Author Archives: Al Myers

IAWA Meeting Minutes

World Council Meeting Minutes

1st October 2022 – Lebanon PA

 

Meeting Commenced: 14.45 (Chaired by Al Myers)

  • The role call took place, those present – Denny Habecker (USA), Judy Habecker (USA), Al Myers (USA), Danny Kingsland (UK), Paul Barette (UK), Steve Sherwood (UK), Randy Smith (USA), Frank Ciavattone (USA), Beth Skwarecki (USA).
  • Al pointed out that Paul Barette was taking notes on behalf of Steve Gardner
  • Al conducted the IAWA International Vice Presidents Role Call as currently being Steve Gardner of the UK, Denny Habecker and Chad Ullom of the USA, Peter Philips and Robin Lukosas of AUS, also Cliff Harvey of NZ, Jose Jara (SPAIN).
  • Previous meeting minutes, there having been no meetings due to covid in the last two years previous meeting minutes were not available.
  • Report from the IAWA Vice Presidents:
    • Denny Habecker (USA) – nothing to report
    • Steve Gardner (UK) – “I have continued to enjoy holding the post and have represented the UK as much as I have been able to in international events. The recent years have been difficult for IAWA to thrive, and it may continue to be so for a little while, but IAWA is a constant for our members in these troubled times, and I am aware there is a continued interest in our organisation and I feel very excited for the future. If we just keep our cool and continue to provide a platform for our members to lift, I am sure all will be well.”
  • Al Myers then gave his report on the IAWA World Postal Championship. Al was a little concerned that there wouldn’t be a great attendance for this, but it turned out to be a great and he thanked everyone that competed in the competition. There were 44 lifters, up 2 from last year. Countries represented – US, AUS, ENG, CANADA. Al went on to point out that this event is one of three main international events which of course the World Postal is done in the memory of Andy Goddard. The full results are available on the Websites and Facebook Pages. The Overall winner was Abe Smith (USA) Overall best female lifter Beata Banas (ENG). Al apologised for a mistake made in the results and acknowledged this has now been corrected.

The best team of 3 went to Clarks Gym. Overall best club went to MetamorFIT. The USAWA as an organisation came out ahead although it was very close.

  • The forthcoming Gold Cup was promoted to those present and the forthcoming deadline was pointed out. Al went on to say how good last year’s event was and that due to the Covid situation promoters were given the opportunity of re-running events. This Gold Cup is being promoted by Steve Gardner and Stevie Shanks.
  • Report from the IAWA Technical Committee Chairman – Dennis Mitchell, has retired from the position. So, there will be no report. Discussion around a replacement for Dennis will be discussed later in the proceedings.
  • The current technical committee (which oversees rule changes and new lift proposals) is Denny Habecker, Al Myers, Steve Gardner, Steve Sherwood and the 2 representatives from Australia Peter Philips and John Mahon.
  • Report from John Mahon on the World Championships for 2023 (Sept 30 & Oct 1st)
  • Al pointed out that the lifts for the event have not yet been officially approved, they were only received about a week before this current meeting. It was pointed out that the lifts are usually pre-approved by the technical committee. With the difficulties caused by Covid this had not happened. There is further discussion taking place on the selection of lifts. A motion was put forward by Frank to have the Technical Committee Review the proposed lifts, seconded by Denny Habecker and voted for unanimously. When the Lifts are finally approved they will be advertised immediately.
  • Paul Barette was invited to give a report of the Gold Cup for 2023.
    • “We look forward to welcoming you to Eastbourne for the 2023 Gold Cup. Which will be on the first Saturday in November 4th. We will be hosting at the gym. MetamorFIT and I’ll be finding a nice by the seafront somewhere for a banquet, award presentations in the evening and we are very much excited about this. We are expecting a good number of lifters from our club locally but let’s also hope we can welcome a good number of international lifters.
  • New Business:
    • Two new lift proposals:
      • 2 Man 1 Hand Deadlift (from Steve Gardner), rules of the one arm deadlift apply except 2 people on the bar. Which would be added to the set of 2 person lifts. A clarification was made that both lifters must use the same hand. So, it would be a Left Hand 2-man One Hand Deadlift or a Right Hand 2-man One Hand Deadlift.

The lift was passed unanimously.

