Class of 2019
BROCK HAYWOOD
Brock Haywood competed in his first Powerlifting meet in 1987 at the Keystone Klassic. He has been competing in the sport since that time although his contributions to the MPA are more on the administrative side of the ledger.
As a requirement to be a member of the CPU a member Province MUST have a National Referee. The MPA had been a part of the CPU since its inception and was one of the founding provinces. However, through the seventies and eighties with the ups and downs of it’s tenure in the CPU the MPA did not have a CPU National Referee until Brock passed his written and practical exams at the 1993 CPU Nationals which was the first Nationals that combined all of the age divisions and the Benchpress Championships at one event. Then for the next twenty years, Brock was the sole CPU National level Referee (or higher) in the province.
In 1996 Brock became an International IPF Cat II Referee and passed his IPF Cat I Referee level in 2011. In 2017 Brock was approached by CPU founding member Bill Jamison to consider taking on the duties of the CPU Officiating Chair. The process was started and unfortunately the full duties were assumed when Bill’s health prevented him from completing the mentorship.
Brock served as MPA VP for many years through the nineties up to about 2007. At that point Brock assumed the role of MPA President when the incumbent resigned. From that time until 2017 Brock was the MPA President until the next generation took the reins. Brock served as both the MPA VP and the CPU VP for nine of those years.
For most of the history of the MPA, the organization itself was the sole meet director for all competitions in the province. That meant that the MPA President was essentially the Meet Director. Brock had assumed these duties for much of the past twenty years. Hosting Provincial, Regional and National events during that time. Often for local meets this meant securing and paying for a venue, loading, hauling, and setting up the equipment. Then, on meet day either lifting, or most often officiating, spotting, and loading or running the score table. At the end of the meet, beers were put on hold until teardown was complete, and the equipment returned to storage. Often, it was Brock doing this job with help from a few faithful such as Bruce Markham, Rob Snow and of course….Susan Haywood.
As mentioned above Brock has been competing since 1987. Brock might say, it has been a long competitive career but not an illustrious one! However, during this time Brock was able to compete at Nationals several times usually finishing with a Silver but winning Gold in 2006. In 2011 with the stars aligning and the change of the weight classes Brock achieved his only CPU National Records! Brock also represented Canada at the 2001 and 2003 IPF Masters World Championships finishing 5th and 7th respectively.
Brock was also interested in the coaching aspects of the sport. For many years, Brock was the MPA Provincial Team Coach (not an official position then). However, if you were lifting and needed a suit pulled, knees wrapped, encouragement for a maximum attempt or unsolicited advice on tweaking your technique (usually saved for post meet conversations) the advice would be shared by Brock.
Brock stepped onto the International Coaching stage when in 1992 he fulfilled the duties of the Assistant CPU Open World Team Coach. Then in 1993 and 1994 Brock was the CPU Open World Team Coach at the IPF Open World Championships in Sweden and South Africa. There were several fellow MPA lifters who were present and competing at these events. It made for a very homey experience at the Worlds as it became just like a training day at the MPA Gym even though it was the Worlds.
Brock has continued the string of “firsts” with the implementation of the CPU Coaching Certification Course. Brock has been part of the CPU Coaching Committee since the inception of this training and is the designated instructor for the province on Manitoba.
Brock has contributed to the sport of Powerlifting for the MPA and the province of Manitoba but I’m sure he would agree that Powerlifting has returned his passion and dedication tenfold with the numerous relationships and experiences the sport has provided for the past 30+ years.
Submitted by,
Susan Haywood
IPF Cat II Referee
CLASS OF 2020
SUSAN HAYWOOD
Where do you start with the, “First Lady of the MPA”? How about at the beginning?
Susan Haywood (Prefontaine at that time) was, “lured to the Dark Side” and convinced to try her hand at powerlifting back in 1996. Susan was a Body Builder at the time and the MPA and MABBA would work the Bingo tables for Lotteries Manitoba as part of being members of Sport Manitoba. Susan struck up a conversation and of course the eternal question for all of us who lift weights was asked; “How much can you Bench?”. As it turned out Sue was a pretty good Bencher, and this started her journey in the MPA.
Never one to shirk any type of work, Sue rolled up her sleeves and helped to organize whatever needed doing. At the time, the participation of women in
powerlifting was at a low level. Susan was often the only female at a local meet and would only have some competition when she went to the CPU Nationals. From her beginning in the MPA Susan has been on the Executive.
