Making The Cut Pullman Man Earns Berth On U.S. Team At World Weight Lifting Event

How much can your barber bench, squat and dead lift? If his name is Bud Bower - the answer is a whole lot.

Fifty-seven-year-old Bower of Pullman, a 30-year veteran of barbering, has been selected to represent the United States on the International Power Lifting Federation team that will compete in Sun City, South Africa, this month.

In New Orleans this past May, Bower set the squat and bench records for lifters ages 55-59 at 573.5 and 374.5 pounds, respectively. He also won the best lifter award for the tournament in which more than 230 lifters competed.

When Bower received his invitation to be on the U.S. team, he was pleased.

“It was pretty exciting when I got that letter - a real shot in the arm,” Bower said. “When I got it, I wondered, `who on earth knows me in Denver?”’ It turns out Alex Galant, the USA Power Lifting and International Power Lifting Federation World Masters team coach, who lives in Denver, knew him and was impressed with his performance in New Orleans.

Bower is the only man from the U.S. older than 50 participating in the tournament.

“This is the biggest thrill of my life to be able to compete against the best lifters in the world,” he said. “This has been my dream since I started lifting 30 years ago.”

Soon after receiving his invitation, Bower found out he had to cover his own expenses including airfare, lodging, food and uniform. The total cost was more than $6,000. Luckily for him, a “More Power to Bower” fund was set up by his friends and customers. Enough was raised to cover his expenses.

“We had big contributions to the fund that Glen Johnson set up,” Bower said. “People donated what they wanted.”

Johnson, vice president of the Pullman Chamber of Commerce, is proud of Bowers’ success.

“This is fantastic to have the only person over 50 in the United States come from Pullman and compete against the best in the world,” Johnson said.

Bower’s clients know of his weight lifting successes, too. Newspaper clippings dot the walls of SK Hairsmith, where he works. Bower is quick to point out his clients donated a lot of money for his fund.

Bower, making his first trip outside the U.S., doesn’t know who he is going to compete against, but has high hopes for himself.

“I’d like to do what I did at nationals, but I don’t know what the travel does to you,” he said. “I would like to go over there a little undertrained than overtrained because I don’t know if the time difference and ride will be a shock to my system.”

Most often Bower trains by himself in a garage. He says “we have a major university down here and no place to work out.” The last four weeks before the tournament are crucial for his training, so he is training harder than ever and watching his diet.

Bower started lifting in the late `60s as a way to stay in shape.

“I heard about a competition in Bellingham and I thought I could do that,” Bower said. “In fact, I can still remember my lifts, and that was in 1971.”

He should remember - he won the competition. He lifts a great deal more weight at age 57 than he did in competitions in his late 20s and early 30s.

Bower won’t get to see much of South Africa. He will meet his teammates in New York and fly to Johannesburg, then take a bus the 110 miles to Sun City.

Bower isn’t too concerned about not being able to go sightseeing. He says he’s only there for one reason - to show the best weight lifters in the world what he’s made of.