I have always looked up to Dave as a sort of beacon of what powerlifting was, what powerlifting should be, and what I wanted to be associated with in powerlifting. The work ethic of guys like him and Vogelpohl was always something I glamorized and wished to obtain the same level of intensity. Once I got to elitefts Dave was all those things, but I was impressed by something even more once I got to know him a little better. For this I look up to and hate him for lol. His ability to speak in front of crowds. He has been speaking for probably twenty years now and he still has the ability to stay fresh, to bring new ideas and analogies to every new event. When you see him speaking, whether in person or in a video you just stop what you are doing, because you know its something you have to hear. Its something that will make your outlook better, something that will be useful, and something that will motivate the hell out of you. As a person that learns, or feels the impact of something more with the use of analogies I really appreciate Dave's ability to come up with new ways to drive home ideas. From my own experiences with public speaking I prefer the use of analogies because I believe it helps people understand or put into perspective the idea presented. So I know how hard it can be to be creative, to set an image out there that is both catchy and understandable. My point with this is, what impresses me the most about Dave's microphone skills is the total lack of preparation. I don't know how many times I have been getting advice from Dave about speaking and he goes off on a rant(if you've spoken with Dave you know these can last like 45min a pop) about how he spoke at such and such a place and hadn't prepared his speech yet and he was late and had to run(or power walk) to the auditorium just to get there on time. Most times starting his presentation while still out of breath from getting there. But when you put a mic in that mans hands its money, all day everyday. In this video I just added below at the Strength Summit Dave's introduction speech was improv, you wouldn't be able to tell that it was by how fluid and confidently he spoke. And it was great, it motivated me. I aspire to be as great on the platform and off as Dave was and is.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsk0BXluFMM]