Strength Club
This club is made up of the Body Building Club, the Powerlifting Club, Strongman, etc.
Bodybuilding is a sport that combines proper nutrition, cardiovascular training, and most importantly muscular development to achieve a well developed physique. The athlete must compete in a posing routine and must perform several different mandatory poses in front of the judges. The athlete is then judged on symmetry, size, aesthetics, and muscle tone. Athletes compete in weight classes beginning at 143lb. and ending at 225lbs.+.Strongman
Powerlifting is a strength sport consisting of three lifts, the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift. The lifter is given three attempts to achieve a maximum weight lifted in each of the three lifts. The lifter is judged by total amount of combined weight lifted in each of the three lifts. Athletes compete in ten different weight classes ranging from 114lbs. all the way to 275lbs.+.
Strongman is a strength sport where the athlete competes in various odd lifts ranging from tractor tire flips to truck/car pulls. Strongman competitions combine events not only of strength events, but also of events involving cardiovascular and muscular endurance. The athletes compete in four weight classes, ranging from under 200lbs. to 265lbs+.
League: United States Powerlifting Association (USAPL)
Head Coach: Monte Sparkman
Assistant Coach: Jay Johnson
Cadet in Charge: J. Lee Hafkemeyer
Roster
VMI Powerlifting Team at the USAPL Halloween Push/Pull Powerlifting Meet held in Bowling Green, VA (2009)
L to R: Coach Monte Sparkman, Cadet Patrick Sweeney '11, Cadet Matt Harper '12, Cadet John Rivas '13, Cadet Caleb Gibson '11, and Cadet Ben Ashooh '11
VMI Powerlifting Team in Standardsville, VA (2008)
Cadet Owen Trotman '10
RECENT NEWS
"Capt. Monte Sparkman, instructor in the VMI physical education department and coach of the cadet powerlifting club team, ranks 10th in the nation in his weight class after record-setting lifts at the Southern Powerlifting Federation Battle in the Valley meet held Sept.5 in Salem. His squat life of 1,000 pounds was a national record, while his bench press of 635 pounds and dead life of 565 pounds were state records, as was his total poundage of 2,200."
--Originally published in THE INSTITUTE REPORT, OCTOBER 2009, PAGE 11
RESULTS
Saturday, October 31, 2009--Five cadets (Patrick Sweeny – 1st place, Matt Harper – 1st place, John Rivas – 1st place, Caleb Gibson – 1st place, and Ben Ashooh – 1st place) and one coach competed this weekend at the USAPL Halloween Push/Pull Powerlifting Meet held in Bowling Green, VA. All five cadets and coach placed first in their respective weight classes. For three of the cadets, it was their first time ever competing in a competition. All cadets achieved personal bests in the bench and deadlift. This meet was a warm up for the VMI Powerlifting Classic on 5 December here at VMI. Here are the weights that were lifted by the cadets:
Patrick Sweeny Bench Press – 250lbs. Deadlift – 407lbs. ; Matt Harper Bench Press – 203lbs. Deadlift – 407lbs.; John Rivas Bench Press – 295lbs. Deadlift -455lbs.; Caleb Gibson Bench Press – 200lbs. Deadlift – 407lbs.; Ben Ashooh Bench Press 385lbs. Deadlift 435lbs.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday, December 5, 2009–1st Annual VMI Powerlifting Classic (Cocke Hall, Lexington, Virginia)
Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 0900–USAPL VA Open Championships (American Legion Post #128, Stanardsville, Virginia)
Thursday-Sunday, April 8, 2010–USAPL Collegiate Powerlifting Championships (Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida)
