Author Archives: Al Myers

Apollons Lift

by Al Myers

Thom Van Vleck, of the JWC, training on his 245# Apollon Wheel Replica.

It’s about time I start highlighting the rules of the events that I plan on having in the Dino Gym Challenge on January 15th, the VERY FIRST strongman competition sanctioned by the USAWA.   Again – this strongman comp will be quite different than modern traditional strongman comps as this one will be based on feats of strength performed by OLD TIME STRONGMEN.  The first event that I am going to profile is the APOLLON’S LIFT.  This event is based on the old-time strongman Louis Uni, aka Apollon.  He made famous the Apollon’s Wheels – a 2″ axle connecting two railway car wheels.  The entire apparatus weighed in at 366 pounds!  David Willoughby made this feat well-known when in his book, The Super Athletes,  he listed it as one of  the “Five famous weights and the men who lifted them.”   Well, I don’t expect anyone to lift a replica of the original 366# Apollon’s Wheels so we will use a lighter set-up.  I do expect this event to be held to the basic dimensions of the original Apollon Wheels so a 2″ axle will be used and a higher bar height will be allowed (since the diameter of the original AW was 26 inches).  The rules for this lift will be very liberal since the object of this strongman feat is to “get it overhead in any fashion”.

The Rules for the Apollon’s Lift:

A 2 inch diameter axle (or Fulton Bar)  will be used as the bar for this lift.  The maximum starting bar height is 12 inches measured from the platform to the bottom of the bar.  Any method may be used to take the bar to the shoulders or overhead.  The bar or plates are allowed to retouch the platform during the lift.  If the bar is placed down or dropped, the lifter may try again as many times as he/she wants within the time limit.  A time limit of 1 minute is allowed.  Once the weight is overhead, with arms’ locked, legs straight,  and the feet in line with the torso,  an official will give the command to end the lift.

All other general rules of the USAWA will apply.  Each competitor will get three attempts of their choosing with the best one counting towards their total.

Australian All-Round Website

by Al Myers

ARWLWA President Peter Phillips was the Overall Best Lifter at the 2007 IAWA World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Recently the All-Round Weightlifting of Western Australia has launched a new website.   It has their up to date schedule, meet results, photos and even some preliminary details of the 2011 World All-Round Weightlifting Championships, which they will be hosting on November 19th and 20th, 2011 in Perth.

Website for All-Round Weightlifting Western Australia Incorporated

The current officers of the ARWLWA are:

President:  Peter Phillips

Secretary:  Justine Martin

Vice President:  Samuel Trew

Treasurer:  Robin Lukosius

Registrar:  Samuel Trew

Goerner Deadlift

by Al Myers

MEET ANNOUNCEMENT

GOERNER DEADLIFT RESCHEDULED

The Goerner Deadlift has been rescheduled!!!  Bill Clark has sent me a letter giving me permission to reschedule the Goerner Deadlift Dozen plus One at the Dino Gym sometime this month.  The problem is that the month of December is getting away from us!!  I want to keep the annual tradition of the Goerner Deadlift alive, but we are out of weekends in December.  On the weekend of the 18th, Dave is having his record day and then after that we are into the holidays.  So after mulling it over trying to find a  date for it, I have come to the conclusion that only one day is workable  – December 14th. I plan to hold the Goerner Deadlift  in conjunction with the Tuesday Night workout at the Dino Gym!!

Goerner Deadlift Dozen plus One

Time:   Tuesday Night, December 14th, 5:00 PM

Location:  Dino Gym

Entry:  No entry fee or entry form,  but you MUST notify me ahead of time if you plan to attend

Anchor Press

by Al Myers

Chris Anderson pressing the two 100 pound Dino Gym Anchors after a hard day of Strongman Competition.

This past weekend Scott Tully and the Dino Gym promoted the NAS Winter Strongman Challenge at the Dino Gym.  It was a great day of competition!  Fourteen  very strong guys participated in 5 events – the log press, 18″ deadlift, incline log press, farmers hold, and a keg load  (more info and pictures will be on the Dino Gym Facebook Page).   After the competition I had a challenge waiting for Chris Anderson.  I can always get Chris to “give a go” at any challenge I have waiting on him at the gym!  Last year, he conquered shouldering the GIANT PILL, a 250 pound steel air compressor tank which is shaped like a pill.  Of course I have it painted with a slick black paint to make it a little more challenging.  He did it easily.  This time I had something even more challenging waiting for him.  I recently made two 100# anchors, of which I attached ring handles.  The “test” is to take both of them overhead at the same time, and then pose for a picture.  Chris easily took them to his shoulders, but had some difficulty taking them overhead.  The balance of pressing them is a real challenge as they want to wobble all over the place (and gouge you in the back!).  On Chris’s first try he missed, but then he came back to MASTER this challenge.  I was quite impressed!!

Membership Drive

by Al Myers

It’s now December and the  time to start sending me USAWA membership dues for the 2011 year.   I already have a couple – from Jim Malloy and John Wilmot.  I will start the 2011 Membership Roster soon – so if you want your “join date” to say January 1st beside your name – you have a month to get it done!   Membership dues are still the same at $25 per year, with USAWA  membership running from the first of January till the end of December.  No longer will there be any “rollover” memberships like there has been in the past.  I will be very firm with this.  Dues are our only means of financial income for our organization and I take that very serious.  Also – $25 per year is a bargain!

A couple of important things to consider when filling out your membership application:  make sure you list the club you are affiliated with because this is important in the calculation for club of the year, and make sure you include the
SIGNED drug waiver.  If not – you will be tested at EVERY EVENT you attend (just kiddin’).  The drug waiver is part of the application and your membership will not be active until I receive it.  If you forget, I will remind you and it will cost you another stamp.

For 2010, the Dino Gym had the most registered USAWA members with 13, followed by the JWC and Clark’s Gym with 6.  Habecker’s Gym was next in line with 5 members.  Overall to date, we have 61 members.  Next year I would like to see us over 100 members.

The Membership Application is located on the upper left column of the website under “USAWA Information – Forms and Applications”.   You might as well send it in now as it doesn’t get any cheaper if you wait!!

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