Category Archives: USAWA Daily News

USAWA Records from Past Nationals

by Al Myers

Denny Habecker "padded" his lead in the most USAWA Records set at the National Championships with this Zercher Lift of 231 pounds. It broke the record held by Andy Komorny from the 2003 Nationals of 230 pounds.

As promised, today I am going to highlight those USAWA Records that were set at National Championships. To me setting a record at Nationals is a much harder endeavor.  The pressure of competition is on, the judging is the best it gets, and the day of competition is long.  It is not like a record day where you can warm up as you please, and then take your time to pace yourself for a maximum effort in achieving a new record.  That is easy compared to “taking down” a record on a big stage like the National Championships.  Truthfully, there should be a separate list just for records established at the Nationals because of the difficulty it takes of getting a record at this meet. When I watch the Olympics I always notice that there are Olympic Records (which are separate from American and World Records) for the events.  I’m sure the reasons for this are the same as what we have -because it is way more difficult to set a new World or American Record at the Olympics, and there is merit to setting an Olympic Record as well.  (Maybe I can talk our Record Chairman Joe Garcia in setting up a different Record List just for records set at the National Championships???)   Irregardless, I looked over our USAWA Record List and was surprised how many records we have “on the books” from National Championships.  I counted 1843 records (out of close to a total record count of 10,000) that were established at past National Championships.  That number is approaching close to 20% of all records set.  I didn’t think it would be that high, but when I looked it over I could tell that the quality of these records was very high.   Overall, I counted 169 lifters who have possession of at least 1 USAWA Record that was set in the Championships. Now onto the lifters that own the most!

TOP TEN LIFTERS

RANK RECORDS LIFTER
1 94 Denny Habecker
2 77 Art Montini
3 73 Dennis Mitchell
4 (tie) 63 Noi Phumchaona
4 (tie) 63 Howard Prechtel
6 57 John McKean
7 54 Frank Ciavattone
8 51 Jim Malloy
9 50 Dale Friesz
10 37 Randy Smith

Now that is a lineup of “heavy hitters” in the USAWA!  Honorable mention should go to these lifters who just missed the list: Chris Waterman (36 records), Joe Garcia (34 records), and Bob Geib (34 records).  I was surprised about some great USAWA lifters who didn’t make the list – but the reason was that these lifters didn’t compete in enough Championships to get their numbers added up.  Longevity counts for something!  The lift from Nationals that has the most records in it is the Clean and Press, heels together with a count of 90.  The next four were the Pullover and Push (86), One Arm Snatch (85), the One Arm Deadlift (82) and the Zercher Lift (79).

Records From Nationals

by Al Myers

It was great to see Bob Geib back in action at the USAWA Nationals. In this picture Bob is setting a new USAWA Record with his 320# 12 inch base deadlift.

It is always exciting to see new USAWA Records set or broken.  As our Record List gets longer and longer, getting new records becomes more difficult. The USAWA has been accumulating records for close to 25 years, and the USAWA  Record’s Director Joe Garcia has been the “man in charge” of this for nearly this entire period. That’s a lot of entering numbers!!  In fact at the Annual National Meeting, Joe announced that the USAWA Record List is approaching 10,000 records in length!  The lifters at this year’s Nationals “did their job” of adding to this list.  89 new USAWA Records were established.  I looked back at the list and believe it or not, but this year’s National Championships made the TOP TEN of ALL-TIME amongst the number of records in the Record List from National Championships! That is quite an accomplishment considering that we have now had 24 USAWA National Championships, and several Championships with more lifters and more lifts contested than this one.  That goes to show the quality of lifting that we had at this years Championship.  Of the lifts contested at this Championship, the One Arm Dumbbell Snatch provided the most records with 24 Records.  The Zercher Lift provided the fewest new records with 9.   Susan Sees and Helen Kahn tied with the most new records set in the Women’s Division with 9 records each. In the Men’s Division, Bob Geib and John O’Brien tied with 8 new records each.  I always notice when old records (those set years ago) get broken.  Dean Ross had this distinction of breaking the OLDEST RECORD with his 240# Zercher Lift in the 65+, 125+kg Class.  The previous record was held be Buck Harris at 220 pounds set at the 89 Nationals on June 25th, 1989.  Now lets take a look at the TOP TEN Nationals considering number of USAWA records:

RANK RECORDS EVENT MEET DIRECTOR LOCATION
1 119 2003 Nationals  Hartzell & LaRosa  Youngstown, OH
2 117 2004 Nationals  John Vernacchio  Lansdale, PA
3 116 2005 Nationals  Hartzell & LaRosa  Youngstown, OH
4 108 1990 Nationals  Attilio Alacchi  Akron, OH
5 107 1999 Nationals  Montini & McKean  Ambridge, PA
6 97 1997 Nationals  Clark & Garcia  Columbia, MO
7 95 1998 Nationals  Frank Ciavattone  Mansfield, MA
8 94 1989 Nationals  John Vernacchio  Plymouth Meeting, PA
9 90 1995 Nationals  Clark & Garcia  Columbia, MO
10 (tie) 89 2000 Nationals  Denny Habecker  Lebanon, PA
10 (tie) 89 2000 Nationals  Thom Van Vleck  Kirksville, MO

I would like to make the comment that this year (2011 National Championships) is the ONLY EVENT on this list where the meet contained less than 20 lifters.  That is something the lifters at this meet should be proud of! 

New USAWA records established at the 2011 USAWA National Championship – NationalsRecords

Coming tomorrow – The TOP TEN INDIVIDUALS who have records in the USAWA Record List that were set at a National Championship.

2011 Nationals: Meet the Loaders

by Thom Van Vleck

Mitch Ridout and Tedd Van Vleck were the loaders for the entire meet and didn't make a SINGLE MISLOAD!

Every meet I’ve been to the loaders have been thanked and rightfully so.  I’ve been a loader before and one time at a meet with about 70 lifters!  It’s hard, thankless work.  The only time anyone notices the loaders is if there’s a miss load!  And at Nationals there were none!  So these guys were barely noticed.

Often, when you look for volunteers for loading the room will empty quicker than a request for a suicide mission during Armageddon!  But I had two guys step up to save the day.  My brother, Tedd Van Vleck, and my “brother from another mother” Mitch Ridout.  Actually, Mitch rented a room from my Mom at one time and she jokingly calls him her “favorite” son (at least I think she’s joking).  Mitch has been my friend for over 20 years and anybody that can put up with me for that long deserves a trophy……especially after the work I get out of him!

Tedd and Mitch both were signed up to lift.  But I was short loaders and I asked them to step in and they took a bullet for JWC team (or maybe Team Ledaig wouldn’t have had a cake walk for the team title!…..Ok, so maybe they would have still won since they had the best lifter in both men and women’s catagories).  But that thinned the JWC ranks out considerably.  I do know that my brother said at the end of the day he wished he’d lifted instead….he thought he’d be less sore!  I also noticed that Dean Ross, who lifted in the morning session, was helping Mitch and Tedd in the afternoon.  That’s the kind of stuff that makes these meets work!

So a special thanks to Mitch and Tedd for being our loaders and allowing the lifters to focus on lifting!  We appreciate you!

2011 Nationals: Behind the Scenes!

by Thom Van Vleck

If it wasn't for my wife Kelly, we would have missed out on the cake!

If you’ve ever run a meet before you know the work that is involved in it and how “Murphy’s Law” can and will apply.  I thought I would share a few of the “behind the scenes” stories.

The Venue Change

Some time ago I had secured the Rieger Armory for our meet.  This is the home of our local Army National Guard.  It is a great venue and I was pleased to get it.  Plus, it had air conditioning!   Two weeks out I called up to “confirm” the date and the time I could start moving things in.  It was at this time I found out they were on their annual two weeks of active duty.  I left a message to call me back.  The Tuesday before the meet I got the call and I found out they were being put on “standby” due to flooding and they were “commandeering” the armory!  At that point, the scramble was on.  I had several back ups, but the big issue you run into with more of the better locations is insurance.  I used to hold things on city owned property and they would sponsor the event and we would fall under their umbrella coverage….but no more (I suppose a special thanks goes to frivolous lawsuits).  As I made calls and found most were already booked, I narrowed it down to two places.  One with air conditioning that would basically be like lifting in a warehouse (it was an auction house) or the Willard School Gym where we ended up which had no air conditioning.  I checked the long range forecast and saw a high of 77 with a low of 59 the night before.  I borrowed a huge fan and rolled the dice.  The next weekend the forecast was for mid 90’s and that gym would have been miserable!  That worked out great in the end.  It was not the first time I lost my venue last minute….probably not the last….always have a back up plan!!!