· Susan was the Athlete Liaison for many years. 1996 – 2016
· MPA Vice President 2017 – 2020.
· First Female CPU National Referee for Manitoba – 2013
· First Female CPU member to become an IPF International Cat II Referee – 2018.
Susan’s entire competitive Powerlifting career has been as a Masters lifter!! Sue began lifting as an M1 (40 – 49) then continued lifting and setting records as an M2 (50 – 59), M3 (60 – 69) and now as of 2019 as an M4 (70 – 79). Susan has amassed over 100 CPU National Records (all of these were/are MPA records too), numerous Commonwealth Records and on one auspicious day in 2001 Susan achieved an IPF M2 Women’s WORLD RECORD!
Susan has been CPU National Champion multiple times and competed at the IPF Master World Championships in; 2001, 2003, 2006, 2011. Sue also competed at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Federation (CPF) Championships in 2015 and 2019 winning 4 Gold Medals at each and setting Commonwealth Records as well.
Susan’s organizational skills and take charge attitude have served the MPA well as evidence, Susan was part of the Organizing Committee for the 1997 CPU Women’s & Benchpress Championships, the 2003 CPU Powerlifting Championships and more recently as the Co-Meet Director for the 2020 CPU National Championships. Susan has helped organize many local MPA and CPU Regional Championships and is known for her ability to obtain on short notice trophies and awards via her connections with the businesses the MPA has dealt with over the years.
Susan’s contributions are numerous and noteworthy, and she is well deserving of the nomination to the MPA Hall of Fame. She has been at the forefront of promoting the MPA and our sport of Powerlifting for over 24 years. During this time Susan has been tirelessly advocating, encouraging, and mentoring women of all ages to compete, officiate and volunteer. Thank you, Susan!
Submitted by,
Brock Haywood
IPF Cat I Referee
CPU Officiating Chair
MPA Past President
CLASS OF 2020
BRUCE MARKHAM
In Bruce’s own words, “I started hanging around in 1982. Helping out at meets…. first contest in 86?” Ever the one for understatement, Bruce’s contributions to the MPA as an organization are considerable.
· MPA President 1990 – 2007
· MPA Treasurer 1990 – 2017
· MPA Athlete Liaison -1982
· MPA VP 2008 – 2017
Bruce was delivered the reins of power when the incumbent MPA President moved out west for a job offer. Bruce took over and carried on through many lean years in the sport. He has been one of the longest serving MPA and CPU executive members ever in the history of our sport. Bruce also kept the records, oversaw the financials, drafted our constitution, developed our former logo, encouraged others to participate in powerlifting in Manitoba by mentoring athletes, executives, referees, and anyone who needed a hand. If you wanted to learn about the sport of powerlifting in Manitoba, Bruce was your man. He is a walking encyclopedia of historical and relevant facts of our sport locally, nationally, and internationally. Bruce was the glue that held the MPA together through the lean years when the MPA overall membership was as low as 12 members and the Executive consisted of himself and a couple of others.
As a member of the MPA and as MPA President, Bruce helped to organize and host some CPU National Championships.
· CPU Master’s Nationals 1990
· CPU Men’s Nationals 1991, 1992
· CPU Women’s Nationals ~ Early 90’s (cannot confirm year)
· CPU Women’s & Benchpress Nationals 1997
· CPU Nationals (Combined) 2003. At that time this was the largest Nationals in the country with over 200 Competitors.
Also, during this time Bruce was an Elite level Powerlifter holding multiple National Records in the 82.5 kg and 90 kg weight categories. Bruce represented the MPA and CPU at six IPF Open World Championships and one IPF Master World Championships.
Bruce’s love of the sport of Powerlifting is evident in his commitment to hosting local and National Championships, fostering Powerlifters of all walks of life, and in heading, guiding and organizing the MPA for a significant period if it’s existence. He should be remembered for his passion and commitment to the ideals of loyalty, and integrity. Bruce should also be remembered for possessing one of the best Squats in the country, a wry sense of humour, an undying tenacity and a belief that honesty and hard work will get the job done.
Submitted by,
Brock Haywood
IPF Cat I Referee
CPU Officiating Chair
MPA Past President