Tag Archives: Lance Foster

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.

Yearly Awards

By Al Myers

Eric Todd (right) receiving the Athlete of the Year Award from John Strangeway.

Eric Todd (right) receiving the Athlete of the Year Award from John Strangeway.

It’s about time I get last year’s award winners announced!  I’ve been waiting till all the winners were privately recognized so they wouldn’t just see their name in a blog as a winner.  Most receive this award at the Nationals Awards Banquet, but this year several of the yearly award winners were not able to be there so it was done at other venues.

Lance Foster (left) receiving the Sportsmanship Award from John Strangeway.

Lance Foster (left) receiving the Sportsmanship Award from John Strangeway.

These yearly awards are chosen by the membership with nomination and vote.   That makes these awards very special – as it reflects what your peers think of you.  I want to congratulate all the winners!  It was another great year in the USAWA.

2018 Award Winners

WINNER RUNNERUP
Athlete of the Year Eric Todd Al Myers
Leadership Award Al Myers & Denny Habecker —–
Sportsmanship Award Lance Foster LaVerne Myers
Courage Award Frank Ciavattone & Dennis Mitchell —–
Newcomer Award John Strangeway Brandon Rein
Club of the Year Franks Barbell Club Habecker’s Gym

 

Lance Foster-KCSTRONGMAN Stalwart

Lance Foster pulling a bus at the Gus Lohman Memorial Challenge back in his strongman days

Lance Foster pulling a bus at the Gus Lohman Memorial Challenge back in his strongman days

By Eric Todd

Back in 2006, KCSTRONGMAN had been going strong for 3 years.  Training partners came and went, but there were a couple regulars and always a steady stream of guys coming out to train.  I was ALWAYS getting email correspondence from people interested in coming out, but more often than not, it never got past the email stage for those who were new to the idea. However, I got an email from Lance Foster, and the rest is history.  Lance showed up and put it all on the line that day.  Lance became a stalwart of KCSTRONGMAN training days and contests.  When I sent out an email saying who is interested in competing in such and such competition, Lance was always on board.

Lance was born in St Joseph, MO on November 12, 1965.  Lance grew up on a farm that raised cattle and pigs, produced dairy, and grew tobacco.  Anybody that grew up on a farm as a child knows what kind of hard work this entails. Raising tobacco and pitching hay  goes hand in hand with the strength needed to be successful in strength disciplines. He attended North Platte High School, a small school in Missouri, where he played football and threw shot and discus in track and field.

As for many of us, prior to getting involved in strongman, Lance was drawn to watching “World’s Strongest Man” on ESPN.  It used to be broadcast quite regularly, and featured monster men who were capable of fantastic feats of strength.  The show appealed to guys like Lance and me, because these guys were doing things that seemed impossible.  However, Lance came across a forum that showed there were smaller amateur competitions at the local level.  These competitions seemed more doable, so he summoned the courage to take that first step, and he contacted me about training.  Little did he know when he took that first step that he would soon be not only competing at the local level, but also at state and national competitions.

Lance lifting his car at a strongman meet

Lance lifting his car at a strongman meet

Other training partners came and went, but Lance stuck around.  Lance has competed in strongman, highland games, highlander, and powerlifting.  He threw the shot put in the corporate challenge.  Now he participates primarily in all-round.  Lance is one who is always up for a challenge.  Almost any time I am looking at doing a meet, Lance is game.  Lance has even competed at the world level in all-round.

Lance shouldering a stone at "The House of Iron and Stone"

Lance shouldering a stone at “The House of Iron and Stone”

 

Lance has achieved quite a bit in all-round.  He is a certified level 2 official, which is the highest level you can currently attain. He has 38 national records and holds the world record for the 2″ bar straddle (which is known as the Jefferson Lift-Futon Bar in the US) in the 45+ year 125+ kilo category.  In 2012, Lance was chosen by his peers as runner-up for the sportsmanship award. However, even with those accolades, Lance says the thing he likes best about all-round is the camradarie. With Lance’s dedication to all-round lifting, and the USAWA, I trust he will be enjoying that camraderie for years to come!

Lance Foster – new Level 2

By Al Myers

Lance Foster lifting in the 2016 IAWA Gold Cup.

Lance Foster lifting in the 2016 IAWA Gold Cup.

Big news on the USAWA Officials front today – we have a new LEVEL 2 Official in the USAWA.  A big congrats goes to Lance Foster for achieving this officiating milestone. After all, it’s not an easy thing to accomplish.  To become a Level 2 Official (the highest ranking of officials in the USAWA) it takes passing the Rules Test and having officiated over 25 USAWA competitions/events.  That’s not something you can achieve in a couple of years!  Lance has been officiating in the USAWA for over 10 years, doing 2 to 3 competitions per year. So you can see that it’s been a  longterm commitment for him.

Now since Lance is a Level 2 Official he is an official for life in the USAWA.  That’s the prize for advancing to the tops of the official ranks in the USAWA!

Again, congratulations Lance!

Sir Lance-A Lot’s RD

by Eric Todd

On Saturday, November 21, several of us gathered at my house to celebrate half a century of life for our good friend Lance Foster by getting together to attack the weights and the USAWA record book at the same time. It ended up being winter for the day, but it was fun and big weights were lifted nonetheless.  4 lifters from 3 states braved the cold to set the following records:

Ben Edwards     40 yrs    241#
Left hand 2” V-bar 205#
R’s Hammer 35#

Eric Todd    40 yrs    251#
Finger lift Right little         85#
Finger Lift Left Little 85#
Finger Lift Right Thumb 85#
Finger Lift Left Thumb 85#
Finger Lift Right Ring 155#
Finger Lift Left Ring 115#
Finger Lift Left Middle 150#

Lance Foster    50yrs     335#
Kennedy Lift        365#
Push Press From Rack      155#
Fulton Bar Jefferson 255#

Dean Ross     73yrs     256#
Finger Lift Right Middle 85#
Finger Lift Right Ring 65#
Deadlift Fingers little        95#
Deadlift Fingers Index      135
Deadlift Fingers Ring 115#
Deadlift Fingers  Middle  145#
Harness Lift 1010#

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