ALBERTA POWERLIFTING UNION

Brian has been competing in powerlifting for over 6 years, and has competed and coached at all levels from the local level, all the way to the International level in both the raw and equipped divisions. As well is an APU Provincial level referee for 2 years. His love for powerlifting stemmed from the realization of how strong, passionate, and supportive the entire APU community was after coaching at his first meet in Spring 2017, before doing his first meet in the Fall of 2017. Before powerlifting, he had competed in competitive hockey as a goalie, and volleyball. 

Outside of powerlifting, Brian is a Red Seal Electrician by trade, and now works as a Foreman for the Railroad. ​

Brian hopes to bring his unique knowledge of powerlifting rules, qualification processes, and experiences from all levels of competition to help provide and bridge a new gap between both experienced and long term APU members, as well as hopeful and new APU members.

Samantha has been powerlifting for about 7 years now. She has grown to love the sport over the years and is wanting to be more of a presence in the community and give back. The community is filled with amazing people she has come to develop great relationships with. Sam comes to us with a Bachelors of Commerce, majoring in Accounting. She hopes to bring her education and work experience to the table as APU Treasurer. Eventually down the line I would like to obtain my CPA designation.

Outside of work and powerlifting, she is obsessed with Harry Potter. If she is known for anything, it is being the biggest Potterhead out there, and maybe her height. And maybe her bright coloured hair 🙂 She enjoys reading, working on puzzles and lego, and of course discovering all the amazing restaurants out there because food is life!

Hello! I am Shantelle, a mom of 2 and a Registered Psychologist. I started lifting when my brother teased me about my aerobics video version of a squat in our grandma’s kitchen. A month later he taught me the basics and that summer, June 2007, I competed in my first meet – APU provincials in Pincher Creek. I have been back and forth between AB and SK over the years but have always stayed actively involved in lifting. I got my national referee status in 2016. I also wrote the proposal for the CPU Ethics committee which I chaired until 2023. I served as the SPA secretary for a year only leaving the position because I moved. 
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I believe in serving the sport and I have a strong belief in quality refereeing that adheres to the standards outlined in the rule book. 

Lisa’s first powerlifting meet was a bench only at Grit Power in 2017. After her getting her very first 3 white light lift she was hooked and has been competing ever since.  She has lifted at the local, provincial and regional level and is chipping away at that National’s qualifier.  When she is not competing Lisa loves to give back to her sport by volunteering #volunteersmakemeets and cheering on her fellow lifters. 

She is excited to step into the role of Records Chair and share in the success of her fellow APU members. 

When not competing or volunteering, Lisa is an IT Analyst who works in Digital Health.  She loves music, concerts and is an avid reader. 

Janique’s powerlifting journey started in 2017, when she first competed and instantly fell in love with the sport, its intense focus, the camaraderie among lifters, and the constant drive to improve. Since then, Janique has competed in 20 meets (2 local, 4 Provincial, 5 Western, 4 National, 4 IPF Masters World Championships, and 1 Commonwealth). She currently holds the APU records in both M2 and M3, as well as the CANPL best squat record. On the international stage, Janique earned Silver at the IPF Masters in Cape Town, South Africa; Gold in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Bronze in St. John’s, Newfoundland; and Silver at the Commonwealth Championships.

Through these experiences, she stayed deeply involved as an athlete and have come to truly appreciate how much the Alberta Powerlifting Union (APU) depends on strong organization and dedicated volunteers to support our growing community.

Janique is excited to step up as “Volunteer Chairman” and contribute meaningfully to the APU’s operations. She takes pride in maintaining the “Volunteer Registry’, a detailed log that documents every volunteer who helps at APU-sanctioned events across Alberta. Keeping this accurate and comprehensive ensures we recognize contributions, track participation (especially for qualification credits or awards like Volunteer of the Year), and make it easier to build strong volunteer teams for future meets.

Additionally, Janique assist the “Records Chairman’ in compiling and publishing the current year’s provincial rankings on the APU website. Tracking and recording all APU members competition results at APU and CANPL sanctioned events across Canada and at International Championships worldwide. Keeping these visible and current helps celebrate our athletes’ hard work, motivates everyone, and strengthens our community’s records.

Powerlifting has given Janique so much growth and connection, and she is passionate about giving back by helping keep these essential logs and resources in excellent shape. “This work strengthens our province’s strongest sport and supports every lifter, volunteer, and meet director along the way. I’d be honoured to serve the APU in this capacity.”

Bio coming soon!

​Max has competed in powerlifting for over 6 years.  He has a passion for meet directing and growing the sport of powerlifting.  in 2023 he ran the first Heroes Classic at his gym he co-own in Lethbridge Alberta “Arctic Strength”. 

​Max has been coaching powerlifters for 5 years on top of competing himself.