I don’t know about other IPF affiliates, but CPU (Canadian Powerlifting Union) already requires all coaches or handlers to purchase a membership (a cheaper “affiliate membership” is already available for non-competitiors) to access the warm-up room at meets. Now they are taking things a step further. There is now a “CPU coaching certification” available for $400, which will soon be mandatory to enter the warm up room if you are not competing. Even if your friend asks you to simply hand in his attempt cards and keep track of the lifting order, or help him into his gear and wrap his knees if competing equipped, then you will need to pay $400 for a two day course which may require travelling out of town.
From the CPU site (powerlifting.ca):
There are two streams that are available:
CPU Certified Instructor Stream
CPU Certified Coach Stream
CPU Certified Instructor Stream
This stream is to certify individuals such as personal trainers, physical education teachers and coaches from other sports, in the basic powerlifting techniques and educate them on how to teach beginners to perform the powerlifting lifts property. Participants that wish to become a CPU Certified Instructor will also be required to complete 25 hours of coaching.
CPU Certified Coach Stream
This stream is for coaches that want to develop athletes to compete in competitions. Participants that wish to be a CPU Certified Coach will also be required to complete 50 hours of coaching. They must also be evaluated coaching an athlete at a competition by a course facilitator.
…
Within the next few years, access to the warm-up area at CPU National and Regional Championships will be limited to those coaches and handlers who have completed the CPU Coaching Certification. It is from this group of certified people the CPU will select and develop our pool of international team coaches.
I could understand if this was required to become a coach for international meets, but it is complete nonsense to make this a prerequisite to handle someone at a meet. This is going to make powerlifting less appealing to new lifters as well, rather than getting a friend who may or may not have some experience to help you out at your first meet you are now required to hire a coach (you can be sure they won’t handle you for free) who will probably also try to sell you programming, “personal training”, and who knows what else.
I think it’s time to start boycotting the IPF. Shit like this is why there is no money in powerlifting, rather than trying to make the sport more appealing to both lifters and spectators they are finding ways to extort money from lifters. If I lived in the US I would switch to USPA in a second.
The worst thing about this is that there are several American coaches who come to CPU nationals because some of their top lifters are in Canada. Mike Tuchscherer/RTS, Bryce Lewis/TSA, and others. So now they will be expected to travel to Canada and take a two day course just to handle their lifters at nationals.
At the first meet I did, they said that each lifter was only allowed to have one coach or handler. Then they made it a requirement to purchase a membership to coach or handle someone, which was obviously nothing more than a cash grab. What they are doing now is just too much.
I had entered a USAPL meet in New Jersey scheduled for May 21st. Two weeks before the meet they instituted the “anyone in the warmup room must have a membership rule”. I pulled out on principal. Fuck the entry fee and and fuck the meet director.
The IPF just plain sucks:
Why not have a deadlift bar?
Why not have a raw division with knee wraps at least for older lifters?
The cash grabbing bullshit mentioned above
Banning lifters for attending and Ed Coan seminar
Teenagers spotting heavy squats
Judging power squats as if they are clean and jerks
Fucked up equipment rules
Long start commands
Ridiculous fees to approve equipment
Asking the lifter about equipment while setting up for an attempt.
How does lifting your head off the bench aid the lift?
How does having the heels off the floor aid the lift?
Lifters cant wear a do-rag, but a hijab is OK?
I competed in the ADFPA before they joined the IPF and while the judging was strict it was fairly consistent and made sense. It seems that the IPF people are OL nutlickers and have no clue what powerlifting is or how it should be judged.
I voted with my dollars and joned the USPA. The only way the IPF will learn is by reduced revenue.
That’s the most hypocritical part. One of the main international meets is the Arnold, and it is sponsored in part by Mark Bell. Both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mark Bell openly admit to steroid use, so there is no “moral argument” here. Maybe they don’t like Ed Coan because they aren’t making any money off of him.
