Author Archives: Beth Skwarecki

Procedure for bidding on Championship meets

In addition to the National Championships, which are awarded according to the policy in the rulebook, the USAWA has several other championship meets like the Heavy Lift, the Grip Champs, and the OTSM Champs. (Sanjiv Gupta has compiled a list of all our championship meets, and the history behind them, here.)

Usually these meets are bidded and awarded by an informal process, but starting this year we will have an official policy that is transparent to all interested meet directors. The promoter of each championship will be decided at the previous year’s championship, whenever possible. Sanctions are still granted by the Executive Board, via the Secretary, as usual. But the EB will give priority in awarding championship sanctions to (1) the winner of the previous year’s championship, followed by (2) the winner of a vote taken at that championship.

How championship bids will work, in 2025 and beyond:

  1. Bids for championship meets shall be submitted to the Secretary by the date of the current year’s championship, and should also be shared with the attendees of the championship. The bid should include the location, promoter, lifts to be contested, and as many other relevant details as possible.
  2. If the winner of the championship wishes to host the next year’s championship, the EB will consider this the primary bid for the championship, and will accept it so long as paperwork is in order, sanction fee is paid, and the bid is acceptable to the EB. The sanction will be issued within 7 days of the championship when possible.
  3. If the winner declines to host, or in case of a tie, a vote shall be taken among the members in attendance at the championship meet. Minutes should be kept, indicating the names of members who were in attendance for the vote, and the tally of votes. All bids from interested parties shall be presented and voted on. If remote entries are accepted, remote votes from those lifters must also be accepted. All efforts must be made to ensure the vote is fair and all athletes in attendance have an opportunity to vote. If an Executive Board member is in attendance, they shall oversee the vote.
  4. The EB will award the bid to the winner of the vote, again assuming that paperwork is in order, sanction fee is paid, and the bid is acceptable to the EB, and will do so within 7 days when possible.
  5. If no bids are made, or if a championship is not held, the Secretary will post a call for bids no later than December, so that a decision can be announced by January of the year of the next championship.

This new policy applies to the Grip Championships, Heavy Lift Championships, and OTSM Championships. If the Team or Club Championships were to return, they would abide by this policy as well.

The National Championships, Postal Championships, and Presidential Cup do not use this procedure, since they each have their own procedures already in effect. (Nationals are decided at the National Meeting, Postals are done virtually by scoring postal entries, and the Presidential Cup is held by the President.) All championships get priority on the meet schedule, with no other meets allowed to be held on the same date, so getting them scheduled early helps everyone.

The bottom line: if you want to host next year’s [Grip/OTSM/Heavy Lift/etc] championship meet…

…you can obtain priority for your bid by ANY of the following:

  • Winning this year’s championship (then you have first dibs)
  • Attending this year’s championship, and making the case to attendees why you’d be a great host (so you can win the vote)
  • Discussing the matter with the other potential hosts, and deciding amongst yourselves who will submit a bid (similar to the friendly way rotating championships like the Heavy Lift have traditionally been done – there will still be a vote under this new rule, but it will be an easy choice).

The EB understands that this new policy favors existing championship hosts, but it also incentivizes potential hosts to attend and compete in the championship they wish to host. It also allows and encourages friendly discussion among potential hosts to coordinate bids, if desired. We hope that the transparency here helps everyone.

Zercher Classic & Record Day 2025 – Results

THE ZERCHER MEET RESULTS – by Bill Clark

(Updated 2/10/2025 to correct some errors spotted by Tony Lupo.)

The toughest test in the USAWA lured in a dozen lifters for the 13-lift Zercher challenge and/or the record days that gave the contestants a total of 18 different lifts in the long weekend. Lifters checked in from Ontario, Kentucky, and Colorado, taking advantage of the Clark’s Gym “open to the world policy” regarding competition – a policy that all meet directors should consider.

The winners were both Clark’s Gym members and both were champions regardless of both scoring systems used – Janet Thompson and Jeff Wenzel. It was a “first” for both.

In fact, it was the first time we have had two women finish the Zercher test in the same year.

