all problems of discipline brought before it and shall make a report of actions taken or in progress at the National Meeting. Section 6.3. Internal Grievance Procedure and Arbitration. A. Any member of USA Powerlifting may file a written grievance with the Secretary pertaining to any matter within the cognizance of the Association and/or alleging a violation of any provision of these Bylaws or the Rules of USA Powerlifting. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 12 of 26

13 9) New Business The following motions have been submitted for consideration a) Submitted by: Jennifer Gaudreau, Athletes Representative Daniel Gaudreau, Colorado State Chair Proposal Twenty percent of all drug tests performed at a direct IPF qualifier shall be a WADA approved, IOC accredited lab test. Master s Nationals, Men s & Women s Nationals, Raw Nationals, Bench Press Nationals. Rationale The USAPL has been lacking in the IOC level drug testing. The failures we have had in the past four years would not have shown up on our non-ioc testing. Make the USAPL Youth Championship the USAPL Youth National Championship. b) Submitted by: Matt Gary, Coaching Committee Chair Suzanne Hartwig-Gary, Athlete Representative Proposal: The entire USAPL calendar should be revamped to align our major championships with the IPF calendar. Rationale: All of our major championships should be scheduled in an appropriate time frame so as to accomplish two primary objectives: 1) afford our lifters the best opportunity to train and prepare for the corresponding IPF championships and 2) enable our coaches sufficient time to fill their teams and submit preliminary nominations. Furthermore, this helps mitigate logistical issues for coaches, officials, and meet staff that travel to multiple championships. Ideally, each national championship would be at least three and no more than six months in advance of the corresponding world championships. Example: The Men s Junior Team has had less than a week to be selected for preliminary nominations. This creates a tremendous strain on our coaches and potential competitors. c) Submitted by: Matt Gary, Coaching Committee Chair Suzanne Hartwig-Gary, Athlete Representative Proposal: Change the USAPL weight classes at all meets to reflect the IPF weight classes. Rationale: The USAPL has already adopted the IPF weight classes at all national championships. As the gateway to the IPF, we should continue to do all we can to align ourselves accordingly. Local lifters often question what weight class they ll have to hit their qualifying total in to be able to lift at nationals. An across-the-board switch would eradicate this unnecessary confusion. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 13 of 26

14 Furthermore, as an IPF affiliate and representative in the NAPF, we should strive to be a leader rather than a follower. Submitted by: Travis Werner, Louisiana State Chair Proposal: Adopt IPF classes at all USAPL meets Rationale: 1. To conform to our parent organization, the IPF. 2. To create uniformity between local and national meets. 3. To create uniformity between meets and American records d) Submitted by: Travis Werner, Louisiana State Chair Proposal (only if the above proposal passes): Adjust All existing American records to the next highest IPF weight class. The 43kg American records (female teen, junior, high school and collegiate will be opened up as vacant. Rationale: 1. To conform records to adopted weight classes e) Submitted by: Travis Werner, Louisiana State Chair Proposal Eliminate National records. Rationale: 1. We have more than 7,000 American and National records available, which is greater than our membership population. 2. It is very difficult to manage and update such a large number of records. 3. Most records are duplicate records, serving as both American and National records. 4. Many members do not understand the difference between American and National records. 5. An American record can be set at any national meet, making national records unnecessary. f) Submitted by: Matt Gary, Coaching Committee Chair Suzanne Hartwig-Gary, Athlete Representative Proposal: Change the name of the current Open Nationals to Equipped Nationals. Rationale: Since 2008, the USAPL has offered two formats of competition: equipped and raw. Referring to the competition as open creates confusion as the term open has nothing to do with one s personal lifting costume and is a reference to an age division. We now have Raw Nationals and should therefore have Equipped Nationals. It also helps clarify questions regarding qualification for each competition. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 14 of 26

