Tag Archives: Joe Garcia

Lifter of the Month: Joe Garcia

by Al Myers

Joe Garcia lifting a up a big Hip Lift!

The Zercher Strength Classic, a long held traditional meet held at Clark’s Gym, was the featured meet of the month of March.  So it comes as no surprise that the winner of this prestigious meet is crowned as the USAWA LIFTER OF THE MONTH for MARCH.  Joe Garcia defended a tough class of 4 hard-nosed competitors to take the overall win, and because of this, earned the lifter of the month.  Way to go Joe!!!!

I’m guessing that Joe has competed in more Zercher’s than any other lifter thru it’s 25 year plus history.  There is no harder meet than the Zercher – having to do 13 different all-round lifts in one day, and amongst the lifts several heavy lifts.  It’s the same as several meets packed into one!

Congrats to Joe Garcia for being awarded USAWA Lifter of the Month for March, 2014.

Top Performances of 2012

by Al Myers

Today I was thinking about all of the GREAT lifting performances done in the USAWA throughout this past year.  I have been fortunate to have witnessed many of these performances firsthand.  I’ve given it a little thought and I have came up with the LIST of PERFORMANCES that I have watched during this past year, and compiled my TOP TEN.  This list is completely of my opinion, and does not represent any official view of the USAWA.  It also only includes lifts that I have seen myself – as there are many other great lifts done in the USAWA that I did not have the privilege of viewing and thus are not on this list.  I have also  ranked them – but this was extremely difficult as they are all worthy of top recognition.  I might have well just “flipped a coin” to determine the order – but here it goes!!! I’ll even do the countdown from number 10.

10.  Doug and Jera Kressly’s Team Deadlift of 650 pounds.

Doug and Jera Kressly performing a Team Deadlift at the 2012 USAWA Team Championships.

At this year’s USAWA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS, Doug and Jera entered the first Mixed Pair (male & female) team in the Championships history.  And to add to the drama of this – the two of them are married!  I was extremely impressed when we got to the last event, the deadlift, and they pulled 650 pounds. I was really worried Doug was going to let Jera down and not pull his weight on the lift!   

9.  Denny Habecker and his Clean and Jerk at the Gold Cup.

Denny Habecker at the 2012 IAWA Gold Cup in Glasgow, Scotland.

I’ve already told the story about Denny and his performance at the 2012 IAWA Gold Cup in Scotland, despite being sick with the intestinal flu.  I was impressed that he would even attempt to lift feeling like that.  However, I DID NOT sit in the front row when he was lifting as I didn’t want to be in the path of any possible eruption! 

8.  Joe Garcia’s 1400# Hand and Thigh Lift at the Deanna Meet.

Joe Garcia and his signature lift, the Hand and Thigh Lift, at the 2012 Deanna Springs Meet.

Garcia and the Hand and Thigh Lift are becoming synonymous.  You think of one and you have to think of the other.  I keep thinking one of these days Joe G will lose his touch with the H&T which will  give me the edge – but it doesn’t look like it will ever happen! I knew my chances of winning the Deanna  meet was over at this point.

7.  Dale Friesz and his 154# Ring Fingers Deadlift at the Presidential Cup.

Dale Friesz won the 2012 USAWA Presidential Cup with this lift.

Last year Dale “the Miracle Man” Friesz performed a 122# Ring Fingers Deadlift and I raved and raved about it.  Now he’s UPPED his record to 154 pounds – that’s over a 30 pound increase!  This was the lift that WON Dale the prestigious PRESIDENTIAL CUP this year.  I beginning to think there must be bionics in that prosthetic leg of his.

6.  Larry Traub’s 529# Jefferson Lift at the National Championships.

Larry Traub (left) receiving his award at the 2012 USAWA National Championships in Las Vegas, NV.

Everyone knows Larry is an “out of this World” deadlifter, but at the 2012 USAWA National Championships in Las Vegas he also showed he is quite good at the Jefferson Lift as well.  Larry is 58 and only weighs 200 pounds, which makes his lift all the more impressive.  It would take over a 630# Jefferson Lift for an Senior Age group lifter (at the same BWT) to beat Larry in this lift with the age correction.  We make lifters weigh to verify their bodyweights, but we don’t make lifters show their ID’s to verify their ages.  Larry looks like he’s only 30.  Maybe it’s time for him to be “carded” at the next meet?

COMING TOMORROW – THE REST OF THE TOP PERFORMANCE COUNTDOWN!

25 Year Promotion Award

by Al Myers

USAWA President Denny Habecker and the "first Lady of the USAWA" Judy Habecker receiving the 25 Year Promotion Award.

Another “special award” presented at Nationals was the 25 Year Promotion Award.  This award went to the 4 Meet Promoters who have promoted the most National Championships over the 25 year history of the USAWA.  These 4 promoters each have promoted 3 Championship events.  They are:  Denny and Judy Habecker (2010, 2007, & 2000), John Vernacchio (2004, 1989, & 1988), Bill Clark and Joe Garcia (2001, 1997, & 1995), and Art Montini and John McKean (2002, 1999, & 1991). 