Missing was John Carter, the many-time Zercher champion. The many years he spent as a concrete finisher finally caught up with him, leaving him with painful knees that have sidelined him for the immediate future. Knees and shoulders will be evaluated this month and we’ll see what the future holds for the gym’s longest-serving member and a leader in the USWA for the past 35 years.  

GETTING WELL QUICK

Dave DeForest, who almost never misses an event in the Midwest, was recovering from a bout with whatever is going around these days, but decided to do give it a try on the final meet date – and he got well quick.

He lifted in only six of the 13 events, and scored two firsts, three seconds and a third place. Then he added five records to boot.

A DIFFERENT SCORING SYSTEM VS. THE OLD SYSTEM

For many years, the discussion in the USAWA has been the question of the domination of the chain and other heavy lifts. Through the years, the results showed that the great heavy lift folks did not dominate the overhead lifters when both light and heavy events were in the same lineup – as in the Zercher.

This year, the decision was made to score each of the 13 lifts individually and match those results against the traditional system of using a single total.

Each lift would be scored normally, and the leader of the event would receive a single point for being No. One and the 10th place would receive 10 points – with low score at the end of the day being the champion.

Both the point leaders were also the leaders using the old system. The only difference was the pressure put on the scorer for the weekend – who needed to tally every one of the 13 lifts as they were completed.

The results follow:

First – the entry list:

WOMEN:

Janet Thompson.  Age 67.  Bwt -168. Coefficient – .9886.

Allison Lupo.  Age 58.  Bwt – 193.  Coeff. – .9108.

MEN:

Jeff Wenzel.    AGE – 49.  Bwt – 239.  Coeff: – .8112.

Nick Frieders.   Age – 24.  Bwt – 164.  Coeff. – 1.0042.

Tony Lupo.  Age – 58.  Bwt – 244.  Coeff. – .8029.

Sanjiv Gupta.  Age – 53.   Bwt – 210.  Coeff – .8700.

Dave DeForest.  Age – 64.  Bwt – 175.  Coeff. – .9612.

Chris Frappier.  Age -60.  Bwt. – 215.  Coeff. – .8564.

Kyle Frappier.  Age – 21.  Bwt – 217.6.  Coeff. – .8540.

Jarrod Fobes.  Age – 47.  Bwt. – 217.3.  Coeff. – .8540.

OFFICIALS:

At Clark’s Gym – Bill Clark, Tony Lupo, Dave DeForest.

At High Vigour Gym (Colorado) – Jarrod Fobes and Sanjiv Gupta.

Ontario – Kyle and Chris Frappier.

Buffville Gym, Albany, Kentucky – Clint Poore, Ashley Stearns and Patrick Hadley.

RECORD CHAIRMAN – PLEASE NOTE:

The following lifts done by Sanjiv were done without an official.  His remaining lifts were properly adjudicated:

Deadlift – heels together.

Hack lift.

Steinborn Lift.

Bench press – feet in air.

LEG PRESS

Women:

1 – Allison Lupo.  250 lbs.  275.22 adj.

2 – Janet Thompson. 150 lbs.  190.12 adj.

Men:

1 – Nick Frieders.  600 lbs.  601.02 adj.

2 – Jeff Wenzel.  600 lbs.  583.70 adj.

3 – Tony Lupo.  500 lbs.  477.73 adj.

CLEAN AND PRESS – HEELS TOGETHER

Women

1 – Allison Lupo.  50 lbs.  55.64 adj.

2 – Janet Thompson.  40 lbs.  50.7 adj.

Men

1 – Jeff Wenzel.  180 lbs. 147.14 adj.

2 – Sanjiv Gupta.  125 lbs.  123.98 adj.

3 – Nick Frieders.   120 lbs.   120.20 adj.

4 – Tony Lupo.  100 lbs.  95.55 adj.

DEADLIFT – HEELS TOGETHER

Women

1 – Janet Thompson.   155 lbs.  196.46 adj.

2 – Allison Lupo.   175 lbs.  194.15 adj.

Men

1 – Nick Frieders.  440 lbs.  442.48 adj.

2 – Jeff Wenzel.  360 lbs.  408.59 adj.

3 – Tony Lupo.  350 lbs.  334.41 adj.

