Tag Archives: National Championships

National Championships

By Al Myers

***POSTPONED TILL FURTHER NOTICE***

Frank Ciavattone has already announced the 2020 USAWA National Championships!

You can always count on Frank and Frank’s Barbell Club for being on top of promotions.  They are very organized from the start to the finish.  This year Nationals will be a one day meet, held in Norwood, MA on June 27th.  The Boston area is beautiful in June to visit.  I have been there several times and I am really looking forward to making the trip again this summer.  It’s time to get excited about Nationals and start training for it.  I hope to see a great turnout at Nationals!

LIFTS FOR NATIONALS

Snatch – One Arm
Continental to Chest and Jerk
Deadlift – One Arm
Pullover and Press
Deadlift – Ciavattone Grip

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MEET ANNOUNCEMENT (word)- 2020 USAWA NATIONAL anouncement

MEET ANNOUNCEMENT (PDF) – 2020 USAWA NATIONAL anouncement

ENTRY FORM (word) – 2020 USAWA Nationals entry form

ENTRY FORM (PDF) – 2020 USAWA Nationals entry form

National Championships

By Al Myers

2019 USAWA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Another year and another outstanding USAWA National Championships!

Meet promoter Denny Habecker put on a great Championships for the USAWA. It was held in a large facility at Acernus Crossfit.   This year’s Championships was a one day meet with six lifts, so it made for a long day of lifting.

It was great to see two lifters make their first appearance at Nationals.  Chris and Eric Lestan of Frank’s Barbell Club made their National debut and both lifted exceptionally.  Chris is a young strong lifter who put up the top total of the meet, and had the top lift in several of the competition lifts.  Eric is a Junior lifter and won best lifter in the Junior Division.  He had stiff competition from Aidan Habecker, and in the end less than 1 adjusted point separated them!!!   I love to see competition battles like that!

It was great seeing Frank Ciavattone on the platform. Frank has just went through a serious surgery so he was not at 100%, but still he got a mark in in every lift.  His courage and passion for the USAWA really impresses me. Frank is a pioneer in the USAWA and has influenced many lifters through the years.

Denny Habecker and Dennis Mitchell have been regulars at Nationals.  Both of these guys hit a milestone that probably can only be topped by themselves.  This year’s Nationals marked 30 YEARS of competing in the USAWA National Championships for the both of them.  I plan to do a more thorough followup story on this accomplishment at a later time.

Michigan native Randy Smith lifted great AGAIN at Nationals.  We normally only see Randy once a year in the USAWA – but he does it right and shows up for the organizations biggest event.  Randy started in the USAWA at the same time I did, so we have lifted together now for 20 years!!!

The over 70 group had the most lifters of the meet.  LaVerne Myers, Dean Ross, Barry Pensyl, and Denny Habecker showed everyone that being a senior citizen doesn’t mean you can’t lift heavy weights!!!  I was very impressed with their performances.

The Club title at Nationals was a close race, with the Dino Gym, Habeckers Gym, and Frank’s Barbell Club all putting together great teams.  The overall club title went to the Dino Gym.

I want to really thank Judy Habecker for her help at the scoring table.  Judy does so much behind the scenes to make sure events run smoothly.  I also got to mention my new announcer assistant Aidan.  Aidan wanted to help, and he did outstanding while I had to step away from the mic to lift.  I can’t say enough about the veteran loading team of Terry and John. These two have loaded at Nationals for Denny more times than I can count – and deserve as much recognition as the lifters.

MEET RESULTS:

2019 USAWA National Championships
Acernus Crossfit
Lebanon, PA
June 22nd, 2019

Meet Director: Denny Habecker

Meet Announcer: Al Myers with assistant Aidan Habecker

Meet Scorekeeper: Judy Habecker

Loaders: Terry Barlet and John Horn

Officials (3-official system used): Denny Habecker, LaVerne Myers, Frank Ciavattone, Dennis Mitchell, Randy Smith

Lifts: Curl – Cheat Reverse Grip, Deadlift – No Thumbs Overhand Grip, Clean and Jerk – One Arm, Snatch – From Hang, Pullover and Push, Continental to Belt

MENS DIVISION

LIFTER AGE BWT Cur DLNT C&J Sna P&P Belt TOT PTS
Al Myers 52 229 75 170 50R 57.5 130 175 658 616.7
Randy Smith 64 195 70 140 42.5R 37.5 92.5 132.5 515 583.3
Chris Lestan 23 275 90 192.5 47.5R 90 145 182.5 748 565.6
Denny Habecker 76 184 47.5 110 25R 35 85 105 408 522.4
Barry Pensyl 71 151 45 85 12.5R 32.5 55 90 320 448.2
LaVerne Myers 75 228 55 130 20L 35 55 100 395 446.8
Eric Lestan 14 150 40 97.5 25R 35 60 60 318 405.8
Aidan Habecker 15 203 50 110 37.5R 45 65 90 398 405.1
Dean Ross 76 232 40 110 17.5L 30 65 80 343 387.2
Dennis Mitchell 87 142 20 71 0  0 27.5 45 164 267.5
Frank Ciavattone 64 306 30 90 15R 15 40 70 260 233.7

