Tag Archives: Team Lifting

Team Champs History

by Al Myers

8 time USAWA Team Champions Chad Ullom and Al Myers performing a 430 pound Heels Together Clean and Press in the first USAWA Team Championships in 2007.

8 time USAWA Team Champions Chad Ullom and Al Myers performing a 430 pound Heels Together Clean and Press in the first USAWA Team Championships in 2007.

It is my goal this year to create a historical summary of all our Championship Events, which will be always easily available to view in our historical archive page section on the website.   I plan to do this around the time of each Championships.  Since the Team Championships is already “done and gone” it is time I get this one summarized!  I have promoted and hosted all of the USAWA Team Championships at the Dino Gym, with the first year being in 2007.  Hard to believe – but next year will be our 10th year for this annual Championship event.

The USAWA Team Championships started out as a very small competition.  Only ONE TEAM showed up the first year, and that was only because I talked Chad into being my teammate. Well, the next year didn’t get much better when Chad told me he couldn’t make it so I talked Joe Garcia into being my teammate.  Again, it was just one team.  Joe commented to Bill (which was published in the Strength Journal) that “it was really cozy laying so close to Al” during the Team Pullover and Press.  I would think the enjoyment of that experience would have motivated Joe to return to the Team Championships – but I haven’t seen him at this meet since!  It was at that time that I think Bill probably thought I should have “put a fork” into this Team Championships idea and kill it off – and I was having my doubts as well – but I forged on for another year.

In 2009, the Team Championships started to pick up momentum! Participation DOUBLED with 2 teams in attendance. Thanks to the JWC Graybeards for showing up it finally made for a real competition – a ONE ON ONE DUEL. Thom and John vowed a rematch with Chad and me – but again they have not been seen at the Team Championships since.

2010 brought another increase in attendance!  For the first time there was a 70 age plus team competing (Rudy Bletscher and Mike Murdock).  This comp also marked the first time a Team Trap Bar Deadlift was done – which I made specifically for this event. 2012 was a memorable year because it was the first time a Mixed Pair (man and woman) team entered with Doug and Jera Kressly.  At this event the participation was up to 4 teams.  2013 was even better with all 3 divisions represented.  Ruth Jackson and Molly Myers entered the first ever 2-Women Team that year.  The BEST YEAR for attendance was THIS YEAR, 2015, with 6 teams entered.  There were 3 2-Man Teams and 3 Mixed Pair Teams.  This made for a great competitive event.

It has taken about 10 years – but finally I feel this is one of the best attended events in the USAWA.  I’m glad I didn’t “throw in the towel” back in 2008!

 

SUMMARY OF USAWA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

BEST OVERALL LIFTER TEAM AWARDS

 YEAR & DATE 2-MAN 2-WOMEN MIXED PAIR
2015-August 30th

Al Myers & Chad Ullom

>60: LaVerne Myers & Dean Ross

 none Jera & Doug Kressly
2014-August 24th

Al Myers & Chad Ullom

>60: Laverne Myers & Dean Ross

 none none
2013-August 17th

Al Myers & Chad Ullom

>60: Denny Habecker & Art Montini

 Ruth Jackson & Molly Myers Jera Kressly & Logan Kressly
2012-August 11th

Al Myers & Chad Ullom

>60: LaVerne Myers & Dean Ross

 none Jera & Doug Kressly
2011-August 27th

Al Myers & Chad Ullom

>60: Mike Murdock & Rudy Bletscher

 none none
2010-August 10th

Al Myers & Chad Ullom

>60: Mike Murdock & Rudy Bletscher

 none none
2009-September 20th Al Myers & Chad Ullom none none
2008-September 20th Al Myers & Joe Garcia none none
2007-September 8th Al Myers & Chad Ullom none none

*This table will be maintained and updated in the History Section page on the website.

Team Nationals

by Al Myers

At last year's Team Nationals, Dino Gym members Mark Mitchell and Scott Tully performed a 450 pound Maxey Press, a lift named in the memory of longtime Dino Gym member Bob Maxey. Chad Ullom and myself attempted to spot this big lift, but as you tell by the look on Chad's face that our spot probably would have been useless if needed!! 450 pounds at arms length overhead is not something you would want to try to catch!

The date has been set for the Dino Gym’s Annual Dino Days.  It is the weekend of the 27th and 28th of August.  I had to move it up a few weeks this year (from the middle of September) due to other conflicting competitions in the area in September.  This year Dino Days will be solely committed to the USAWA – with the USAWA Team Nationals being contested on Saturday and a USAWA Record Day on Sunday.  This will be the 5th year the Team National Championships has been contested (the first in 2007).   Last year we had the biggest turnout of lifters for it than ever before, and I’m hoping this year will be even better!

