Rulebook available on Amazon

8.5x11" rulebook, open to the page with the hang snatch, Kelly snatch, and snatch on knees

To those who enjoy having a physical copy of their books, I am pleased to announce that the 13th (current) edition of the USAWA Rulebook is now available for purchase on Amazon. If you search “USAWA Rulebook” it will pop right up, and you can order a copy for $9.99.

The Amazon version of the rulebook is print-on-demand, meaning that USAWA did not have to front money for a print run, nor will anybody have to store copies of the book or take the time to ship orders. The purchase price is cheaper than we have been able to offer previous printed rulebooks, and as a bonus the USAWA bank account nets $2.78 per copy. The photos included here are of the proof copy; the final copy will not include the “not for resale” banner that you can see across the cover.

The Rulebook is still available in PDF format on our Rulebook page for free, and if you prefer to print your own copy, you are still welcome to do so. I am working on formatting an ebook version that can be purchased on Kindle or loaded onto the e-reader of your choice.

So tell your friends, and order a copy for yourself if you would like. I’m told that reviews on the Amazon website are helpful in keeping books available and easy to find, so consider giving it an honest review (it deserves five stars, right?) if you’re so inclined.

Planning USAWA’s future

Last year, we had an advisory committee that was tasked with looking into options to grow and modernize our organization. This year, the board would like to bring the committee back, with a special focus on surveying the membership and volunteers (meet directors, record keepers, etc) to determine USAWA’s biggest problems and opportunities. This information will then guide future proposals.

The Executive Board is now putting together the committee to handle this important task, and we want to make sure we open this opportunity to the membership. A small committee (around 5 people) will be selected.

Sanjiv Gupta will head up this effort. He describes it as an opportunity to discuss what is going well, what could use improvement, opportunities to get people involved, and threats to the USAWA staying relevant. The time commitment will be a few hours per month, and mainly consist of email communications and video calls.  The committee will be active through approximately March of 2025 to be able to provide a report for the 2025 National Meeting.

Anyone who is interested in serving on this committee should contact Sanjiv directly at sanjiv_gupta@hotmail.com.

2024 Q3 Secretary’s Report

By Beth Skwarecki

Hi folks! I thought I’d start giving a rundown of business that has come before the board over each quarter, as well as routine business that has crossed my desk as Secretary. This report is for Q3, July through September 2024.

As you’ll see, sometimes our plate is relatively empty, and sometimes we have several orders of business in the same week. I do post notices on the website when something happens that is important for membership to know promptly. I hope this quarterly report is helpful for conveying the big picture of all that we do behind the scenes.

I took over as Secretary at the National Meeting in June of this year, so my first few weeks were spent learning my new duties under the guidance of former Secretary Eric Todd, and tying up loose ends from the National Meeting (posting the minutes, updating documents, etc). Apologies if I’ve forgotten any events from those early weeks. What follows are my notes from Q3 (July through September).

  • 7/21/2024: The 12th edition of the Rulebook was published online, incorporating updates from 2022-2024. See announcement here. 
  • 7/29/2024: Eric Todd stepped down as Website Director, on the grounds that that it makes more sense for the Secretary rather than the Treasurer to hold that position. The board unanimously appointed Beth Skwarecki to the position.
  • 8/29/2024: The records director approached the board with a member’s concerns about discrepancies between the rulebook and record book on how Weaver Stick records were kept. The board unanimously approved changes to the rulebook to resolve this issue. These changes and their rationale were documented here.
  • 9/8/2024: A positive drug test was obtained from a lifter, and a 6-month suspension applied (first offense). That member was removed from the membership roster.
  • 9/11/2024: Abe Smith stepped down as both Records Director and At-Large EB member. The board asked for nominations for his EB replacement.
  • 9/12/2024: Remaining board members unanimously appointed Tony Lupo to Records Director. Tony had already been involved in updating records, and Abe suggested him as his replacement in this position.
  • 9/13/2024: A member brought some possible errors in Weaver Stick records to the Secretary’s attention. However, he declined to share documentation that would allow the records to be corrected. Anyone with information about such errors is invited to contact the Records Director or the Secretary.
  • 9/13/2024: The same member also alleged (in a website article submission and subsequent emails) that the board acted improperly in changing the Weaver Stick rules and that the Secretary/Website Director violated unspecified duties of her job. Upon being reminded that complaints must be filed according to the Bylaws (Article 21, part C), he declined to file a complaint.
  • 9/16/2024: The 13th edition of the Rulebook was published online, containing the Weaver Stick updates.
  • 9/23/2024: Remaining board members appointed Sanjiv Gupta to the At-Large executive board seat.
  • 9/23/2024: The board was asked to mediate a disagreement between IAWA leadership and a US-based meet promoter who was bidding for an international event. After communicating with the parties involved, and determining that IAWA’s procedures were being followed appropriately, the board decided not to intervene.
  • 9/25/2024: New Records Director Tony Lupo reported that the records team has published an update to the individual records list and to the Century Club. A further update was made on 9/30/2024.
  • During this quarter,
    • 18 members joined or renewed
    • 11 new meet sanctions were approved
    • 5 members joined the Century Club of people with 100 or more records:
      • Stacy Todd
      • Allison Lupo
      • Clint Poore
      • John Carter
      • Joshua Monk
    • 5 members moved up the ranks in our officials system:
      • Kim Van Wagner and Christopher Lansdown passed their rules tests and are now officials-in-training.
      • Crystal Diggs passed her practicals and is now a Level 1 official.
      • Abe Smith and Beth Skwarecki each documented 25+ meets’ worth of experience, and are now Level 2 officials.

Please direct any questions, concerns, etc to the Secretary at bethskw@gmail.com.

Records updated through 8/16/2024

Dear USAWA members:

       Our records team is moving on getting caught up. As of this update, we are halfway through August 2024. This includes up to the Two-Fisted Challenge Meet of 10 – 11 August 2024. We have three more to do from August including the IAWAs. We have two in September not including the 3rd Quarterlies. We hope to be current by this time next week.

Current records are here.

Tony Lupo
Records Director

Apple Festival World Record Breakers Classic – Results

Results are in for the Apple Festival World Record Breakers Classic, although the day turned out very different than planned thanks to Hurricane Helene. The apple festival was canceled, and the record day moved to Buffville Gym where just two intrepid lifters, Clint Poore and Ashley Stearns, set their records. Results are attached.

2024-APPLE-FESTIVAL-WORLD-RECORD-BREAKERS-CLASSIC-Download
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