4 – Chris Frappier.   315 lbs.  326.26 adj.

5 – Sanjiv Gupta.  245 lbs.  242.99 adj.

6 – Kyle Frappier.  250 lbs.  213.50 adj.

TWO-ARM ZERCHER LIFT

Women

1 – Janet Thompson.   80 lbs.  101.40 adj.

2 – Allison Lupo.  90 lbs.  100.16 adj.

Men

1 – Nick Frieders.  330 lbs.  336.56 adj.

2 – Jeff Wenzel.   300 lbs.  291.83 adj.

3 – Sanjiv Gupta.   205 lbs.  203.22 adj.

4 – Chris Frappier.  155 lbs.  160.62 adj.

5 – Tony Lupo.  130 lbs.   124.21 adj.

JEFFERSON LIFT

Women

1 – Janet Thompson.   135 pounds.  145.76 adj.

2 – Allison Lupo.    155 lbs.   143.75 adj.

Men

1 – Nick Frieders.  400 lbs.  400.68 adj.

2 – Jeff Wenzel.  360 lbs.  350.22 adj.

3 –Tony Lupo.  325 lbs.  310.52 adj. 

4 – Sanjiv Gupta.  255 lbs.  252.91 adj.

ONE-HAND DEADLIFT

Women

1 – Janet Thompson.  115 lbs.  145.76 adj. (R)

2 – Allison Lupo.  120 lbs.  132.55 lbs. (R)

Men

1 – Nick Frieders.  300 lbs.  300.51 adj. (L)

2 – Dave DeForest.  205 lbs.  246.31 adj. (R)

3 – Jarrod Fobes.  225 lbs.  230.5 adj. (L)

4 – Tony Lupo.  225 lbs.  214.98 adj. (L)

5 – Jeff Wenzel.  210 lbs.   187.32 adj.  (R)

6 – Chris Frappier.   165 lbs.  170.98 adj.  (R)

7 – Kyle Frappier.  165 lbs.  145.76 adj.  (R)

8 – Sanjiv Gupta.  135 lbs.  133.89 adj. (L)

BENCH PRESS – FEET UP

Women

1 – Janet Thompson.  70 lbs.   88.72 adj.

2 – Allison Lupo.   70 lbs.   77.90 adj.

Men

1 – Jeff Wenzel.   330 lbs. 321.04 adj.

2 – Tony Lupo.   235 lbs.   220.53 adj.

3 – Nick Frieders.   205 lbs.   205.35 adj.

4 – Sanjiv Gupta. 175 lbs.   173.57 adj.

5 – Chris Frappier.   155 lbs.   160.62 adj.

6 – Kyle Frappier. 135 lbs.   125.29 adj.

STEINBORN LIFT

Women

1 – Janet Thompson.   30 lbs.   31.50 adj.

2 – Allison Lupo.   30 lbs.   29.82 adj.

Men

1 – Jeff Wenzel.   200 lbs.  194.57 adj.

2 – Nick Frieders.     190 lbs.   190.32 adj.

3 – Sanjiv Gupta.   94 lbs.  94.22 adj.

4 – Tony Lupo.   45 lbs.  43.00 adj.

HACK LIFT

Women

1 – Allison  Lupo.   125 lbs.  139.11 adj.

2 – Janet Thompson.  100 lbs.  126.75 adj.

Men

1 – Nick Frieders.   420 lbs.  420.11 adj.

2 – Dave DeForest.  280 lbs.  336.42 adj.

3 – Jeff Wenzel.   350 lbs.  312.20 adj.

4 – Sanjiv Gupta.   225 lbs.  225.11 adj.

5 – Chris Frappier.   275 lbs.  187.67 adj.

6 – Kyle Frappier.   155 lbs.   158.00 adj.

7 – Tony Lupo. 130 lbs.   124.21 adj.

HARNESS LIFT

Women

1 – Janet Thompson.   600 lbs.  633.73 adj.

2 – Allison Lupo.   550 lbs.  606.98 adj.

Men

1 – Jeff Wenzel.  1,502 lbs.   1,461 adj.

2 – Tony Lupo.  1,308 lbs. 1,249 adj.

