Powerlifting - a sport for the unathletic and talentless?

I was chatting to a few friends about a real pet hate of mine regarding powerlifting that has come about the last couple of years. In my opinion powerlifting has far too many federations, associations etc. Nearly any recreational lifter could find a competition these days that will give them the title of "champion".

It feels like powerlifting has become the last resort for the untalented and uncoordinated who sucked at every other sport and have tried their hand at everything only to find they were no good at it. Powerlifting from a skill and coordination point of view isn't hard to get to an average standard at but to get really good at I think it does take natural ability, great awareness of one's body, technique and years of dedication. The problem is with the numerous divisions and federations those who are sub average or average can still win with little to no competition.

While I am saying all this I'm also not trying to run down the people who aren't as genetically gifted but who put years into the sport, constantly progressing and bettering themselves. They are powerlifters. What I'm getting at are the people who take powerlifting as a last resort, who are really very average but shout to the rooftops about how great a powerlifter they are after competing once or twice.

To call yourself a real powerlifter takes dedication, sacrifice and pride in yourself. Winning a title whilst competing against no-one in your weight class and also performing less than your best is not really winning in my opinion. 

Louie Simmons hit the nail on the head when he said:

"When I hear someone tell me what place he got in a meet rather than what his numbers were or if he got a personal record, I know his ego will hold him back. The real contest is with yourself. A trophy proves only what you have done but has no bearing on what will happen next. You must always do better and better. That's the real world."

Are you really a national champion if you bench something any recreational gym user could? Are you really a champion when you lift well under your personal best? Not in my opinion. Calling yourself a "champion" or a "powerlifter" when you have faced next to no adversity, competed a a handful of times, underperformed or committed only a short time to the sport is in my opinion disrespectful to the sport and the people that dedicate years to it

Rant over and thanks for reading