USAWA

By Bill Clark

It was a good weekend with 17 entries – 16 made it to the platform – with plenty of record lifting and a return to 26 years ago – the last time the Nationals were held in Columbia’s American Legion Hall.

The entry list was the largest since 2017 when the meet was held in Columbus, Ohio – in the center of USAWA activity.

The only entry not on the platform was former champion Mike McBride, who had to call it off because of intestinal upset which stopped him enroute from his home in St. Joseph, Mo. He returned home and is now recovering from the unfortunate bellyache.

Not surprisingly, Abe Smith was the easy men’s winner, leading a parade of Clark’s Gym lifters which took the first eight spots and added No. 11 in a near-sweep of honors.

Defending champion, Beth Skwarecki, was the repeat women’s winner.

One of the highlights of the weekend came in the two-hand, one-inch, vertical bar deadlift when four Clark’s team members tangled in an effort to break 500 pounds – 250 lbs. in each hand. The two who had beaten 500 pounds in the past were in the mix – John Carter and Travis Luther. Close behind was 22-year-old Nick Frieders, the lightest of the quartet at 157 pounds.

In the end, it was Abe Smith who set a personal record of 505 pounds to emerge the champ.

Abe, who weighed in at 174.2 lbs., actually picked up unneeded help by getting an additional two percent – due to being 41 years young.

His six-lift total was 3,180 pounds and his adjusted total, adding and subtracting age and bodyweight, was 3,087.91 – more than 300 points ahead of his teammate, Travis Luther, age 30, who weighed in at 173.6 pounds and totaled 2,729.70 points.

Beth Skwarecki, 42, easily defended her title with a total of 1,590 pounds and 1,714.69 points, then added five difficult records in the record-day session, including bent presses with each arm, the Ziegler Lift, the James Lift, and the reflex clean and jerk.

The runner-up in the women’s competition was 12-year-old Phoebe Todd, who showed herself to be a champ of the future. Her 10-year-old brother, Everett, was the top male junior lifter. Their dad is Eric Todd, the USAWA General Secretary, who wound up in ninth place in this competition.

Chad Ullom, a former champion who was recovering from shoulder replacement, finished one spot behind Eric.

Joe Garcia finished fifth and John Carter came in seventh overall.

A year ago, Joe was just coming through the recovery stage following a months-long battle with covid-19 that had been nip-and-tuck early in 2022. He still feels the ravages of the virus, but is back to his jovial self again and finding enough oxygen once again to finish fifth last weekend. He might have been the happiest person in the meet.

Carter has become the primary caregiver for his wife and balances a schedule that requires his presence at home, handling his private contracting business, and finding some gym time. He was able only to lift on Sunday, but used a big hip lift to finish seventh on the basis of three, not six, lifts.

Hats off to both.

Let’s hope that the 2024 meet will showcase them both.

The successful weekend came about only because of the dedication of four gym members – and the Show-Me-State Games.

First, the Games allowed us to use their three lifting platforms and rugs, the officials’ lights, their supply of chalk.

Next came Abe Smith and Kerry Clark. When Abe realized that a single large U-Haul was an easier way to go than three smaller personal vehicles needed to transport about 4,500 pounds of weight, squat racks, etc., he rented and paid for a three-day use of the truck. He refused to accept the gym’s offer to cover the cost of the truck.

Kerry, who was a lifter and official in the same facility 26 years ago, took charge of the loaders, hiring four graduate students from her international program in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Foods and Natural Resources, paying for them herself. She also handled the computerized report of the competition, which had been set-up by Abe Smith.

Close behind was Dave DeForest, who handled the weigh-ins both days. loaded and officiated – and also took home the fourth place certificate, slipping past teammate and world-record holder, Joe Garcia. Dave is 63 years old.

Tony Lupo, who is a professor at the University of Missouri and the head of the atmospheric science program when he isn’t in the gym, was involved in every aspect of the meet – loading, officiating and lifting. He finished 11^th in his first national competition – at age 57.

Without those four dedicated gym members, success was only a dream. They turned the dream into reality – and the basis for the future.

Results are as follows:

Location: American Legion Hall, Columbia, MO

Meet Director: Bill Clark, Clark’s Gym

Announcer: Bill Clark

Date: June 24-25 2023

Officials:  Denny Habecker, Joe Garcia, Tony Lupo, Eric Todd, Chad Ullom, Randy Smith, Abe Smith, Dave DeForest, Beth Skwarecki

Score Keeper: Kerry Clark

Weigh ins: Dave DeForest

The three official system was used for all lifts.  Bodyweights are listed in pounds.  All lifts are recorded in pounds.

Fourth attempts for records:

Vertical bar-2 bars-1″

Sanjiv Gupta – 270 lb

Beth Skwarecki – 330 lb

Record Lifts outside the meet:

BETH SKWARECKI

Bent press – one arm, left – 65.

Bent press – one arm right – 75.

Ziegler Clean – 65.

James Lift – 80.

Reflex clean and jerk -135.

DENNY HABECKER

Pullover and Press- 135

Deadlift-Fulton Bar – 255

SANJIV GUPTA

Apollon lift – 125.

Clean and push press – 125

Full Gardner – 40.

Scott Lift – 135.

Dead lift – Ciavattone – no thumbs – 275.

NICK FRIEDERS

deadlift-Fulton Bar – 425

 vertical bar deadlift- 2 bar, one-inch– 440

TONY LUPO

Deadlift – Futon Bar – Right – 105.

Deadlift – Fulton Bar – Left – 100.

Carter Lift – 1,010.

Ziegler Clean – 45.

Deadlift – Fulton bar – 345.

TRAVIS LUTHER

Carter Lift – 1,010.

Ziegler Clean – 45.

Judd Clean and jerk – right – 65.

Scott lift – 125.

Swing – two-hand – 140.

Dave  DeFOREST

Ziegler Clean – 45.

Deadift – Fulton Bar – right – 100.

Deadlift – Fulton Bar – left – 100

Hack lift – Fulton bar – 250.

Deadlift – Inch Dumbbells – 67.5 x 2 – 135 lbs.

CHAD JULLOM

Ziegler Clean – 135.

vertical bar deadlift-Two bar, one-inch – 400.

JOE GARCIA

Deadlift – Fulton Bar – left – 105.

Deadlift – Fulton Bar – right – 115.

ABE SMITH

Reflex clean and press – 185.

Judd Clean and Jerk – right – 105.

 vertical bar deadlift-Two bar, one—inch – 505.

WYATT SAWYERS.

 vertical bar deadlift-Two bar, one-inch – 400.

RANDY SMITH

vertical bar deadlift-Two bar, one-inch – 340.