Tag Archives: Awards Program

Eric Todd is Now in Hall of Fame

By Al Myers

Eric Todd (right) receiving his Hall of Fame Award from Lance Foster (center)  and Al Myers (left).

Eric Todd (right) receiving his Hall of Fame Award from Lance Foster (center) and Al Myers (left).

One of the big highlights of the USAWA Nationals weekend happened during the USAWA Awards Ceremony, in which Eric Todd was inducted into the USAWA Hall of Fame.  It takes alot of time, effort, performance, and commitment to achieve this honor as the USAWA Hall of Fame is the highest award receivable in the USAWA. I was so happy to see Eric get recognized with this award as he has sure earned it!  Eric (or ET as his friends know him) is the all round man in all round weightlifting. He does it all – competes, officiates, coaches, promotes, runs a club, and now serves as an officer in the USAWA.

Other USAWA Hall of Fame members present at the meet joined Eric in the presentation. (left to right): Chad Ullom, Al Myers, Eric Todd, Denny Habecker, LaVerne Myers, and Dean Ross

Other USAWA Hall of Fame members present at the meet joined Eric in the presentation. (left to right): Chad Ullom, Al Myers, Eric Todd, Denny Habecker, LaVerne Myers, and Dean Ross

His friend and fellow KC Strongman club member Lance Foster gave an excellent Hall of Fame induction speech which I would like to share here.  Lance has known and trained with Eric for many years, and was the perfect person to be part of this special moment.

Hall of Fame induction speech by Lance Foster

To quote the mission of the USAWA, (“The USAWA was formed to
continue the long standing tradition of old-time weightlifters like Eugen
Sandow, Louis Cyr, Arthur Saxon, Hermann Goerner, Warren
Lincoln Travis, and many others. We strive to preserve the history of the
original forms of weightlifting, which in the past has been referred to as
“odd lifting.” Many of the lifts we perform are based on stage
acts or challenge lifts of old-time strongmen”), exemplifies what Eric
Todd has brought, and continues to
bring, to the USAWA.

While he more than meets the point total to be considered for induction
into the Hall Of Fame by merit, I believe that nominating him on the
basis of honor is the better option. Eric has dedicated his life to
weightlifting and athletic pursuits. Eric began these pursuits pre-
Kindergarten, running behind his father
when he went jogging, to high school football, track, and wrestling. He
attended college on a wrestling scholarship, and achieved national
ranking, in addition to competing in Highland Games, Strongman, and
later all-round lifting. He has also coached wrestling on a formal basis in
the public school system. He has
also coached many people in Strongman on an informal basis, at his
personal gym, always being a true
friend, mentor, and coach, without fees of any type. He hosted an annual
Strongman contest for 10 years,
in honor his grandfather Gus (who, too, exemplified old time strongman
type strength and skill). While many Strongman promoters around the
country operate on a for profit basis, Eric selflessly donated all the
proceeds, totaling $34,000.00, to Camp Quality, a week long summer
camp for kids dealing with cancer.

Eric is an active participant and promoter in USAWA. He opens his gym
for the Postal meets, record days, as well as hosting the Old Time
Strongman Championships, and occasionally the Heavy Lifts
Championships. He is a lifetime certified official. He is a member of the
Century Club, having amassed 160 records. He was also named the
USAWA Athlete of the Year for 2018. While a fierce competitor, he
is always willing to assist other members with training and tips on lifts.
Eric is also dedicated to his family, not only by instilling in them the
skills to be kind and respectful, but also by being encouraging of his
children and a nephew, as they participate in all-round lifting, and fitness
in general.

Eric is a humble, down to earth man, never seeking the lime light for any
of his achievements. Eric is a man of high caliber, not only of physical
strength and prowess, but also by having the personality of a
stand-up individual.

For the reasons listed above, Eric Todd is hereby inducted into the
USAWA Hall of Fame.