3 – Dave DeForest.   1,005 lbs.  1,207.51 adj.

4 – Nick Frieders.  1,150 lbs.  1,151.96 adj.

5 – Sanjiv Gupta.  570 lbs.  565.33 adj.

HIP LIFT

Women

1 – Janet Thompson.   500 lbs. 545.40 adj.

2 – Allison Lupo.   425 lbs.  469.03 adj.

Men

1 – Dave DeForest.   1.105 lbs.  1,327.66 adj.

2 – Jeff Wenzel.  1,250 lbs.  1,216.05 adj.

3 – Tony Lupo.  1,207 lbs.  1,153.23 adj.

4 – Nick Frieders.   1,100 lbs.  1,000.67 adj.

5 – Jarrod Fobes.   710 lbs.  654.85 adj.

6 – Sanjiv Gupta.   570 lbs.  565.33 adj.

HAND AND THIGH LIFT

Women

1 – Janet Thompson.   305 lbs.  356.57 adj.

2 – Allison Lupo.  315 lbs.  347.64 adj.

Men

1 – Jeff Wenzel.  1,015 lbs.  1,055.79 adj.

2 – Dave DeForest.  630 lbs.   756.95 adj.

3 – Nick Frieders.  775 lbs.  736.25 adj.

4 – Jarrod Fobes.  632 lbs.  582.91 adj.

5 – Tony Lupo.   505 lbs.  482.50 adj.

6 – Sanjiv Gupta.   375 lbs.   371.93 adj.

NECK LIFT

Women

1 – Janet Thompson.  135 lbs.   171.11 adj.

2 – Allison Lupo.  125 lbs.   137.95 adj.

Men

1 – Dave DeForest.  350 lbs.  420.53 adj.

2 – Jeff Wenzel.   315 lbs.  306.52 adj.

3 – Tony Lupo.  205 lbs.  145.87 adj.

4 – Sanjiv Gupta.   140 lbs.  133.85 adj.

5 – Nick Frieders.  135 lbs.  135.23 adj.

TOTAL POINTS

Women

1 – Janet Thompson – 16 points.

2 – Allison Lupo – 23 points.

Men

1 – Jeff Wenzel – 25 points.

2 – Nick Frieders – 30 points.

3 – Tony Lupo – 48 points.

4 – Sanjiv Gupta – 58 points.

Note: Dave DeForest was involved in only six of the 13 lifts, and totaled only 11 points in those six lifts.

A COMPARISON TO THE CURRENT SYSTEM OF FINDING A WINNER  

Using only a single total for the 13 events and the same age and bodyweight adjustments, the results would have been the same.

Women

1 – Janet Thompson.  Total weight – 2,415. Adjusted total – 3103.71.

2 – Allison Lupo.  Total weight – 2,480. Adjusted total – 2,687.95.

Men

1 – Jeff Wenzel.  Total weight – 6,972.  Adjusted total – 6,221.25.

2 – Nick Frieders.  Total weight – 6165.  Adjusted total – 6,190.89.

3 – Tony Lupo.  Total weight – 5,266.  Adjusted total – 5,031.

4 – Sanjiv Gupta.   Total weight – 3,124.  Adjusted total – 3,088.47.

RECORD DAYS

From Kentucky

Clint Poore. Age 51.  Bwt – 115.1 kilos

Hackenschmidt floor press – 445.

Bench press, alternate grip – 340.

Bench press – Fulton Bar – 305.

Reeves Deadlift – 375.

Foot press – 1,107.

Lynn Homan.   Age 62.  Bwt – 58.25 kilos.

Hackenschmidt floor press – 155.

FROM  ONTARIO, CANADA

Kyle Frappier.  Age 21.  Wt – 219.6 lbs.

Zercher lift – 105 lbs.

Two hands dumbbell clean and seated press – 80.

Hackenschmidt floor press – 155.

Crucifix – 50.

Chris Frappier.  Age – 60.  Bwt – 214.

Two hands dumbbell clean and seated press – 112.

Hackenschmidt floor press – 260.

Crucifix – 50.

