Members


 

Steve Giffin (Head Coach)
Mary Giffin
Rikki Flanders
Yoji Tomita
Tim Germanchis
Bill Bradley

Jennifer Willcock
Evgeny Rokhlin
Simon Chan
Travis Webb
Mami Tomita
Vicki O'Brien
Asher Heathcote
Dylan Agius

 

Steve Giffin (Head Coach)

Personal bests (kgs):
(110 class) SQ = 300, BP = 215, DL = 292.5, T = 800
(125 class) SQ = 290.5, BP = 225, DL = 286, T = 791.5
click to see complete powerlifting meet history

A multiple National Masters Champion, National Masters Record Holder, Australian Team member and Oceania bench press bronze medalist, Steve is Southern's most experienced lifter and head coach, having begun his career in 1987 at a body weight of just 86kg. top

 

Mary Giffin

Personal bests (kgs):
(67.5 class) SQ = 165, BP = 102.5, DL = 172.5, T = 425
(60 class) SQ = 155, BP = 92.5, DL = 167.5, T = 412.5
click to see complete powerlifting meet history

A multiple National Champion, Record Holder and Australian Team member, Mary has competed since 1999 and is the most successful lifter at Southern having placed 5th at the 2005 IPF World Championships in Finland. Mary is also one of our coaches and officiates at most competitions in Victoria. Mary had taken a break from competition since 2007, but looks to return to the platform shortly after the birth of her beautiful daughter earlier this year. top

 

Rikki Flanders

Personal bests (kgs):
(60 class) SQ = 132.5, BP = 77.5, DL = 145, T = 352.5
(56 class) SQ = 125, BP = 70, DL = 140, T = 327.5

Australian Team member and Commonwealth and National gold medalist, Rikki is also one of Southern's registered powerlifting coaches and referees. After starting out at Melbourne University Powerlifting Club in 1999 she made the move a few years ago and has become a 'Southern Cult' figure of note. After years of playing second fiddle to others, Rikki finally broke through by winning the 56kg open class at the 2007 Commonwealth Championships and also won the 2009 National Champs in the 60kg class. Awesome stuff! top

 

Yoji Tomita

Personal bests (kgs):
(67.5 class) SQ = 210, BP = 155, DL = 202.5, T = 555

National Masters Champion, former national record holder in the squat, recently becoming a national masters bench press record holder, Yoji hails from Japan as his name may suggest and is a sushi chef by trade. Whilst his English is basic, this does not stop him from contributing to the team's success even though his main phrase is 'I don't know!'. A tip for all those watching Yoji on the platform... be prepared as he is a real entertainer! top

 

Tim Germanchis

Personal bests (kgs):
(100 class) SQ = 305, BP = 197.5, DL = 312.5, T = 807.5
(90 class) SQ = 265, BP = 180, DL = 277.5, T = 722.5
click to see complete powerlifting meet history

Tim discovered the Southern Powerlifting Club in 2005 and has since built his powerlifting profile both on and off the platform. As a lifter, he is now a regular Australian Team member and has achieved National Champion honours and a credible silver medal at the Oceania Championships. Tim has also become involved heavily in supporting the sport he loves, becoming a National Level referee, accredited Powerlifting coach and also the Webmaster and Chief Information Officer for Powerlifting Australia. He recently won his 2nd National title and plans to compete at the 2010 IPF World Championships. top

 

Bill Bradley

Personal bests (kgs):
(100 class) SQ = 125, BP = 85, DL = 150, T = 352.5

A National Masters 3 Champion and a former rugby player in his younger days, Bill manages to juggle his time between running a law firm and pumping iron. Bill recently broke the 350kg mark which was a long time goal of his over the years. top

 

Jennifer Willcock

Personal bests (kgs):
(67.5 class) SQ = 135, BP = 85, DL = 135, T = 355
(60 class) SQ = 117.5, BP = 82.5, DL = 120, T = 320

Jennifer experienced weight training in her teen years up north in her home town of Merbein under the guidence of master coach and local hero Danny Lee. However, after a bit of training, life got in the way and she had a lifting hiatus of several years. With a move down to Melbourne for work she decided to take up lifting again in her spare time. She loved it straight away, never missing a training session. Jen has recently completed her second National Champs and is setting her sights on beating the National bench press record. top

 

Evgeny Rokhlin

Personal bests (kgs):
(82.5 class) SQ = 180, BP = 130, DL = 215, T = 525

Southern's Russian connection, Evgeny began dedicated training with us two years ago and has competed a number of times now. Evgeny is a steady worker in training and is showing a lot a promise for this shy and retiring character. top

 

Simon Chan

Personal bests (kgs):
(82.5 class) SQ = 247.5, BP = 145, DL = 262.5, T = 655
click to see complete powerlifting meet history

Simon - half Chinese, half Swedish, what a combination for Powerlifting! Despite his outspoken attitude and minimalist training methodology, "Squiggy" certainly backs it up and has an enormous future in Powerlifting being one of the country's best juniors, having set a number of national sub-junior records in 2008. top

 

Travis Webb

Personal bests (kgs):
(125 class) SQ = 250, BP = 145, DL = 230, T = 625

Trav began training at Southern in 2008 after being introduced to the sport by club member and good friend Tim. The training for Trav was very much a way to keep fit and also recover from a knee reconstruction a few years earlier. After discovering that he really enjoyed the sport and was able to hit the competition platform, Trav made an impression at his first comp in early 2009, reaching lift numbers never thought possible until years down the track. top

 

Mami Tomita

Personal bests (kgs):
(67.5 class) BP = 72.5

Mami, Southern PLC's bench shirt seamstress and partner of fellow lifter Yoji, came to Australia from Japan recently to be by his side. Mami occasionally trains with the Southern club and has competed in a bench press competition with success. Mami is a great contributor to the club by helping out and supporting the club in more ways than one. top

 

Vicki O'Brien

Personal bests (kgs):
(67.5 class) SQ = 145, BP = 85, DL = 185, T = 407.5

This "Deadlift Diva" certainly can deadlift! Vicki is no stranger to strength sports, having been a former bodybuilder for a number of years. She began training with the club in 2009 as an already experienced powerlifter, but she is now finetuning her craft at Southern and achieving great success winning her first National's gold medal recently. Congratulations!. top

 

Asher Heathcote

Personal bests (kgs):
(110 class) SQ = 210, BP = 150, DL = 240, T = 600

Asher - good guy, personal trainer, 6'2" and the blond hair to match. Now that the personal ad's over, Southern welcomed Ash to the club over the last year and he recently stepped on the platform for the first time, hitting the magical 600kg mark. His progress has been excellent considering he's another one from the knee reconstruction club. Well done Ash and keep going! top

 

Dylan Agius

Personal bests (kgs):
(75 class) SQ = 180, BP = 135, DL = 197.5, T = 512.5

Dylan, aka Mr 07, began powerlifting training with Southern in the latter half of 2010 after a few years of weight training at home. His dedication towards training, instilled in earlier years by his father has helped aid his quick progression and helped him fit well into the club environment. It culminated in him recently stepping onto the platform for the first and putting in a solid performance which indicates that this 20 year old has a good lifting career ahead of him. top