In August 2003, four average guys with a hobby of lifting at IMPE started up a club that has turned into one of the most dominant teams in the World Association of Benchers and Dead Lifters (WABDL).

In less than a year, the club has racked up 76 state records, 30 national records, five world records, 31 individual national championships and a team national championship.

Club co-founder senior Ryan Harth said he knew the team had potential.

“I definitely did not have doubts in the abilities of the lifters to perform, but the level they have performed at is a bit surprising,” Harth said. “But it is a direct result of how hard they practice in the gym.”

Powerlifting consists of three events – bench press, dead lift and squat. At a meet, participants only have to do one repetition of a specific weight to move on to a higher weight, and their lifts are analyzed by three judges. Participants only compete against people in their weight class, which is determined before the meet.

Thirty-five members of the team have qualified for the WABDL World Championships in Reno, Nev., this November.

“Some of our best guys are the ones who never lifted before joining the club,” said president John Hudson. “Lifting is not all about strength, which is the misconception. The key is technique and that’s what allows even newcomers to do it well.”

Hudson said he is proud that the club contains members from 12 different countries.

One of the team’s most noticeable recent accomplishments was graduate Stacey Solai’s world record dead lift of 325 pounds in the 118-pound weight division at Portland, Ore., in April.

“I was actually upset because I didn’t kill the record and I missed my next lift, but the guys on my team cheered me up about setting the record,” Solai said.

Harth believes that Solai’s attitude is characteristic of the team.

“It just shows how she and all of us are determined to be the best,” Harth said.

Harth and sophomore Nick Lepine were also lifting at IMPE when they met Hudson, and the four became the founding members of Illini Powerlifting. The foursome wowed crowds with their exhibitions of lifting in the basement of IMPE, and since then, the club has added more than 40 people.

Hudson, a University graduate, had been consistently lifting for 20 years when he met Joshua Westbrook, a 2003 University graduate, and they started lifting together.

“In the beginning, I just wanted a group of guys to share the fun of actual competition,” Hudson said.

The team adjusted their training schedule Aug. 23, in preparation for the upcoming WABDL World Championships in Reno, Nev., in November.

“As a team we definitely want to win the championship, and we’re all gearing our individual efforts to win as a team,” Hudson said.