Powerlifting News
Welcome to the Melbourne University Weightlifting & Powerlifting Club (MUWPC) website. Here you will find the latest news and information about the Club and the sport of powerlifting.
Australian Powerlifting Championships
August 12, 2010
Shock defeat! That was the fate of Melbourne University at the 2010 Australian Championships, the Club going down by 2 miserable points to Queensland University, courtesy of some unfortunate bombouts.
But before that there was another shock – Minh actually beat someone! (namely Phil the blind lifter, shades of the 1983 Worlds). This was at 67.5kg, immediately followed by a critical wipeout, fragile Neville Harris coming to grief on the Bench Press. Out in front in the 75kg class with a miraculous 685kg best ever, was Club associate member (no points though) Sean Muir.
Minh finishing up with a 217.5kg deadlift.
On to 82.5kg and things looked up. Ultra dedicated Chris Seville showed that virtue pays off, with talented newcomers edged out by his solid 687.5kg for a second title in a row. Back in 5th in a good standard field David Encino Man Platzer added another 40kg to his best, but spared most of the furniture and fittings in an unusually placid outing.
Up to 100kg and David Jame’s 330kg Australian Record Squat was a sensational, twisting repeat of the hard 321kg he did in April. David’s strength was not quite as good on the other two lifts, but 810kg was a good total at less than a full 100kg. Chris Schaerf stayed up at a tactical 103kg bodyweight but it didn’t matter, a bullish 272.5kg opening squat was dumped twice, then looked very good on a third attempt only for two referees to disagree, then a protest repeat being cut just high. The fizz was gone and Chris did only some passable Benches and Deadlifts, again with controversy as 280kg seemed to be still moving to lockout when the fateful ‘down’ came.
But out in front in the final session was newcomer Stephen Pritchard. His training didn’t look inspired but his lifting on the day was, with 8 successes and an enormous 940kg total for Best Lifter.
Stephen Pritchard Bench Pressing 270kg on his way to a 940kg total
The sometimes neglected Bench Press Championships produced some sparks too. Simon The Likeable Close needed 185kg to take the win, 17.5kg up on his best ever. The bar went up and up, there was the tiniest wiggle and tragedy, 2 reds. But fate evened the score later, Steve Little obliging with one of his regular bombouts and Noah Hannibal, non-compis after being mugged on the Friday night, came through with 180kg. When he comes to in about a week’s time, someone will tell Noah he won and he will be overjoyed.
Simon the Likeable pushing up 185kg
Back in another special event, Intervarsity, the Club lost out again, the mysteries of the Jame scoring method shunting us down to third. Very promising (although actually representing Deakin) Small Luke Helmke took out the 75s, whilst Adam Trudgeon benched well. Paris was there in body, if not spirit, to be pipped by only 377.5kg in the 100kg class.
Luke Helmke taking the intervarsity 75kg division
Next year will be back to the future, Melbourne and Rydges again. Organizing this year’s event took its toll with Sean The Penniless and Con Barbakas lifting more weight than any competitor in super-human efforts in building things and trucking weights in and out to set-up the venue. Also David Jame, Simon The Likeable, Small Luke and others were part of the crew there till 3.30am on Saturday and all still lifted well. Practice makes perfect and we will make the meet smoother and better next year.
- Robert Wilks
You can order a professional DVD of your lifting session from John Myers. For a lifetime memory of your lifting! Order a DVD of your session at the 2010 Australian Powerlifting and Bench Press Championships. $35 per session including postage. Contact John Myers (phone: 02 6562 7628)
The 2010 Australian Championships are on!
July 20, 2010
Come and support our lifters at the 2010 Australian Powerlifting and Bench Press Championships.
Victorian Open DVD
July 6, 2010
A two hour DVD of the 2010 Victorian Open is now available to purchase on DVD (a small handful of deadlift attempts were not filmed due to power issues). The cost is $15 and all money raised will go to MUWPC. You can order your copy at training through Noah or by e-mailing muwpc@powerlifting.net.au. Get a lifetime memory of your lifts and support the club!
Michael Defies the Elements in Frigid Bondi
June 8, 2010
Michael Censori lifted in the windswept and wet Bondi Open June 6th. Michael came up with 3 bests, at 172.5, 105, 200 for a 477.5kg total before a big wind came and blew the contest away.
Michael Squatting at the Bondi Open
Michael pulling 200
Bomb Squad – Melbourne Uni at the Melbourne Open
April 15, 2010
A lucky 13 Melbourne Uni lifters took part in the Melbourne Open at new venue Hawthorn Weightlifting Centre. 3 bombed, 10 survived and some of those went down to the line with only 3rd attempt Squat successes. “Never go up after a miss” was one shibboleth finally laid to rest on 11th April 2010.
Best lifter for the Club was 100kg David Jame, hesistant after yet another long enforced lay off. 300 miss, 312.5 miss, 321 good was the result in the Squat, the third an enormous twisting, hard Australian Record, breaking Peter Kyriakos’ eternal Club and National Record.
Minhdonitis (dictionary definition “Minh induced injury financial or physical”) in the elbow kept David to a token 160kg Bench. More angst in the Deadlift, a 315kg best went up, down and up again due to a sewn suit breaking half way, Tokyo tailors are what’s real, not Bundoora thimblers.
Elsewhere in the 100kg class a new market opened up for Titan Australia. Chris Schaerf finally came good with the 207.5kg Bench Press he had threatened to do for a long time, but was short on 3 Squats, painfully close on the third, 280kg and his long-time shirt, now suit, purveyor was ecstatic in waving the tape measure for a custom special even before the red lights were off.