  • 2 x 1” Vertical Bar Lift (from Gary Ell), rules of the 2 x 2” Vertical Lift apply except is it done with a 1” bar. There was no discussion required on this lift and it was approved unanimously.
  • Election of Officers – Al pointed out that generally, election of officers in IAWA takes place every 4 years. Officers rolled over in 2020. The next election is due in 2024. However there have been changes. Firstly, Frank Allen has stepped down from being our General Secretary a position he has held for many years. Steve Gardner was prepared to take the position. Al highly recommended Steve for this position. Al also wanted to recommend combining the roles of the General Secretary with that of the IAWA Technical Committee Chairman. Al proposed that we change the title to the General Technical Secretary. A motion was raised by Frank Ciavattone, seconded by Steve Sherwood. (Paul Barette pointed out Franks health has deteriorated in the last couple of years and there has been a careful transition of roles and responsibilities within IAWA(UK) because of this). The motion was passed unanimously.

With Steve Gardner taking the new role, his IAWA Vice President Role now needed to be filled along with the other spare position, and Steve Gardner had proposed nominations for the 2 new IAWA(UK) Vice Presidents: Steve Andrews and Paul Barette. Steve Sherwood made the motion; Beth Skwarecki seconded the motion, and the motion was approved unanimously. This will be for a 2-year term as the next election will take place in 2024.

  • Submission of bids for the 2024 World Championships – One bid received from Paul Barette to be held in Eastbourne. Paul added that it would be great to host again after their successful championships in 2018 when we had 29 lifters. The membership has grown a little bit more since then so hoping for a really good turnout.

There was no discussion, and the membership present accepted the bid.

Submission of bids for the 2024 Gold Cup – One bid received from Frank Ciavattone, to held in Boston. Frank promised that all would have great time and Al reiterated this. There was no discussion, and the membership present accepted the bid.

  • There were a few words from Denny on the current World Championships and he pointed out that everyone did great and that there was good teamwork with everyone helping with loading and officiating. Weigh in for day 2 was confirmed as being 9am. Denny was also going to try to bring forward the banquet time and would confirm first thing tomorrow.
  • Motion for adjournment made by Judy Habecker, seconded by Beth. Agreed unanimously.

 

Meeting concluded: 15:16

World Championships

By Al Myers

2022 IAWA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

The group picture from the 2022 IAWA World Championships

The group picture from the 2022 IAWA World Championships

Once again Denny and Judy Habecker hosted a great World Championships in their hometown of Lebanon, PA. I believe this marks the SIXTH time the Habeckers have promoted Worlds – making them the ALL TIME leaders putting on the IAWA World Championships.

Like last year, the number of competitors were down in numbers.  I’m hoping this is still due to post COVID reasons, but it’s a little concerning.  However,  the lifting was superb and the meet was an overall success.  We dedicated this World Championships to Karen Gardner as she’s fighting health issues right now and could not attend.  Steve and Karen have always been a perennial presence at this meet, and I have to admit it seemed a little “off” not sharing the announcing table with Steve.

Beth Skwarecki from Pittsburgh was the lone women’s competitor but she represented well!! Her performance was worthy of being a champion.  She impressed me with several of her lifts and her technique is flawless.

Beth had a record breaking performance in the One Hand Deadlift with this 101 KG successful lift!

Beth had a record breaking performance in the One Hand Deadlift with this 101 KG successful lift!

Three lifters from England made the trip to the states to compete.  Steve Sherwood won the OVERALL BEST LIFTER title and AGAIN showed us that he is still the best in our sport.  I always enjoy watching Steve lift.  He’s a perfectionist with his lifting and a true gentleman off the platform.

Paul Barette and Danny Kingsland from the Metamorfit Gym in Eastbourne both had great meets.  This was the first time that Danny has traveled to the states to lift.  I want to REALLY thank Steve, Paul, and Danny for attending.

Young Aidan Habecker was the youngest lifter at 19, and his “gramps” Denny the oldest at 80.  However, Aidan is not the kid lifter he used to be as he’s a young man now, and he posted the highest total of the meet at 630 kilograms.  He was the last lifter on the platform when the meet was over as he nailed a 170 kg VB deadlift for record, which was a fitting way to end the meet.

I want to mention Frank Ciavattone.  Frank has dealt with ALOT lately but still competed and posted a mark in all the lifts.  Even though his One Hand Deadlift was a token lift for him at this meet, it still impressed me just getting to watch the legend in action with his signature lift.

Randy Smith made the road trip from Michigan to compete.  Randy was last year’s overall best lifter at Worlds but ended up second overall to Steve this year.  Outside of a few more grey hairs Randy still looks and lifts like he did 20 years ago.