15 g) Submitted by: Priscilla Ribic, Women s Committee and Marketing Committee Chair Masters Committee Meeting Proposal Approved at the Masters Committee Meeting Proposal: Combine Masters Nationals with Mens/Womens Nationals to have one geared national meet. Rationale Follows the format of Raw and Bench Nationals combining all ages and sexes Opens up the USAPL calendar, which is very heavy with national and international meets. (Allows flexibly to adjust national meet schedules that work best for the organization, ie, May would open up, maybe a better time to host a full geared nationals) Reduces time and financial commitment on both competitors as well as referee and volunteers to staff events by only needing to travel to one meet (see current calendar) Master Women are already lifting within Mens/Womens Allows Master age men who compete at Men s Nationals to only have to attend one national meet and be included in the Masters National Team selection, creating a deeper and stronger pool for team selection. Trend of Master lifters going to Raw now that there is a master division at the IPF level will continue. This year only 64 men are entered, many have to make the both financial and physical decisions of lifting at Master Nationals and competing at Classic Worlds in June. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 15 of 26

16 h) Submitted by: Matt Gary, Coaching Committee Chair Suzanne Hartwig-Gary, Athlete Representative Proposal: Hold a Junior and Sub-junior National Championships that will qualify lifters for the corresponding IPF world championships. Instead of combining everyone together, have a separate national championship for Masters and Open lifters for the corresponding IPF world championships. (Obviously, any Juniors and/or Sub-juniors who qualify to lift in the Open are welcome to compete in the Open.) Rationale: The Junior and Sub-Junior teams need to be determined far before the Master and Open teams. Coaches currently have sometimes only a day or week to get in preliminary teams after the combined nationals. This does not allow lifters time to get funding and often some lifters accept and later find they cannot afford to go. Meanwhile, there are no alternates as the preliminary lists have already been submitted. Master and Open worlds are typically four to six weeks apart and holding the nationals together gives plenty of time for each of the teams to be formed. As we re the gateway to the IPF our national championships should reflect the IPF world championships. This format could encourage Juniors and Sub-juniors to compete in the Open with some of the lifters they look up to. Moreover, our open divisions have seen a recent decline in participation and this might help spark additional entries. i) Submitted by: Matt Gary, Coaching Committee Chair Suzanne Hartwig-Gary, Athlete Representative Proposal: Move the Raw Challenge PL event at the Arnold Sports Festival to Saturday and the equipped PL event to Friday. Rationale: The Raw Challenge is the most popular of the Arnold events and fills up almost as soon as registration opens. The general public understands and relates to raw lifting better than equipped, as that s how most people lift in a gym. The equipped event is losing steam. Proof positive is the fact that we have had to lower the qualifying criteria in order to fill the slots. Oppositely, the qualifying criteria for the raw event have been increased due to its overwhelming popularity. Furthermore, statistically speaking, the raw PL event is more successful in terms of attempts made which is more pleasing to sponsors and the audience. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 16 of 26

17 j) Submitted by: Matt Gary, Coaching Committee Chair Suzanne Hartwig-Gary, Athlete Representative Proposal: Implement one additional person at weigh-ins for all USAPL national competitions for the purpose of recording and posting opening squat attempts. Rationale: With a two-hour weigh-in policy and a system whereby lifters submit their opening attempts privately in the weigh-in room, there is too much lag time between weigh-ins and the official announcement of the flight order. A simple solution is placing one person outside the weigh-in room recording squat openers as lifters wait their turn to weigh-in. This would allow ample time for lifters to warm-up in the proper order instead of being forced to wait until the close of weigh-ins and an official start list has been generated. This reduces anxiety on the lifters themselves, coaches, and meet staff (scorer s table). k) Submitted by: Matt Gary, Coaching Committee Chair Suzanne Hartwig-Gary, Athlete Representative Proposal: Modify the team selection criteria for all teams using Wilks score to determine their alternate lists. Rationale: The Bench Press, Masters, and Raw teams all use Wilks score to determine the alternates ranking. However, when more than one lifter of the same weight class makes the alternate list, the total isn t considered. As placing at worlds is determined by total not the Wilks score, we d like to modify the criteria to the following: If an athlete is unable to accept their position: All other competitors at Nationals will be placed in a rank ordered list using each competitor s Wilks total. The athlete with the highest ranking who is not already on a team will be the next to be invited regardless of weight class as long as there are no more than two lifters per weight class. However, when comparing lifters of the same weight class, the lifter with the higher total will be invited." USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 17 of 26