Down in the 82.5kg class the other Original Hard-Gainer Chris Seville also went through trauma but came out on the right side of the lights with an easy 260kg best ever Squat, before moderate benching and deadlifting left Chris 2.5kg short of his best, at a still solid 662.5kg
But further down in the 82.5kg there was even more intense action. Encino Man, revealed as having an alleged name of David Platzer, shattered his personal best and half the Hawthorn furniture with a 600kg total. Can “Dave” improve to the 650/660 needed to sneak a place at the Nationals? Does P.A.’s insurance policy cover structural building damage? These questions will be answered at Rydges Hotel on July 24th.
Meanwhile Simon the Likeable’s usual charm failed to work on the Referees on 3 very choppy Squats, but he was still well above his best on those (almost) Squats, the Bench and the Deadlift.
Outside these two hotspot classes of the 100’s and 82.5’s there were the usual psychodramas of triumph and tragedy. From the bottom up, Minh was all at sea at 67.5, the Flanagan Family improved in their second contest and bests came from bencher Greg Peiris and both of the vegetarian fraternity, Andrew Clark and Noah Hannibal. Newcomers were Andrew Kirkilis, struggling with a genetic burden (remember Joel Kirkilis?) and Wei Chui at 75kg. Malaysian Wei is the Anti-Darren (i.e. he’s poor, works hard and pays his own bills), has trained 3 times ever and aims to eventually go close to doubling his 372.5kg debut here.
Last but impossible to be least firebrand Fiore Inglese came back after 10 years and his 8th place at the World Championships, with an electrifying 727.5kg, what would have been a Masters record if all was perfect in the world. 765kg or bust is Fiore’s target now, but if it’s bust it will be a spectacular one.
And those were the Club’s most experienced and stable lifters. Look out Mannum at the Australian Juniors in May, when Melbourne Uni’s even zanier B team will be unleashed.
- Robert Wilks
Attention MUWPC Members!
February 18, 2010
Melbourne University Sport will deny access to anyone with an expired membership, even if their renewal is being processed. Those who let their membership lapse and still wish to train will have to pay casual rates ($18 PER VISIT!) until their membership renewal shows up on the system. So EVERYONE, please check at reception when your membership expires and make sure the club receives your payment and form 2 WEEKS prior to the expiry date!!!
Welcome back MUWPC members!
January 4, 2010
Happy New Year everyone! I hope all those who are mid-cycle trained well over the holidays and everyone else is fresh after a good break. Training has well and truly started again and anyone who is looking to sign up or renew their membership will find the new forms and all the details up on the website soon. We are hoping to keep the website regularly updated this year so this is the first place you should look for all club and training information. I’d also like to take this opportunity to congratulate and introduce the 2010 club committee:
President – David Jame
Vice-President – Alistair Ballie
Treasurer/Public Officer – Chris Schaerf
Secretary – Chris Seville
Head Coach – Robert Wilks
Membership Officers – Andrew Clark and Michael Censori
Student MUSA Representatives – Adam Trudgen and Michael Censori
Social Coordinator – Minh Nguyen
Web Master – Noah Hannibal
General Committee – Fiore Inglese
A special thanks also to Mike Censori for his excellent work with the drinks.
Best of luck to all in reaching your goals for 2010 and I’ll see you in the gym!
-Dave
Ripped Off In Sydney!
November 30, 2009
Melbourne Uni at the Matti Tikka Competition
A huge 2-day Matti Tikka end of year competition in Sydney from November 21-22 saw 5 Melbourne Uni lifters venture north to take on 50 other competitiors and tropical heat to record 4 personal bests and the one obligatory disaster.
Ripped off in Sydney
Read the rest of this entry »
New Club T-shirts!
August 26, 2009
To order a t-shirt contact cschaerf@powerlifting.net.au
The MUWPC nationals team wearing the new club t-shirts and displaying the ‘Best Club – Men’ trophy which Melbourne University won for the 3rd consecutive year.
MUWPC powerlifters wearing the new t-shirts
Australian Powerlifting Championships
July 19, 2009
Seventeen lifters from Melbourne University took part at the 2009 Australian Powerlifting Championships and so probability was on our side. Three winners and a host of placings meant that the club took out the Best Club Men for the third time in the three years it has been awarded (and probably the 15th plus time if the scores from the 1991 beginning of the new era of Powerlifting were all added up). However in the Women’s classes Melbourne Uni was absent bar 72 year old Sonja Rutherford pulling off third in the 67.5kg class. I wonder why it is that women don’t seem to last long in the intellectual hotpot that is the Melbourne University gym?
Chris Seville squatting his way to a win in the 82.5kg class
Anyway, in the “Classic” (ha) competition Alistair Baillie improved to 507.5kg at 75kg to win the coveted “Best LeftOver” trophy (which for some strange reason also seems to always go to Melbourne Uni). Another standout Melbourne Uni Leftover was Garish Shanker with 542.5kg at 90kg, after obliterating precious brain cells on the bar and still doing a best total despite suffering a concussion the severity of which was demonstrated by his choices later in the evening. And then we had Simon the Likeable Close with 475kg at 82.5kg. Greg Peiris also in his first comp at 100kg and ancient John Rutherford, still battling on with 437.5 at 82.5kg.
On to the Championships proper and an ignominious start with Minh Nguyen stone motherless last in the 67.5kg class – yet Minh’s 512.5kg was 20kg above his best and he did not fall over on any of his lifts, nor have to be cut out of any suits, so it was all good. Survival is the name of the game for Neville Harris at this stage and he nursed himself through to a hardy win at 75kg. The pace quickened in the 82.5kg class where Chris Seville was steady in never really being threatened for a win with 662.5kg Read the rest of this entry »