Few individuals have demonstrated dedication to the sport of powerlifting quite like Steve Goggins. In this video, Goggins shares a few of his thoughts on this dedication, particularly as it relates to particular federations within the sport of powerlifting. Some lifters hop around from federation to federation, competing wherever they choose, while others pick one federation and compete only within that federation for the entire duration of their powerlifting career. Goggins has seen many lifters do one or the other of these things, and it is his belief is that you should keep an open mind and not be firm in your thoughts about one federation being better than another. In the sport of powerlifting, it is the competitor that makes the sport — not the federations. Goggins says that what makes the sport of powerlifting so great is the lifters in it. If you've got the right people, it doesn't matter what federation is putting on the meet. So when it comes to selecting a competition, keep an open mind about which federation you'll choose. Every lifter wants to hit their numbers and do their own thing, but you should keep it about fun and not about pledging allegiance solely to one federation. Don't sell your soul to any particular organization.
This advice is particularly poignant coming from Goggins, who is the State Chairman of USPA Georgia. He says that he loves everything that he does for setting up meets and often does up to 90% of the preparation needed for a competition. That is currently with the USPA, which he loves, but it would still be possible for him to enjoy setting up meets even if it wasn't within the USPA. His love is for the sport, first and foremost. If you choose to only compete in one federation and never consider another, Goggins says you're missing out on so much about what makes powerlifting great.
Goggins also shares the story of a good friend of his that devoted her whole life to powerlifting in the USAPL and IPF. The only thing that is wrong with this, he says, is that you can set yourself up for disappointment if something goes wrong with that federation. You can always be committed to an organization, but it is highly unlikely that any federation will ever be committed to you. Don't fall in love with a federation like you fall in love with your wife or your husband or your kids. Love powerlifting and love the sport until the day that you die, but don't tie that love to one federation. Compete where you want to, when you want to, and how you want to.
RANT: Stick with the Program
