I don't want to take anything away from Gant as I believe his lift would be legal in the uspa anyway. However, I would prefer that they all were flat footed...I mean are we testing the bench or flexibility? I mean. There is that russian teenage girl benching low 300s. But, its all arch. It's stupid and ruins the contest.
Regarding, gear...it's slowly dieing out. My buddy was at an SPF meet which is known for multiply just two weeks ago and only one guy brought his gear. When he saw everyone lifting raw, the dude lifted raw as well.
I think single ply may stick around as I think it allows older lifters to keep their shit in place. Plus, it is not as ridiculous as mulit ply.
Hawk