18 l) Submitted by: Suzanne Hartwig-Gary, Athlete Representative Proposal: Implement qualifying totals (QT) [see below] for Raw Nationals in (If Steve Mann is not willing to accept them, then they should be implemented for 2016.) Rationale: Most sports require a qualification process and/or standards that must be met in order to compete at the national level. Raw Nationals has become one of our largest and most popular championships. It is disgraceful to think that anyone, regardless of ability, be allowed to compete at our most prestigious raw event. A national powerlifting championship should feature better and stronger lifters while our local and regional meets should be the platform where grooming takes place. Allowing anyone to compete at nationals discredits those who actually win and go on to compete at international events. Meet directors should prioritize the organization s needs over larger numbers or their own financial gain. Our equipped national meets have qualifying totals and our raw championships should follow suit. A QT would encourage lifters to work harder to qualify but also adds credibility, prestige, and recognition to those who win. When the IPF implemented world record standards, they used approximately 80% of the equipped totals for women and 82% for men. Accordingly, you will see the figures below that serve as a place to initiate discussion. These proposed totals would have only eliminated approximately 10% of the total lifters from Raw Nationals The Raw Committee recently conducted a survey where the overwhelming majority (roughly 80%), of those who responded, was in favor of imposing qualifying totals. This represents a far larger population than the 10 or fewer who often attends the Raw Committee meetings USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 18 of 26

19 USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 19 of 26

20 USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 20 of 26

21 m) Submitted by Lucian Gillis Chair Law and Legislation Committee I recommend adopting each of the following separate proposals concerning our technical rules: 1. Effective September 1, 2014, USA Powerlifting adopts the current technical rules of the IPF. This applies in every respect, including but not limited to all provisions for general rules (specifically to include bodyweight categories), equipment and specifications, personal equipment, powerlifts and rules of performance, weighing in, and order of competition. The current English version of the IPF Technical Rulebook is also the technical rulebook for USA Powerlifting. The separate rulebook heretofore used for USA Powerlifting is abrogated. Comment: For many reasons, it is desirable for our technical rules to follow those of the IPF, which became our international affiliate many years ago. Since then USA Powerlifting has generally followed the IPF s technical rules. But when the IPF amends its technical rules, as it does regularly, we have sometimes been slow to adopt the changes. As a result, we too often have been out of step with the rest of the IPF powerlifting world. Our lifters must then compete under one set of rules at home and another set abroad. Sometimes USA Powerlifting has incorporated IPF rule changes into our national meets without mandating them for local and regional meets. This forces our lifters to compete under one set of rules for much of the year and then to adjust for national and international meets. This is a hardship for those lifters and works to their disadvantage at international competitions. A glaring example has been our delay in mandating the bodyweight categories the IPF adopted several years ago. Although we use the new weight classes in national competitions, we apparently do not mandate them for state and local meets. Many of these meets continue to use the old weight classes. (I recently officiated at the Alabama State Championships where the meet director interpreted the USA Powerlifting rules to require the old weight classes.) While some might argue to give meet directors the discretion to use either, experience shows that old rules will linger until we mandate the change. The obvious and practical solution is to do away with our separate set of technical rules and adopt the IPF rules in toto. I suggest next September 1 as the effective date. That gives enough time to notify everybody of the change, and enough time for meet directors and athletes to adjust. This should have been done long ago and there is no good reason to delay beyond September 1st. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 21 of 26

22 n) Submitted by Lucian Gillis Chair Law and Legislation Committee 2. All future revisions, amendments, and other modifications that the IPF makes to its technical rules automatically apply to USA Powerlifting. Such changes take effect for USA Powerlifting at the same time they take effect for the IPF. But the National Committee or the Executive Committee may alter or delay any such change through their established procedures. Comment: We can and should avoid revisiting every future IPF technical rule change by making their changes apply to us automatically. If any such change is deemed undesirable for USA Powerlifting, it can be postponed or modified through affirmative action by either the Executive Committee or the National Committee. But that should be the unusual exception. o) Submitted by Joe Marksteiner Executive Committee Member Add the following to Amendments for USAPL State and Local Competitions (page 13 USAPL rulebook). American records may only be set with calibrated weight sets (plates are within 0.25% of face value) or when the weights loaded on the bar have been weighed and verified by the referees (the actual weight of each plate must be submitted with the record application). And add a table to the American Record Application form to record the actual weights if a noncalibrated weight set is used. Rationale: The USAPL rules book does not require calibrated weights or actual plate weights for American Record attempts. However, the USAPL rulebook states: Before the contest, the three referees shall jointly ascertain that : (a) The platform and competition equipment comply in all respects with the rules. Bars and discs are checked for weight discrepancies and defective equipment discarded. Complying with these rules requires that the platform weights be weighed. Numerous sources on the internet attest that non calibrated weight sets may differ significantly from face value (some by 5% or more). York Precision Calibrated ( plates are advertised to be within 2% - that s plus or minus about 1 pound for every 45-lb plate. In some instances when plates were weighed after record attempts, discrepancies as large as 10 pounds between the face value and the actual weight were noted. Lifters setting American records should get full credit for every pound actually lifted (if the plates are heavy) and no-one should be able to take credit for an American record if there is any doubt that the actual weight lifted exceeds the existing record. USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 22 of 26

