Brad Madvig passed away on Friday, August 10, 2018 after a long and courageous battle with a chronic illness.

I can safely say that no single person has done more for powerlifting in the state of Minnesota than Brad Madvig. Many of the newer lifters may never have met him but he was the face of powerlifting in the state for years. Much of the success we have today we owe directly to Brad and his contributions and innovations. What we have today in USA Powerlifting of Minnesota is built upon the foundation he laid down years ago. And though I do not think he ever had the title of ADFPA/USA Powerlifting state chair, for all intents and purposes he might as well have had the title based on the work he put in – and I mean many thousands of hours of thankless work. He ran meets and helped at meets (in any capacity needed: spotter/loader, referee, set-up, promotion, etc.). In the late 90s, he took advantage of this new thing called the internet and harnessed its power long before others saw the value (or had the expertise to create/manage anything online). He created the state’s first website and USA Powerlifting’s first national online forum which almost everyone at the time read – and there were some epic discussions representative of the passion and emotion of many powerlifters. The forum was a huge leap from the pages of Powerlifting USA – the powerlifting magazine we all waited for each month. With this online forum, discussions could be had across the country (and world) in real time and information could be disseminated immediately. He created a place to house state records (for numerous federations) and painstakingly managed them for many years. More recently he created a ranking database – something lifters in the state had requested. But at the heart of it all, he simply loved everything powerlifting. He was a high-level competitor, having competed locally, nationally, and internationally. He lifted geared and raw and set many state records over the years. The combination of his passion for the sport and his computer/technical skills allowed him to promote powerlifting in ways that made him a pioneer.

My relationship with Brad was different than most. I was not part of the old gang who trained and competed together in the Twin Cities since the 90s. Strong bonds were formed within that core group who stuck with the sport even during its lean times. I was a bit of an outsider in the sense that I moved to Minnesota as an adult and I just started showing up at meets one day seeking ways to become more involved after some injuries put competing on hold. Those who have been around for a while know that Brad and I did not always see eye-to-eye on things. As the state chair, it was my job to enforce the rules – even the ones I did not agree with (and there are several). Brad always fought for the lifter and shined a spotlight on what he perceived to be wrong or flawed with the rules or system. Those who knew Brad know he never backed down and always stood up for what he believed was right either for an individual lifter or the organization or sport as a whole. He told you what he thought. He had little patience for organizational politics and the frustrations that result from such wrangling. The irony of it all was that I usually agreed with Brad and what he was fighting/advocating for and I shared this with him more than once. I was often stuck in a difficult place between agreeing with what Brad was fighting for and knowing (via my roles as state chair and executive committee member) that there were circumstances that made it easier said than done. Unfortunately, much of it was confidential information so I could not share with him the specific reasons that might have allowed him to better understand my positions or reasons for taking certain actions. Despite the up and down relationship we had over the better part of 10 years, we always put aside personal differences to help each other run an event. Just a couple of years ago, I was short a referee for Twin Ports Raw Open a few days before the meet. I asked Brad if he could help and he did so with almost no notice. This is just one of countless examples of how Brad always put the lifters and the sport first. If you were fortunate enough to get to know the man behind the online persona, you saw a truly sensitive and caring person.

We will probably never know exactly how much Brad put into the sport of powerlifting or how much he sacrificed or how much he suffered when his illness prevented him from being involved in what he loved so much. What I do know is that I cannot think of anyone in Minnesota who has done as much which says a lot in a state that has a longer powerlifting history than many states.

One of my greatest regrets is not powerlifting-related, surprisingly enough. Brad and I both shared an intense interest in science fiction, particularly Star Trek. I regret that he and I were never able to sit down together, put aside powerlifting, and watch a few episodes of Star Trek. It probably would have turned into a contest to see who could have quoted more lines from a particular episode or who could have answered more Star Trek trivia questions. There is likely a quote from James T. Kirk or Jean-Luc Picard that would be appropriate to end this with. Unfortunately, I am not wise enough to know what it is so I will conclude simply by asking everyone to, in their own way, thank Brad for what he brought you and added to your life, powerlifting or otherwise. My guess is that he would ask you to pay it forward. In the world of Minnesota powerlifting, we all owe him more than we know.

Thank you Brad.

Funeral information:

Washburn McReavy Funeral Home
7625 Mitchell Road
Eden Prairie, MN 55344

Monday, August 27: 4-7pm – visitation

Tuesday, August 28: 10am – visitation with 11am funeral

Please consider attending the Brad Madvig Memorial Benefit on September 22nd.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1716901898386407/

– Joe Warpeha