EXTRA ATTEMPTS FOR RECORDS:

Aidan Habecker  Curl-Cheat, Reverse Grip 55
Denny Habecker Curl-Cheat, Reverse Grip 50
Barry Pensyl Clean and Jerk – One Arm 15R
Denny Habecker Clean and Jerk – One Arm 28.5R
Aidan Habecker Pullover and Push 70
Barry Pensyl Pullover and Push 57.5
Dean Ross Pullover and Push 70
Barry Pensyl Continental to Belt 92.5

NOTES:  All lifts recorded in kilograms.  BWT is bodyweight in pounds. R and L designate right and left arms. TOT is total kilograms lifted.  PTS are overall adjusted points corrected for age and bodyweight.

BEST LIFTER AWARDS

Best Junior Lifter – Eric Lestan
Best Senior Lifter – Chris Lestan
Best Master 50-54 Lifter – Al Myers
Best Master 60-64 Lifter – Randy Smith
Best Master 70-74 Lifter – Barry Pensyl
Best Master 75-79 Lifter – Denny Habecker
Best Master 85-89 Lifter – Dennis Mitchell
Best Overall Total – Chris Lestan
Best Overall Lifter – Al Myers
Best Club – 1st Dino Gym 1450.7 points (Al Myers, LaVerne Myers, Dean Ross), 2nd Habeckers Gym 1375.7 points (Aidan Habecker, Barry Pensyl, Denny Habecker), 3rd Franks Barbell Club 1205.1 points (Eric Lestan, Chris Lestan, Frank Ciavattone)

National Championships

By Al Myers

MEET ANNOUNCEMENT –

2019 USAWA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

The date has been set!

Denny Habecker, the promoter of this year’s National Championships, has just released the entry form and information page for the biggest yearly event in the USAWA.  Denny is planning on promoting the Nationals in his hometown of Lebanon, PA on June 22nd.  A great selection of lifts have been chosen for this Championships.  The lifts are:

Curl – Cheat, Reverse Grip
Deadlift – No Thumbs, Overhand Grip
Clean and Jerk – One Arm
Snatch – From Hang
Pullover and Push
Continental to Belt

This will be a long day – as all lifts will be performed on the 22nd.  Afterwards there will be an awards banquet for all lifters and supporters. Make sure to make plans to attend the banquet as that is a highlight of the weekend.

This is VERY IMPORTANT – make sure to get Denny your entry form (AND ENTRY FEE) before the deadline.  The deadline is MAY 22ND. It will be enforced.

There will be drug testing done at the Nationals.  DO NOT enter if you have an issue with being tested!

ENTRY FORM – 2019 USAWA Nationals Entry Form

INFORMATION PAGE – 2019 USAWA Nationals Info Page

National’s History

By Al Myers

I just updated our History Archives on the “Past USAWA Nationals”.  The one thing about history is that it is ever changing, with new things that become history once they are finished. This is an ongoing project for me, and sometimes I find that I’ve been slow to add the updates as time seems to fly by at a faster pace the older I get!

If you get some extra time and are interested in the history of the USAWA, take a look at these pages in the “History” section. (It is located on the header line of the USAWA website).  I always reread the past history as I add updates.  Today I want to share some highlights as it applies to the history of our USAWA National Championships.

  • This year (2018) marks the 31st year of the USAWA National Championships, with NO YEARS being missed since the first Nationals in 1988.
  • This year (2018) marks the first and ONLY time Nationals has been held in Florida.  8 states have been hosts for Nationals with Pennsylvania in the number one spot (12), followed by Ohio (6), Massachusetts (4), Missouri (4), Kansas (2), Illinois (1), and Nevada (1).
  • 15 meet directors (or combinations of meet directors) have promoted the Nationals. Denny Habecker has promoted the most (5), followed by Al Myers (4), and 4 promoters with (3): Frank Ciavattone, John Vernacchio, Art Montini/John McKean, and Bill Clark/Joe Garcia.
  • The top 5 lifts that have been contested at Nationals are: Zercher Lift (17), One Arm Deadlift (16), Pullover and Push (13), One Arm Snatch (12), and the Clean and Press heels together (12).  Three of these top 5 National lifts were contested at this years Nationals!
  • 55 Official lifts of the USAWA have been contested at past National Championships. 22 lifts have only been contested once in Nationals.
  • This year was a one day meet, but only 10 times in our history has Nationals been a one day meet.  The other 21 times it was a two day meet.  However, all 10 of these one day meets have occurrd in the past 13 years.