Club of the Year Award

By Al Myers

The nomination & voting period is over  for the 2021 USAWA yearly awards, to be awarded at the National Championships in several categories for outstanding performances within the USAWA.  I have just finished the tabulations and I am getting ready to contact the awards shop to get the awards made up.  So – I KNOW who the winners are but that’s still a secret until the awards presentation time!  But there is ONE AWARD that is announced ahead of time – the USAWA Club of the Year.  The reason it’s announced early is that it is really not a mystery as to who the winner is as this is the one award that is based on generating points instead of votes.  I have outlined this point system several times in the past so I won’t rehash all that now.  What I’m trying to say is this – anyone can add up the points on their own as ALL of the information is available on the website to do so, thus this winner is “no mystery”. No club can win an award like this based on one individuals performance or effort.  It takes the contributions of several.

I’m proud to announce the USAWA CLUB OF THE YEAR FOR 2021……THE WINNER GOES TO THE DINO GYM.  The Runner Up Club of the year was Frank’s Barbell Club.

The final standings for Club of the year (only top 5 listed) were:

1. Dino Gym – 57 points

2. Frank’s Barbell Club – 34 points

3. Habeckers Gym – 28 points

4. Clark’s Championship Gym – 25 points

5. KC Strongman – 21 points

As per the original rules for the Club of the Year, the defending USAWA Club of the Year is not eligible the following year, and instead is responsible for “passing the title” at the next year’s awards presentation.  All past USAWA Club of the Year are archived on this website.

Award Nominations

by Al Myers

It’s that time of the year again to nominate deserving lifters for the yearly awards!  The USAWA award program was started in 2009 to honor those individuals that displays outstanding achievements throughout the year in different categories.  I have been the USAWA Award Director that entire time and was the one who started the USAWA Awards Program.  Part of the USAWA budget goes to these awards, which means that part of your membership dues support this program. These awards are awarded at the Annual General Meeting of the USAWA, which occurs at the same time as the National Championships.   It is important to remember when “casting your vote” that these awards are for the calendar year 2018 (which is the calendar the USAWA follows for memberships, etc.).  Now for a little “overview” of the rules for nominations:

  • You  must be a USAWA member to make a nomination or cast a vote
  • Nominated individuals must be a USAWA members to be eligible
  • Only one individual may be nominated per person per award
  • Two nominations for each award may be submitted, one for your choice of the Winner and one for your choice of the runner-up.
  • The awards are for the calendar year 2018
  • An individual may be nominated for more than one award

These are the different awards for which you should chose your nominations for:

 Athlete of the Year – This award is for the individual who has accomplished the most athletically within the last year in the USAWA. Top placings at the Nationals and World Championships should figure in high. Also, participation in other Championship  Competitions such as the Heavy Lift Championships, the Grip Championships, the Club Championships, the OTSM Championships, the Team Championships, or the National Postal Championships could factor in.  Participation in elite IAWA events such as the Gold Cup should make an influence on earning this award as well.

Leadership Award – This is for an individual that has shown exceptional leadership qualities within the USAWA during the past year. Things that should be looked at are: going above the level expected of an Officer position, promoting sanctioned events with emphasis being on promoting National or World Competitions, promoting the USAWA by developing a strong club, writing articles for publications about the USAWA, or through other means.

Sportsmanship Award – This goes to an individual who possesses and shows great sportsmanship within the USAWA. The act of sportsmanship may be by conduct at all events, or by an specific example of exceptional sportsmanship.

Courage Award – This goes to an individual who shows the courage to overcome an obstacle in order to return to competition. This may be a comeback from an injury, or just having to deal with difficult personal issues but still shows the courage to compete in the USAWA.

Newcomer Award– This award goes to an individual who in new to the USAWA or has become involved again. It doesn’t have to go to someone in their first year of being involved in the USAWA.

As stated earlier in the rules, I would like you to submit your choice for the WINNER and your choice for the RUNNER UP for each award.  I will score it this way:  for each nomination per award I will give 2 points for the nominated winner and 1 point for the nominated runner up.  I will then add up all the points from all nominations with the person receiving the most points declared the winner and the one with the second most points the runner up.  So you can see that the Award Winners are chosen by YOU THE MEMBERSHIP!   That’s the way it should be done.

