Prince George is never on the list as the site of an ironworkers convention.
But there will be a plenty of iron hoisted at a Saturday, July 26 gathering when the city hosts the first-ever Canadian Powerlifting League national championships at Xconditioning gym.
Bernice Fuss, president of the CPL and Steve Denison, president of the U.S. -based International Powerlifting League, have been urging Tara Green and Mike Webber to organize and host a CPL national championship event and the the two local lifters agreed the time is right to get it going.
Green, whose 451-pound deadlift set a CPL world record a month ago in Calgary at the Western Canadian championships, will compete in the July event, while Webber, also a CPL world-record holder, will serve as meet director.
Competition is set for raw (without lifting suits) and single-ply (one-layer lifting suit) categories in several weight classes. Because the event is in its inaugural year, standards will have to be determined before the meet, after consultations with CPL officials.
"Otherwise, everything that everybody lifts is a record," said Jay Cook of Xconditioning, one of the local lifters involved in organizing the event. "Tara and I are competing so it's going to be a busy day with lots of new lifters from our club."
Cook, 30, plans to compete in the single-ply lifting suit category for the first time in four years.
"It's gong to be nice to compete at home," said Cook, now in his ninth season as powerlifter.
"Hopefully it puts into people's eyes that are are some pretty good powerlifters in town and that it's a cool sport. You get to push yourself and find new strengths you didn't know existed."
Weigh-ins will take place in two sessions the day before the competition, on July 25, from 9-11 a.m. and 5-7 p.m.
The cost to enter is $100, in addition to a $35 CPL membership required of all participants. Cook said registration will be capped at 45 participants. The entry deadline is July 15. Spectators will be admitted for $10 each.
"It will be a majority of local lifters, probably eight or maybe more from our gym, a few others from in town, a few from Terrace, Burns Lake and Williams Lake, and there should be a group coming from Alberta."
Cook says volunteers are needed for the event to spot people while lifting or to load the bar or sell tickets at the door. Call Cook at 250-562-7664 or email him at [email protected].