Again, I want to thank Denny and Judy for all they did to make this another great championships for IAWA.

Meet Results:

2022 World IAWA World Championships
October 1st & 2nd, 2022
Lebanon, PA

Meet Director: Denny Habecker

Meet Announcer/Scorekeeper: Al Myers

Meet Officials (3-official system used): Denny Habecker, Barry Pensyl, Beth Skwarecki, Steve Sherwood, Paul Barette, Frank Ciavattone, Randy Smith

Meet Loaders:   All Lifters

Meet Lifts: DAY 1 Clean and Press, Continental Snatch, Cheat Curl, One Hand Deadlift  DAY 2 Continental Clean and Jerk, Pullover and Push, 2 2″ Vertical Bar Deadlift

WOMENS DIVISION

Lifter Age BWT C&P Sna Curl 1HDL C&J P&P VB TOT PTS
Beth Skwarecki 41 67.5 40 55 52.5 95R 70 85 96 492.5 537.8

EXTRA ATTEMPTS FOR RECORD

Beth S  Cheat Curl 56K
One Hand DL Right  101K

MENS DIVISION

Lifter Age BWT C&P Sna Curl 1HDL C&J P&P VB TOT PTS
Steve Sherwood 71 80.5 45 55.5 68 150L 55 75 140 588.5 777.7
Randy Smith 68 87.0 55 50 67.5 122.5R 67.5 92.5 140 595.0 718.6
Denny Habecker 80 83.1 42.5 35 42.5 92.5R 45 72.5 87.5 417.5 612.0
Aidan Habecker 19 83.0 50 60 67.5 125R 70 92.5 165 630.0 604.3
Paul Barette 46 74.8 50 52.5 65 120L 62.5 82.5 95 527.5 565.4
Danny Kingsland 32 64.8 65 45 60  0 60 97.5 105 432.5 476.0
Frank Ciavattone 67 130.0 20 20 40 90R 20 50 105 345.0 332.7
Al Myers 56 104.8  —  —  —  —  —  — 105 105.0 101.5

Notes: Steve Sherwood weighed in on Day 2 at 79.9 (80KG Class).  All other lifters weighed in at the same class as Day 1.

EXTRA ATTEMPTS FOR RECORD

Aidan Habecker Cheat Curl 68.5K
Aidan Habecker 2×2″ VB 170K

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

BEST LIFTER AWARDS

Womens Master 40-44: Beth Skwarecki
Womens Overall: Beth Skwarecki
Mens Junior: Aidan Habecker
Mens Senior:  Danny Kingsland
Mens Master 45-49: Paul Barette
Mens Master 55-59: Al Myers
Mens Master 65-69: Randy Smith
Mens Master 70-74: Steve Sherwood
Mens Master 80-84: Denny Habecker
Mens Overall: Steve Sherwood

World Postal Championships

By Al Myers, IAWA President

2022 IAWA World Postal Championships “The Andy Goddard Memorial” August 31st, 2022 Lifts: Clean and Press, Continental Snatch, Cheat Curl, 1H Deadlift MEET REPORT, BY PROMOTER AL MYERS Another great year for the IAWA World Postal Championships!! This year we had 44 lifters compete (up 2 from last year) from the United States, Australia, England, and Canada. This World Postal Championships is one of three (with the World Championships and the Gold Cup being the other two) promoted by IAWA. I want to REALLY thank all those that participated. Your participation is what makes this a great event! As per the tradition the past few years, the lifts of the first day Worlds were contested. I’ve included all class winners and best lifters, individual overall rankings for men and women, 3 person team rankings, and club rankings. I want to give special mention to the overall winners in each category. The Overall Best Men’s Lifter was ABE SMITH, and the Overall Best Women’s Lifter was BEATA BANAS. The Overall Best 3-person Team went to CLARK’S GYM (Abe Smith, Randy Smith, and Dave DeForest). The Overall Best Club went to METAMORFIT. The Overall Best Association went to the USAWA, with the IAWAUK in second, and the ARWF in third. The youngest lifter that entered Everett Todd at 9 years of age. The oldest lifter in the completion was Bill Clark at 90 years of age! The Clubs with the most lifters entered were KC Strongman and Metamorfit at 8 lifters each. I want to mention 5 lifters who competed as Exhibition Lifters (because of lack of an official to judge their lifts) just to show support to IAWA and the memory of Andy Goddard. These lifters were Gary Ell, Jason Farrugia, Chad Ullom and two lifters from Canada – Syvia Stockall and Sarah Douglas. If anyone notices any errors in these results please let me know as soon as possible so I can get things corrected. Sometimes I have difficulties reading the handwriting on the official scoresheets. Again, I want to thank everyone for entering this meet and making it an outstanding annual event in IAWA