FROM CLARK’S GYM, COLUMBIA, MO

Dave DeForest.  Age 64.  Bwt – 177.

Dinnie lift – 430.

Bavarian deadlift – 265.

Clean and seated press behind neck – 90.

Clean and press on knees – 100.

Curl – strict – 75.

Jeff Wenzel.  Age 49.  Bwt – 239.

Bavarian deadlift – 401.

Clean and press – 12-inch base – 185.

Anderson squat – 610.

Bench dip – 275.

Saxon deadlift – 135.

Tony Lupo.  Age 58.  Bwt – 244.

Deanna Lift – 320.

Reverse press – 140

Kneeling snatch – 70.

Dumbbell clean and press – left – 87.

Saxon deadlift – 105.

Bayou Beast Bash 2025 – Results

by Jeff “Trex” Bankens

A great day of lifting in Louisiana!

The inaugural Bayou Beast Bash turned out to be a huge success! Lifters came from as far away as Kentucky and Missouri to compete in-person, while three additional lifters competed remotely with their own officials on hand. More importantly than the lifting, it was nice to see the arms of the USAWA reaching into the deep south. In fact, I understand that I had the privilege to host the very first USAWA meet in Louisiana.

When people think of Southwest Louisiana, I would imagine things like alligators, swamps, and the Petro-chemical industry, steamy summers, and mild winters come to mind. The timing of the meet couldn’t have been better! Temperatures ranged from the 50’sF – to 60’sF which made for perfect lifting conditions. As a side note, if it would have been held two days later, we would have been in the midst of Winter Storm Enzo, record cold, record snow, and blizzard conditions. As of this writing, there is still snow and ice on the ground. The day of the meet two lifts were contested, the Hackenschmidt Floor Press and the Bavarian Deadlift. We had many age groups represented and the lifters showed up with purpose and intensity. The results are posted below.

After the meet was completed, we held a records day. Even though we were tired, we still had some energy left in the tank. Pending official approval, many age group / weight class records were set or exceeded by several of our lifters. Those results will be shared on the website once the officials review and record the results. In closing, I want to say that the USAWA proved to be what I thought it was, a group of people who enjoy camaraderie, lifting, and friendship as much as (if not more than) lifting, competing, and setting records.

As this was my very first lifting competition, I am very pleased that things went well and that I was able to make new friends in a sport I truly adore. Most importantly, I got to share this experience with my eleven-year-old son, Isaac. The memories we made will last a lifetime and have energized us to ramp-up training for the Nationals this coming summer. We look forward to participating again and want to give a big thanks to Clint Poore, Tony Lupo, Sanjiv Gupta, and my loving wife for bringing this to fruition.

DATE: 1/18/25
LOCATION: IRON SHARPENS IRON WL CLUB, WESTLAKE, LA / REMOTE MEET FOR 3 PARTICIPANTS IN COLORADO
MEET DIRECTOR: JEFF BANKENS
REFEREES / OFFICIALS: (IN-PERSON) CLINT POORE, TONY LUPO; (REMOTE) SANJIV GUPTA, JARROD FOBES
ALL LIFTS RECORDED IN LBS. & ALL WEIGHT CLASSES & BODY WEIGHTS MEASURED IN KG
ALL COMPETITORS ARE IN THE MEN’S DIVISION

Columns below are: location, name, age, bodyweight, weight class, hack floor press, bavarian deadlift, total, adjusted total with lynch and age factor, and placing.

NAMEAGEBWCLASSHACKBAV DLTOTALADJPLACING
IN-PERSONISAAC BANKENS1181.8KG85KG80183263331.87TH
IN-PERSONJEFF BANKENS47132.4KGSHW250387637505.95TH
REMOTEELIJAH CONLEY1877.8KG80KG165193358360.56TH
REMOTEJARROD FOBES4799.2KG1OOKG266319585537.53RD
REMOTESANJIV GUPTA5395.4KG100KG195319514509.24TH
IN-PERSONTONY LUPO58109.7KG110KG250342592568.62ND
IN-PERSONCLINT POORE51115.1KG120KG430437867764.81ST

Jarrod Forbes also lifted 345 in the Bavarian Deadlift as a 4th attempt for record.

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