Personally, I don’t see the big deal with that. Why do you really need a deadlift bar anyway? However, I think there is a strong argument for a squat bar. Listen to some guys like Blaine Sumner, they say that the worst part of the lift is the walkout, simply because the bar starts “oscillating” (Blaine’s words) in all directions. Over a certain amount of weight, the standard IPF bars become extremely unstable. It’s not just a performance issue, it’s a safety issue as well.
To be fair, I haven’t seen any bad spotting at local meets over here. And at 2017 raw worlds they had up to seven spotters on the platform at a time, as opposed to the previous maximum of five. That bullshit in Texas last year was completely the meet director’s fault.
Re: equipment: more cash grabbing. It would be better if all the companies simply refused to pay any fees, in the past the equipment simply had to conform to their standards rather than have a paid approval. This increases the costs of equipment for people who don’t even compete in the IPF.
But it’s the Islamic Powerlifting Federation, right?
Chris, with respect, as far as the Ed Coan thing goes, I don’t know that the issue is just steroid use so much as it is that Ed cheated multiple times and is now under a lifetime ban from the federation for cheating. That kind of is a moral argument, and one that I can identify with, as I have no problem (and don’t really consider it my place to have or not have a problem) with anyone’s personal use of steroids, whereas I have a pretty big problem with people cheating.
I agree about the deadlift bar, I think it’s a little silly to use three different bars, it’s not a safety issue, it’s just most people can lift more with a deadlift bar. So what though, you can also lift more with straps and pulling from blocks, etc.
Agree about uniformity of rules enforcement with respect to headwear, I don’t really give a shit why someone wants to wear something on their head, either you can or you can’t. But that’s a broader social issue that’s unlikely to receive productive treatment in this forum.
Doping is strictly forbidden at all levels. The IPF Anti-Doping Rules shall be scrupulously observed at all times. Also the general principles of the “spirit of sport” those not explicitly specified as anti-doping rule violations in the IPF Anti-Doping Rules shall be observed. For example:
a) any Athlete and Athlete Support Personnel (i.e. “Participant”, refer to “Applicability” of this Code) shall cooperate in full with the IPF or any other AntiDoping Organization investigating anti-doping rule violations;
b) any Athlete Support Personnel (i.e. “Participant”, refer to “Applicability” of this Code) shall not Use or Possess, without valid justification, any Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method listed on the valid WADA Prohibited List.
APPLICABILITY This Code shall apply to all IPF staff, persons elected or appointed to any position within the IPF and to any other person in any position of trust within the IPF or its Regional Federations and also to any consultants, agents or similar when acting for or on behalf of the IPF. Such persons are referred to in this Code as Officials.
This Code shall also apply to athletes, athlete support personnel, coaches, managers, referees and any other persons accredited to attend or participate in an international competition. Such persons are referred to in this Code as Participants.
This seems kind of like moving the goalposts for rhetorical effect. Ed Coan is banned for life from the federation for cheating multiple times. That fact has nothing to do with any other lifters. If another banned athlete held a seminar and the IPF knew and declined to sanction attendees, it would be hypocritical. Not aware of any instances of that.
I realize several people had a problem with this issue, but on reflection I don’t think the objections are well-grounded. You have plenty of other anti-IPF arguments, I’d stick with those.
It’s funny. The urine that was “test” wasn’t even in existence. They used to toss the urine after collecting it. It was all political BS. You can’t test positive if there’s no sample!
My argument is that if they are going to prevent IPF lifters from attending Ed Coan’s seminars with the threat of suspension then they should not be associating themselves with other people (such as Mark Bell and Arnold Schwarzenegger) who are known steroid users. I have nothing against Mark or Arnold and I respect what they are doing for the sport, I just don’t like the hypocrisy. Ed Coan isn’t teaching people how to pass drug tests, and even if he is, he is the wrong guy to listen to anyway. This is actually a relatively new development, I remember Mike Tuchscherer talking about some things he learned from Ed Coan at a seminar they did together.