So to sum it up – these 4 promoters together have promoted about HALF of the National Champinships to date!  That’s worthy of a special award in my book!  Congratulations!!!

Joe & his mutant finger

by Al Myers

Joe Garcia lifting a 186# Fulton (2" diameter) Dumbbell with his left hand.

I sure understand why someone would conceal a freaky birth defect from their friends, so when Joe Garcia commented at the restaurant table following the meet last weekend to all of us that one of his middle fingers was 3/8″ longer than the other – I immediately called BS on him in front of everyone!!  To make matters worse, several other guys at the table chimed in with a few snickers at my defiant response.  It left Joe with a blank expression on his face, and I’m sure full of embarrassment that he told a deep, dark secret  about this physical abnormality of his (or maybe the look  was his astonishment that I didn’t believe him??).  I’ve heard of guys having one leg longer than the other and having to wear a special built-up shoe to balance out their walk, but till now I have NEVER heard of anyone having an extra long phalanx.

This is visual proof that Joe can hook grip a Fulton Bar with his left hand. His entire thumbnail is covered with the hook.

But I’m a big boy, and own up to things when I’m proved wrong.  Joe immediately held up both of his hands and INDEED the middle finger of his left hand is much longer than the middle finger of his right hand!  There were several witnesses to this scene, and I owe Joe an apology for not believing him.  That is the reason I’m writing this story – it’s my lame way of apologizing.  But then again, it also means I’m pointing out Joe’s genetic defect (in an otherwise perfect physical specimen) to the World.  However, I don’t think Joe wants to keep this a secret anymore, or he wouldn’t have told me about it.  This must be his way of getting the word out about his FREAKY FINGER, because I bet keeping this secret to himself all this time probably was becoming a terrible burden to bear.  It’s a good idea NEVER to tell someone who writes blogs for internet websites anything you want to keep secret, because it won’t be a secret for long. 

Joe’s deviated digit got me thinking about all the birth defects I’m glad I don’t have and the birth defects I would be alright having.  Having a mutated member like Joe has would give all kind of advantages to lifting weights.  Being able to hook-grip a 2″ bar would sure come in handy at times, and that extended extremity would sure help ya out on the finger lifts!  I suspect it was even an advantage to Joe when he did his World Record Hand and Thigh Lift (or maybe that is WHY it is longer – it got stretched out holding onto 1900 pounds???)  I will say this about Joe’s outstretched feeler, I doubt if the kids picked on him in school because of it.  Because if they did – he could give them the middle finger salute in GRAND STYLE!!

Best Lifting Performances in Past Deanna Springs Meets

by Al Myers

Joe Garcia uses his signature lift, the Hand and Thigh Lift, to lift 1400 pounds to secure his victory at the 2011 Deanna Springs Meet. That win gives Joe 10 ALL TIME wins in this meet, which is the most of any lifter.

The annual Deanna Springs Memorial Meet is coming up this weekend at Clark’s Gym, in Columbia Missouri.  I have been to this meet several times, and it is one that I enjoy.  It provides a unique combination of lifts – Crucifix, Cheat Curl, Deanna Lift, Hand and Thigh Lift, and Hip Lift. We always start with the Crucifix and Cheat Curl and then finish with the “heavy stuff”.  These first two events are merely warmups for the serious heavy lift events.  The competition often will come down to the last event of the day, the Hip Lift, to decide who the winner is. 

A couple of years ago Dale Friesz wrote a very nice story summarizing the history of the Deanna Meet.  It is mainly a long list of victories by Joe Garcia, the Clark’s Gym Phenom. Last year at the Deanna Joe won his TENTH Deanna Meet – out of the 16 meets in the history of this long running meet.   Abe Smith has won two (2002 & 2007), John Carter one (1997), Josh Pemberton one (2000), Steve Schmidt one (2006), and myself once (2008).  The only reason I was able to win in 2008 was that I was the only one who showed up that year!!! LOL  Most of the time at this one I’m  sucking up the chalkdust thrown up by Joe after his  big finale Hip Lifts!

Today I want to look back at some of the BEST lifting performances ever done at the Deanna Meet. I am only going to include meets from 1998 on, as that was when the lifts remained constant at the five done today. 

TOP ADJUSTED POINTS

  LIFTER YEAR POINTS
1 Abe Smith 2005 4111.98
2 Joe Garcia 2011 4018.08
3 Joe Garcia 1999 3876.54
4 Joe Garcia 2009 3711.88
5 Joe Garcia 2006 3655.85
6 Steve Schmidt 2003 3654.37
7 Joe Garcia 2004 3650.87
8 Al Myers 2011 3630.91
9 Joe Garcia 2002 3627.67
10 Abe Smith 2003 3620.00

TOP TOTALS

  LIFTER YEAR TOTAL
1  Sam Huff  2005  4700
2  Joe Garcia  1999  4525
3  Al Myers  2011  4385
4  Al Myers  2010  4230
5  Eric Todd  2005  4145
6  Joe Garcia  1998  4140
7  Joe Garcia  2002  4120
8  Abe Smith  2005  4105
9  Eric Todd  2002  4045
10  Joe Garcia  2006  4035
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