The Shirts

I love Sunbrite laundry.  The Hettinger family that runs it have been really good to me, it’s one of the few family owned, locally owned business in Kirksville and I try to keep as many of my $$$ locally as I can.  But Josh Hettinger always seems to run up until the last minute with the shirts I order from him.  I have to say this, he ALWAYS comes thru…..but he has to admit….he did bring the shirts in Saturday morning and that gives the meet director high blood pressure.  The first event I EVER ran my shirt guy (not Sunbrite….this guy later went our of business and for good reason) showed up at NOON with my shirts and they were screwed up.  This was after me going by repeatedly trying to proof them and get him to get them done.  “Checks in the Mail” comes to mind!

The Awards

For the last several years I have bought 2lb anvils from Grizzly tools.  They were unique awards and symbolic of Grandpa Jackson’s anvil that led to my grandfather starting his weightlifting career in the first place.  I went to order more and found out they were no longer selling them!  So I scrambled on the internet to find a replacement and finally did.  However, when I ordered them they were placed on back order!  The sales rep assured me I’d have them on time for the meet (again “Checks in the mail” comes to mind) and sure enough a few days before the meet they came in!  This did not help my blood pressure!

The Cake

This was pretty minor compared to the other things, but my wife suggested we make a “USAWA” cake for the banquet.  I liked the idea and had Al send me the USAWA logo digital file.  He had no idea what I was going to do with it, I thought it would be a nice surprise.  Well, I forgot to order it!  After all, I was already worried about the venue, shirts, and awards!   So, my wife jumped in and took charge and literally ordered the cake on Saturday morning!  She picked it up that afternoon!  Clutch play on her part.

Last minute equipment issues

I had in my mind using some 1″ bars I had for the DB Snatch.  Al called me and said he assumed I had some Oly style handles.  I did not so he stopped at a sporting goods store in Topeka to pick a couple up.  The thick bar was one Al had made and was too heavy for some to open with.  So I sent John O’Brien on a quick run home to get a lighter one that I had meant to bring, but forgot.  I think I sent him a “list” of things to get, but you always seem to forget something!

The Weather

Those that were there will recall that right before the meet started that a storm blew in.  It was not a bad storm but it had plenty of lightning and was dumping ran like crazy.  I had a couple people who were not from the midwest kind of concerned about tornadoes and rightfully so.  But then the roof started to leak!!!!  I had visions of the roof starting to leak all over and ruining the meet!  The funny part is that I run a lot of outdoor strongman and Highland Games….I was thinking before hand that the weather would be no concern since we were inside!  Boy, was I wrong.  Luckily, the ran stopped and so did the leaky roof!

Other than that…haha….the meet ran fine!  I considered it a success and I hope those attended had a great experience!  Again, you never pull these things off alone and if I didn’t have an understanding wife first and foremost, this would never have happened.

Minutes from the 2011 ANM

by Al Myers, USAWA Secretary

Minutes from the 2011 Annual National Meeting

The 2011 USAWA Annual National Meeting was called to order by USAWA President Denny Habecker.  The meeting started promptly at 6:30 PM on June 24th in the Jackson Weightlifting Club’s Training Hall.  Roll call was taken and these 12 USAWA members were in attendance: Denny Habecker, Al Myers, Thom Van Vleck, John O’Brien, Rudy Bletscher, Randy Smith, Helen Kahn, Judy Habecker, Dennis Mitchell, Larry Traub, Chad Ullom, and Joe Garcia.  The first agenda item was the reading of the previous meeting’s minutes by USAWA Secretary Al Myers.  Although they were quite long and boring, Randy Smith still moved that they be accepted.  Chad Ullom provided the second and they were passed unanimously. The next item was the financial report by USAWA Treasurer Al Myers.  A net loss for the year of $1242.60 was reported.  A budget for 2011 was presented that had been prior approved by the Executive Board.  Chad Ullom moved to accept the report, with a second by Thom Van Vleck, and it was passed unanimously.  The next report given was by the Officials Director Joe Garcia.  Joe detailed the number of current officials, along with a suggestion that it was time to update the Officials Test. The next report given was by the Website Director Al Myers.  Several of the website statistics, along with some general comments regarding soliciting sponsorship for the USAWA by using the website as the means of giving our sponsors advertising exposure was reported.  The next agenda item was the report from the Records Director Joe Garcia.  Joe reported that the USAWA Record List is approaching 10,000 records.  He also gave some interesting statistics regarding the records.  The report from the Awards Director Al Myers was next.  The report explained the purpose of the award programs and what awards were given this past year on behalf of the USAWA.  Chad Ullom, the Drug Enforcement Director, gave his report next.  He explained our current drug testing program, and how it has been improved by testing more competitions and more competitors. 

