I actually think it is a positive that a skinny 13 year old girl can use other skills like flexibility to assist her to lift freakish weights. It's a leveller.
To me, for a section of a board dedicated to "Power Lifting" (sic), there is way too much focus on the negative, than the positive.
For me, powerlifting as a sport is far more accessible than other individual athletic sports. It is one of its best attributes. I'll go so far as to say it is one of the most accessible sports in existence. This is why it is growing at a rate of knots.
If you have freakishly long arms, you are going to be at an disadvantage in the bench press, but you'll make it up in the deadlift. If you're short and stumpy, you'll squat and bench better but be at a disadvantage in the deadlift. Are you big boned and like to eat? SHW. At the other end of the scale, look at Fedosienko or Michael Kuhns. They can reach the pinnacle of their sport, despite being of small stature. You reckon they could play basketball, at any level? Look at Fedosienko's bench press - his ROM is about 4 inches, despite using very little arch...because he is under 5 foot tall. Should he be penalised for that? But he can outbench 99% of people on this forum, weighing 59kg. You have paralympic powerlifting and blind powerlifting. Lepeka Nanai, who trains at Melbourne Uni, is totalling over 700 raw (without wraps) as a blind man.
You can continue to improve in powerlifting well into your 40s and 50s, and sometimes beyond.
Very few sports offer this. Olympic weightlifting certainly doesn't. It's impressive, but it's very technical and favours athletes with very particular attributes. Unless you have been doing it since you were child, you really have no business trying to reach the elite level.
Yep, powerlifting has aspects that can be improved, but it's an awesome sport. Despite being pretty shit at it and the fact I will never be an australian champion, I will always continue to get stronger so long as I work hard. Everyone else is there supporting you every step of the way. That's why I do it.
Powerlifting FTW.