National Championships

By Al Myers

2018 USAWA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Group picture from the 2018 USAWA National Championships in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Group picture from the 2018 USAWA National Championships in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

For the first time in USAWA history, the USAWA National’s were held in Florida last weekend.  My co-promoter for this event, Dino Gym member Cody Lokken, hosted the Championships at his house in Cocoa Beach! It was a beautiful setting for the meet, less than a block from the beach. I was worried that the turnout would be low, because everyone had to travel and there were no “locals” entered.  However, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of lifters that made the trip.

The Friday night before the meet we had a “meet and greet” at the hotel I was staying at. It was the perfect setting – at an outdoor bar poolside. My wife Leslie picked up several pizzas for the party.  Several of us took a dip in the pool, as well as enjoying several of the local Florida beers the bar had on stock (a stock that we soon ran them out of!).  One of the great things about our organization is the friendships that develop. Often Nationals turns into one big reunion!

It was a special treat this year to have Steve Gardner in attendance.  Steve served 2 terms as IAWA President, and is the best “mic guy” in our IAWA organization.  He spent the entire day emceeing our Championships, of which I want to really thank him for.  We had the best loaders possible with Cale, Cody, and Brandon loading all day PLUS lifting.  That’s a big task! We ran only one session so that kept everyone busy with helping, officiating, and lifting.  This Championships had a great bunch of officials with Denny Habecker, Dennis Mitchell, Eric Todd, LaVerne Myers, Joe Ciavattone Sr, and myself taking turns in the chair.

Highlights I want to mention: Dennis participating in his 29th National Championships, ET hitting a huge pullover and press of 162.5 KG, Joe Jr. putting up the top Zercher Lift of the meet at the end of a hot day, and seeing “the boys” (Cale, Cody, and Brandon) making a return trip to Nationals.  We had several states represented at this meet – Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Pennsyvania, Ohio, and Massachusetts. Also, Cale made the trip from St. Kitts.

It was difficult for all of us not having Art with us at Nationals, as he has always been a steady participant throughout the years.  However,  as we lifted we kept Art’s memory alive and we reminisced about him several times throughout the day.  After the meet, Cody had arranged for the banquet at a fantastic seafood restaurant which was the perfect end for a National Championships that I will never forget.

MEET RESULTS:

2018 USAWA National Championships
Cocoa Beach, Florida
June 23rd, 2018

Meet Director: Al Myers and Cody Lokken

Meet Announcer: Steve Gardner

Meet Scorekeeper: Al Myers

Meet Photographer: Karen Gardner

Meet Caterer: Leslie Myers

Meet Officials (3-official system used): Denny Habecker (head), Al Myers (head), Joe Ciavattone Sr., Dennis Mitchell, Eric Todd, and LaVerne Myers

Meet Loaders: Cale Dunlap, Cody Lokken, Brandon Rein

Lifts: Curl – Cheat, Snatch – One Arm, Pullover and Press, Deadlift – One Arm, Zercher Lift

MENS DIVISION

LIFTER AGE BWT Curl Sna1 P&P DL1 Zer TOT PTS
 Al Myers 51 227 80 55.5R 100 150R 160 546 509.5
Eric Todd 43 252 95 55R 162.5 140R 160 613 503.2
Joe Ciavattone Jr. 25 226 100 55R 137.5 115R 172.5 580 484.7
Joe Ciavattone Sr. 49 236 82.5 47.5R 92.5 115R 140 478 429.2
Denny Habecker 75 186 50 25R 80 101R 80 336 425.5
Cody Lokken 23 167 70 35R 90 85R 100 380 377.5
LaVerne Myers 74 238 55 30L 60 100R 80 325 356.9
Brandon Rein 23 148 45 25R 60 80R 100 310 333.2
Dean Ross 75  248 40 27.5R 70 65R 90 293 316.9
Cale Dunlap 23 177 50 25R 60 65R 90 290 278.5
Dennis Mitchell 86 143 27.5 7.5L 23.5 50L 55 164 264.5

EXTRA ATTEMPTS FOR RECORDS:

Dennis Mitchell: Deadlift – Left Arm 52.5
Dennis Mitchell: Zercher Lift 57.5

Notes: BWT is bodyweight in pounds.  R and L designate right and left arms. Lifts recorded in kilograms. TOT is total kilograms lifted. PTS are overall adjusted points corrected for age and bodyweight.

BEST LIFTER AWARDS:

Senior 20-39 Age Group: Joe Ciavattone Jr.
Masters 40-44 Age Group: Eric Todd
Masters 45-49 Age Group: Joe Ciavattone Sr.
Masters 50-54 Age Group: Al Myers
Masters 70-74 Age Group: LaVerne Myers
Masters 75-79 Age Group: Denny Habecker
Masters 85-89 Age Group: Dennis Mitchell
Overall Best Lifter: Al Myers
Best Club Award: Dino Gym (Al Myers, LaVerne Myers, Cale Dunlap, Brandon Rein, Cody Lokken, Dean Ross)
Club Runner Up: Frank’s Barbell Club (Joe Ciavattone Jr., Joe Ciavattone Sr.)

 

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