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Bench on the Bayou VI—Lafayette, La—March 8, 2008 Acadiana (also called Cajun Country) is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Cajun population. Lafayette, a city of over 100,000 is the heart of Acadiana and is home to one of the largest and most successful Collegiate Powerlifting programs, the Ragin Cajun powerlifting team of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. This year’s Bench on the Bayou competition was held for two reasons: 1) To showcase some of the incredibly strong athletes who reside in Acadiana in a friendly, fun, competitive atmosphere. 2) To help raise money for the Ragin Cajun powerlifting team to make the trip to the USAPL Collegiate National Championships in Denver. I’m proud to announce that the meet was a smashing success on both accounts! The meet was held in front of the scenic Cypress Lake (commonly called “the swamp”) on the Campus of UL Lafayette and the atmosphere was only made better by great weather, a spirited crowd, and some monstrous lifts. The meet flyers promised a 700 bench by Acadiana’s Strongest Man, Craig Stutes, and to the amazement of the spectators, Craig delivered with a strong 725! Also competing was Craig’s son, 10-year old Kade, who lifted 115-pounds and proved that he could very well grow into the next strongman of Acadiana. The teen division was highlighted by a tight battle between three 198-pound lifters, but in the end, it was Ryan May, a senior at West Monroe High School, who won the class (as well as best lifter honors) with his 400-pound demonstration of might. Vince Breaux is a local legend. Anyone who lifts weights in Acadiana knows about that “62-year old guy who benches a house”. Vince has been competing in bench meets since 1995 and doesn’t let his master status slow him down. In fact, he hit an all-time PR of 475! The Open division was highlighted by two lifters, 19-year old Mike Broussard and 30-year old Lang Williamson. Mike Broussard is the most genetically gifted lifter I have ever met. With somewhat crude and sporadic training, Mike is taking the Collegiate lifting scene by storm. On this day, he weighed in at 157 (fully dressed, including work boots) and blasted up a 370 press to win best lightweight honors. Lang Williamson, who weighed in at 255, earned the best heavyweight lifter honors. Lang is coached by Vince Breaux and is making phenomenal strength gains. He put 100-pounds on his bench since October and finished with a monstrous 685 pound lift (with a close miss at 700). Rumor has it that he is training like a madman with one goal in mind…..becoming the new “Strongest Man in Acadiana”! Both Lang and Craig Stures are incredible lifters and the rivalry seems to be making both of them even stronger. Next year should prove to be a great battle between the two powerhouses! This summary can not be complete without a huge thank you to all of our meet sponsors. First and foremost, thank you to our wonderful school, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. ULL is a fantastic learning institution and there is not a Collegiate Powerlifting team in the Nation who receives more support from their school. On this day, everything from the school facilities to the sound system was provided (free of charge) by ULL. Without their support, our team and this meet would not have been possible. Also, thank you to Titan Support Systems, Inzer Advance Designs, APT Pro gear, AtLarge Nutrition Crain’s Muscle World, and Quest Nutrition. These well-known suppliers of powerlifting gear and supplements donated nearly $2000 in gift certificates and prizes to the athletes. Finally, I would like to offer a huge thank you to the local businesses like Attorney Barry Domingue, Planet Nutrition, Red Lerille’s Health Club, Pop a Lock, Home Furniture, Legends Downtown, and James Pernikoff, whose generous donations are allowing us to travel with a team of 30 athletes to Denver next month. We think we have a legitimate shot at bringing the Collegiate National title home to ULL and Acadiana!!
See you all next year at the Bench on the Bayou VII!!
Please copy and paste the following URL for lots of pictures of the meet courtesy of www. labodybuilding.com: http://www.labodybuilding.com/bench_on_the_bayou_page_1.htm
FEMALE 123—Adrianne Thibodeaux—115 198—Trish Green—120 UNL—Melissa Scott—150
TEEN 114—Kade Stutes (10)—115 123—Derek Murphy (16)—205 Justin Doan (19)—190 165—Brice Higginbotham (18)—355 181—Jeff Bernard (18)—380 198—Ryan May (18)—400 Kyle Jones (19)—380 JP Vincent (18)—365 275—Cody Mullen (18)—335 SHW—Hayden Godeaux (18)—400
MASTER 220—Vince Breaux (62)—475 242—Tony Harmon (56)—275
OPEN 123—Derek Murphy—205 Justin Doan—190 148—Jace Melder—255 Ian Blanchard—235 Demetrius Thomas—220 165— Mike Broussard (19)—370 181—Lee Deshotel—370 Dexter Salters—315 Seth Bridges—255 198—Ryan May—400 JP Vincent—365 Jacob Whitmore—275 220—Michael Washington—425 Sam White—275 242—Ron Turner (43)—525 Cesal Wiltz—405 Nick Mayon—275 275—Lang Williamson—685 SHW—Kipp Duplechine—525 Joel Whitmore (41)—455 Craig Stutes—725 (Guest Lifter)
Best Female lifter—Adrianne Thibodeaux Best Teen lifter—Brice Higginbotham Best Master lifter—Vince Breaux Best Lightweight Open—Mike Broussard Best Heavy Open—Lang Williamson |
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