Culdrose powerlifters lifted by Plymouth event
Three Naval Powerlifters from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose have made impressive starts to their seasons at a British Drug Free Powerlifting Association (BDFPA) qualifier event inPlymouth.
Competing at the ‘Plymouth Performance Gym’ against 25 other strongmen from the South West who attended the gathering; Air Engineering Technician Reece Meakin (820 NAS), Sub Lieutenant Mike Hawkins (829 NAS) and making his first appearance on the Powerlifting scene Chief Petty Officer Martin ‘Marty’ Parry (820 NAS) all hoped to build on their respective pre –season training.
They competed in all the three disciplines; the Squat, the Bench and the Deadlift where the competitor lifts the weighted bar off the ground for a set time determined by the competition referee. Each lifter aimed for personal bests, Royal Navy, South West Region or even British Records.
Marty was the first to lift and competed well with a 162.5kg Squat, 122.5kg Bench and 210kg Deadlift totaling 495kg and winning his class and breaking the South West and Royal Navy record without realising! Mike Hawkins also achieved three personal bests with a 180kg Squat, 132.5kg Bench and a 235kg Deadlift, totaling 547.5kg, he came second in his category to Reece Meakin who totaled 590kg with some tough referee decisions. Reece was undoubtedly disappointed with his performance on the day and is aiming to succeed in this new weight category as he did last year in the Under 82.5 kg. Class.
“This was a first outing of the season for us”, said S/Lt Mike Hawkins. “It’s very satisfying attending these events and coming away with some silverware to show for our efforts. I’m really looking forward to the other competitions and to qualify for the BDFPA British championships in April is the icing on the cake”.
All three lifters have been invited to compete in the BDFPA British Championships in Stafford in April along with a number of other Navy and Royal Marine lifters from across the Fleet, prior to that the Royal Navy championships are to be held in HMS Drake, Devonport in March.