The next agenda item was the discussion and vote on 6 new proposed USAWA lifts.  These six lifts were: the Appollons Lift, the Cyr Press, the Saxon Snatch, the Dinnie Lift, the Goerner Stroll, and the Jackson Press.  After a little discussion, Larry Traub moved these lifts be accepted, which was seconded by Judy Habecker.  An amendment to the motion was made by Al Myers to accept as USAWA records in these lifts any records that have been done during this past year under the proposed rules.  The amendment was seconded by Judy Habecker and the motion passed unanimously.  At this point a vote was called on accepting the proposed lifts and it passed unanimously.  At this point as required by our USAWA rules, a call from the floor was made to ask if anyone had an official USAWA  lift they wanted proposed to IAWA for acceptance.  Only one lift was proposed, and that lift was the Bent Over Row as proposed by Al Myers on behalf of John McKean.  Chad Ullom provided the second and it was passed unanimously.  The next item was several proposed USAWA Rulebook changes that was presented by Al Myers on behalf of the Executive Board.  Most of the proposed Rulebook changes were to bring the USAWA rules into compliance with the IAWA rules.  After reading all of the proposed changes, only one item caused the membership to be in disagreement, and that was the rule involving the Bench Press – Feet in Air.  The proposed change was to allow a bench to rest the lower legs on during the lift, as allowed by the IAWA.  Judy Habecker moved  to strike this proposed change from the list, with Chad Ullom providing the second.  A vote was taken and the motion was upheld with a vote of 8 in favor, 1 opposed, and 3 abstaining.  After some more discussion, Chad Ullom moved to accept the remaining Rulebook changes. Judy Habecker provided a second. Al Myers moved to amend the motion by adding that the new proposed rules take effect August 1st, to allow time for the updated Rule Book to be put on the website.   Judy Habecker provided a second, and the amendment passed unanimously.  A vote on the amended motion was then called for, and it passed unanimously.  The next agenda item was the development of an online store on the USAWA website.  Website Director Al Myers explained how this could benefit the membership by allowing purchase of USAWA promotional items, rulebooks, and other items off the website.  Also explained was the upfront expense of around $500-$1000 that would be required to make this happen to allow for the saleable items to be bought before they would be sold.  The membership seemed to be in agreement on this, and Chad Ullom moved that up to $1000 be used to develop an online store under the direction of Al Myers.  Judy Habecker provided the second and the motion passed unanimously.   The next agenda item was any other new business brought forth by the membership.  The discussion of lifetime membership was the only item brought up.  Several members were in disagreement on whether this would be beneficial for the USAWA.  After much discussion, Chad Ullom moved that this item be looked into further by forming a committee that would report back to the membership at the next meeting.  Rudy Bletscher provided a second and the motion passed unanimously.  The ad hoc committee that was formed consisted of Al Myers, Judy Habecker, and Randy Smith. 

At this point, USAWA President asked if there were any bids for the 2012 National Championships.  There were none.  Judy Habecker moved that the Executive Board be responsible for finding a venue for the next year.  Chad Ullom gave the second, and it passed unanimously.  The last item was the election of officers.  Judy Habecker moved that the current officers and Executive Board members be retained for another term. These officers include: President – Denny Habecker, Vice President – Chad Ullom, Secretary/Treasurer – Al Myers, at large Executive Board Members – Dennis Mitchell and Scott Schmidt.   Larry Traub provided the second, and the motion passed unanimously.  At this point Thom Van Vleck announced that the steaks were done and it was time to eat.  The meeting was in session for 1.5 hours.  Judy Habecker moved to adjourn, Chad Ullom provided a second, the motion  passed unanimously, and everyone quickly exited for the supper table.

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