MEET RESULTS (PDF): 2022 World Postal Results

 

IAWA World Postal

By Al Myers, IAWA President

MEET ANNOUNCEMENT

2022 IAWA WORLD POSTAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

The IAWA World Postal Championships has been announced! It will still be the “Andy Goddard Memorial”.  Andy was a great friend and supporter of the IAWA and as long as I’m involved promoting the World Postal Championships it will be done in Andy’s memory. As it has been the past few years, the lifts for this World Postal will be the first day lifts of the upcoming Worlds. Read the the info sheet as it outlines the “rules of the competition”.  Send your results to me at amyers@usawa.com. Also, please send in the official entry form with your club results. If you have more club entries than on the entry form just include extra entry forms.

INFORMATION SHEET (PDF) – 2022 World Postal Information Sheet

ENTRY FORM (PDF) – 2022 World Postal Entry Form

2022 Award Nominations

by Al Myers

It’s that time of the year again to nominate deserving lifters for the yearly awards!  The USAWA award program was started in 2009 to honor those individuals that displays outstanding achievements throughout the year in different categories.  I have been the USAWA Awards Director that entire time and was the one who started the USAWA Awards Program.  Part of the USAWA budget goes to these awards, which means that part of your membership dues support this program. These awards are awarded at the Annual General Meeting of the USAWA, which occurs at the same time as the National Championships.  Usually the USAWA Awards are “yearly” – meaning they are for the previous year’s accomplishments. I would consider “yearly” as being the time since (and including) last years National Championships.    Now for a little “overview” of the rules for nominations:

  • You  must be a USAWA member to make a nomination or cast a vote
  • Nominated individuals must be a USAWA members to be eligible
  • Only one individual may be nominated per person per award
  • Two nominations for each award may be submitted, one for your choice of the Winner and one for your choice of the runner-up.
  • The awards are for the accomplishments since last June
  • An individual may be nominated for more than one award

These are the different awards for which you should chose your nominations for:

 Athlete of the Year – This award is for the individual who has accomplished the most athletically within the last year in the USAWA. Top placings at the Nationals and World Championships should figure in high. Also, participation in other Championship  Competitions such as the Heavy Lift Championships, the Grip Championships, the Club Championships, the OTSM Championships, the Team Championships, or the National Postal Championships could factor in.  Participation in elite IAWA events such as the Gold Cup should make an influence on earning this award as well.

Leadership Award – This is for an individual that has shown exceptional leadership qualities within the USAWA during the past year. Things that should be looked at are: going above the level expected of an Officer position, promoting sanctioned events with emphasis being on promoting National or World Competitions, promoting the USAWA by developing a strong club, writing articles for publications about the USAWA, or through other means.

Sportsmanship Award – This goes to an individual who possesses and shows great sportsmanship within the USAWA. The act of sportsmanship may be by conduct at all events, or by an specific example of exceptional sportsmanship.

Courage Award – This goes to an individual who shows the courage to overcome an obstacle in order to return to competition. This may be a comeback from an injury, or just having to deal with difficult personal issues but still shows the courage to compete in the USAWA.

Newcomer Award– This award goes to an individual who in new to the USAWA or has become involved again. It doesn’t have to go to someone in their first year of being involved in the USAWA.

As stated earlier in the rules, I would like you to submit your choice for the WINNER and your choice for the RUNNER UP for each award.  I will score it this way:  for each nomination per award I will give 2 points for the nominated winner and 1 point for the nominated runner up.  I will then add up all the points from all nominations with the person receiving the most points declared the winner and the one with the second most points the runner up.  So you can see that the Award Winners are chosen by YOU THE MEMBERSHIP!   That’s the way it should be done.

Please email me at amyers@usawa.com with your nominations.  The deadline for nominations is May 10th.  That’s giving everyone a couple of weeks to make their decisions.  My experience with this is that if a person does not make their nominations shortly after reading this announcement, it never gets done.  So make it easy on yourself  (and me!) and turn your nominations in today!!!!

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