Please email me at amyers@usawa.com with your nominations.  The deadline for this is May 10th.  I’m only 10 days because it has been my experience with this is that if a person does not make their nominations shortly after reading this announcement, it never gets done.  So make it easy on yourself  (and me!) and turn your nominations in today!!!!

2018 Yearly Awards

By Al Myers

Members of the Dino Gym who attended the 2018 USAWA Nationals enroute to a club victory and the winner of the 2018 Club of the Year.  (left to right: Cale Dunlap, Al Myers, Brandon Rein, Dean Ross, Cody Lokken, and LaVerne Myers)

Members of the Dino Gym who attended the 2018 USAWA Nationals enroute to a club victory and the winner of the 2017 Club of the Year. (left to right: Cale Dunlap, Al Myers, Brandon Rein, Dean Ross, Cody Lokken, and LaVerne Myers)

Every year since I’ve been the USAWA Awards Director (2009) the USAWA has given out special awards recognizing individuals who the membership feels should receive “extra attention” for their contributions and efforts.   These awards are entirely selected by the membership, with the nominations and voting done by the USAWA members.  All I do is tally the votes and organize the ordering of the plaques.  However, I also get to have the honor of presenting the awards, which is something that I really enjoy doing and makes the work I do all worthwhile.

Every year the Awards Presentation coincides with our banquet at the National Championships.  This year we had our banquet at a fantastic seafood restaurant in Cocoa Beach.  However, we thought we were going to have a private room but this was not the case!  We were all seated at a couple tables side by side in the large dining area – and a live band was performing!  Needless to say, a traditional awards presentation was not going to take place so I improvised and handed the awards out individually after the meal.

Listed below is this year’s winners.  This information is stored on the website in the history archives. Again, congrats to all of the winners!!

 

2017 Award Winners

WINNER RUNNERUP
Athlete of the Year Al Myers Eric Todd
Leadership Award Denny Habecker Al Myers
Sportsmanship Award Dean Ross LaVerne Myers
Courage Award Frank Ciavattone Dennis Mitchell
Newcomer Award John Douglas Greg Cook
Club of the Year Dino Gym Schmidt Barbell Club

 

Dino Gym: Club of the Year

By Al Myers

The nomination & voting period is over  for the 2017 USAWA yearly awards, to be awarded at the National Championships in several categories for outstanding performances within the USAWA.  I have just finished the tabulations and I am getting ready to contact the awards shop to get the awards made up.  So – I KNOW who the winners are but that’s still a secret until the awards presentation time!  But there is ONE AWARD that is announced ahead of time – the USAWA Club of the Year.  The reason it’s announced early is that it is really not a mystery as to who the winner is as this is the one award that is based on generating points instead of votes.  I have outlined this point system several times in the past so I won’t rehash all that now.  What I’m trying to say is this – anyone can add up the points on their own as ALL of the information is available on the website to do so, thus this winner is “no mystery”.

No club can win an award like this based on one individuals performance or effort.  It takes contributions of several.  I want to thank EVERYONE who was part of CLUB DINO GYM this past year, because this is EVERYONE’S AWARD.  I was VERY pleased how our gym functions were attended by gym members.  For the year 2017, the Dino Gym had a total of 16 lifters joined the USAWA that listed the Dino Gym as their member club. I want to recognize and thank these lifters now (in alphabetical order): Emily Burchett, Cale Dunlap, Ben Edwards, Calvin Heit, RJ Jackson, Cody Lokken, Zach Lucas, Dan Mather, Al Myers, LaVerne Myers, Molly Myers, Jason Payne, Brandon Rein, Dean Ross, Chad Ullom, and Dan Wagman.

The final standings for the 2017 USAWA CLUB OF THE YEAR (only top 5 listed):

1.  Dino Gym – 41 points

2.  Schmidt Barbell Club – 25 points

3.  Habecker’s Gym – 23 points

4.  Ambridge Barbell Club – 17 points

5.  KC Strongman – 13 points

As per the original rules for the Club of the Year, the defending USAWA Club of the Year is not eligible the following year, and instead is responsible for “passing the title” at the next year’s awards presentation.  Thus, Frank’s Barbell Club, the 2016 USAWA Club of the Year, is not in this year’s  rankings.

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