Team Nationals 2011

Meet Director: Al Myers and the Dino Gym  785-479-2264

Meet Date: Saturday, August 27th, 2011   10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Location: Dino Gym, 1126 Eden Road, Abilene, KS 67410

Sanction: U.S.A.W.A Memberships may be purchased on meet day

Weigh-ins: 9:00 – 10:00 AM the day of the meet

Divisions: 2-Man, 2-Person, and 2-Woman

Each division will be formula adjusted for weight and age

Entry Fee: None

Lifts:

Press – Dumbbell, One Arm

Snatch – Fulton Bar

Continental to Chest and Jerk

Deadlift – 2 Bars

(After meet there will be a record day for Team Lifts only)

Registration: Send entry to Al Myers, 1126 Eden Road, Abilene, Kansas 67410

For a pdf document of the Entry Form – TeamNationals2011

Team Nationals

Meet Announcement –

the 2010 USAWA Team Nationals

by Al Myers

Defending 2009 USAWA Team Champs Al Myers and Chad Ullom.

I  will be hosting the 2010 USAWA Team Nationals again this year on Sunday, September 19th.   This will be the fourth year the USAWA has had Team Nationals.  I am hoping for more participation this year – and I have picked a selection of lifts that should be accommodating to everyone.

This year’s lifts are:

Maxey Press

Bench Press – Hands Together

Rectangular Fix

Trap Bar Deadlift

Different divisions will be contested – the 2-Man, 2-Woman, and the 2-Person.  The 2-Person division consists of a man and woman team.  USAWA scoring will be used as required by our rules for all National Competitions. A record day for Team Lifts ONLY will held after the meet.

This coming  fall of 2010  marks the 5 year date that the Dino Gym lost a great friend and training partner in Bob Maxey.  There is not a training session that Bob is not remembered by all of us. His weightlifting belt still resides untouched on the mantle, and its presence still gives us motivation to train, much like Bob did when he was  in the gym pushing us to lift harder with his boisterous words of encouragement.   So, in remembrance of Bob, I have included the USAWA lift named after him – the Maxey Press. The Maxey Press is a strict press out of the rack with a Fulton Bar.  This was one of Bob’s favorite lifts.  This will be the first time it will be held in a competition as a Team lift.

Another unique lift that will be contested will be the Team Trap Bar Deadlift.  I just recently built a specialty bar for this purpose.  As far as I know, the Team Trap Bar Deadlift has NEVER been contested before so any records set will be the first ever.  I know everyone will enjoy this lift.

The Team Nationals will be held in conjunction with our gym’s annual Dino Days Weekend.  On Saturday, we will be hosting a Highlander Games, sanctioned by NAHA.  After the games on Saturday, we will be having a big backyard BBQ that evening. So, this is just another reason to put this date on your calendar!

Entry Form for Team Nationals – TeamNationals2010

TEAM LIFTING

by Al Myers

The date for the USAWA Team Nationals is approaching fast (Next Weekend -Sunday, September 20th, 2009). Team lifting is when two individuals (the Team) perform a lift together. The USAWA provides divisions for 2-Man, 2-Person, and 2-Woman Teams. A 2-person team is a team made up of a male and a female. All of these divisions are contested at the National Team Championships.

My training partner Chad Ullom (to left) and myself training the 2-Man Zercher Lift in preparation for the 2007 Team Nationals. We ended up lifting 705 pounds at Nationals.

Rules for Team Lifts (taken from the USAWA Rulebook)

“Any approved lift may be done as a Team Lift, provided it is done according to the rules of the individual lift. Team Lifts consist of two lifters performing a lift together. This may consist of male-male, female-female, or female-male teams. The combination of lifters may be of any age or weight. The weight class the Team will be in will be that of the heaviest lifter and the age class that of the youngest lifter. An exception is if a Junior lifter is teamed with an Open or Master lifter, in which the age class will be the class of the older lifter. “

Team lifting is very challenging because factors come into play that when lifting on a bar by yourself you don’t experience. The timing of the lift with your partner has to be the same or imbalances occur. It helps if both lifters are of the same height and body type so the bar is at the same height during and at the finish of the lift. Flexibility becomes more of a factor because of the limited space a bar provides when two lifters have a hold of it!! Lifting styles also come into play. For example – when doing a clean, one lifter can’t squat clean the bar while the other power cleans it!! Another factor you don’t think of until you actually do Team Lifting is trust. A missed lift can be catastrophic in team lifting because one person may be successfully completing the lift when this happens and unaware that one side of the bar is dropping fast!!! You have to know each others capabilities and be able to TRUST that your lifting partner won’t let you down.

But at the same time, Team Lifting provides a great challenge. In some lifts you can actually lift more together than the sum of each of your individual lifts. Chad and I found this out a couple of years ago when the Team One Arm Deadlift was contested at Team Nationals. We had an idea of what we thought we could do together based on each of our individual One Arm Deadlifts – but forgot a big difference that was going to occur when we were both gripping the bar. That difference was we were able to create an “alternate grip” on the bar by facing away from each other, thus helping in blocking the “bar roll” that occurs in any one arm deadlift. We ended up lifting more together than the sum of our “Bests” at the time.

There is still time to enter the USAWA Team Nationals.