23 p) Submitted by Joe Marksteiner Executive Committee Member Add the following to the USAPL Rule book page 49 item 7 underamerican Records: Weight increments less than 2.5kg or 5lbs may be used for American record attempts only with calibrated weight sets. Rationale: Even when the plates are weighed, scales with single decimal accuracy cannot verify the accuracy of plates well enough to be reasonably certain that a chipped attempt actually exceeds the existing record. 10) Elections A. Two (2) Executive Committee Positions a. Bettina Altizer (Incumbent) b. Gregory Page (Incumbent) c. Michael Zawilinski B. Treasurer a. Kayla James b. Geoff Plante (Incumbent) c. Preston Sumner C. Secretary a. Angela Simons (Incumbent) 11) Honorary Awards A. Brother Bennett Award a. Suzanne Sioux-z Hartwig-Gary B. Coach of the Year a. Gene Bell b. Steve Petrencak c. Wes Zunker d. Malinda Baum/Angela Simons C. Athlete of the Year a. Kimberly Walford D. Referee of the Year a. Eliot Feldman USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 23 of 26

24 12) Meet Bids/ Current USAPL Schedule 2014 Meet Schedule: Remaining Meets in 2014 Meet Host Location Date Raw Nationals Dan Gaudreau Denver, CO July Bench Press Nationals Wes & Molly Zunker San Antonio, TX August Deadlift/Push-Pull American Open Police & Fire Nationals Robert Keller Ft. Lauderdale, FL September 20 Robert Keller Boston, MA December Meet Schedule: Meet Host Location Date Military/Armed Dave Atlanta, GA March Forces Goodwin High School Tonya Milwaukee, WI March Nationals Lambeth Collegiate Nationals Josh Rohr Atlanta, GA April Masters Nationals Robert Keller Orlando, FL 1 st weekend of May Women s Teen/Junior Wes & Molly Zunker San Antonio, TX May Men s Nationals Deadlift/Push-Pull Johnny Killeen, TX Graham Raw Nationals Steve Mann Scranton, PA October Bench Press Nationals American Open Police & Fire Nationals Steve Mann Robert Keller Scranton, PA King of Prussia, PA 1 st weekend of December USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 24 of 26

25 Open Meet Bids: * Meets Selected by Committees and awaiting approval by the NGB 2016 High School Nationals * Robert Keller Orlando, FL Hyatt Intercontinental Ballroom Hyatt Regency Hotel 2016 Collegiate Nationals* Roy Apostle/Michael Zawilinski Boston, MA Northeastern University, 8 10 April 2016 Master Nationals Dan & Jennifer Gaudreau Aurora, Co Red Lion Hotel 2016 Bench Press Nationals Dan & Jennifer Gaudreau Aurora, Co Red Lion Hotel Steve Mann Scranton, PA Hilton Hotel 2016 Deadlift and Push/Pull Nationals Steve Mann Scranton, PA Hilton Hotel 2016 Raw Nationals Johnny Graham Killeen, TX Killeen Civic and Conference Center, July Robert Keller Orlando, FL Hyatt Intercontinental Ballroom Hyatt Regency Hotel, 6 9 October Steve Mann Scranton, PA Hilton Hotel Josh Rohr Atlanta, GA Hilton Atlanta 5 9 October or October 2016 Women s/teen/jr/men s Nationals Daniel and Jennifer Gaudreau Aurora, CO (AWARDED) 2016 American Open, Police and Fire Nationals Steve Mann Scranton, PA Hilton Hotel Robert Keller King of Prussia Greater Philadelphia Expo Center USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 25 of 26

26 13) Items from the floor USA Powerlifting 2014 National Governing Body Agenda Page 26 of 26