To follow up on the previous update regarding Dale Hollow State Park going through immediate emergency reconstruction at the park, I have polled many of the lifters coming to nationals about where to have the National Meeting.
The two choices I proposed were the SKD Distillery, after the tour or Angie’s Family Restaurant, a locally owned family restaurant that serves southern style country cooking. Before proposing this option to the lifters, Lynne and I went and had dinner at Angie’s Family Restuarant. It met the criteria we need and then I invited the lifters attending nationals to share which option they liked best. In an overwhelming response, the lifters chose Angie’s Family Restaurant by an 80 to 20 percent margin. I think this was conclusive and I will be setting up the 2025 USAWA National Meeting in the side room at Angie’s Family Restaurant for Friday, July 18.
Here is the planned itinerary for Friday, July 18:
– 2:00 – 4:30 pm we have a tour scheduled for Southern Kentucky Distillery
– 5:30 – 8:30 pm we will have the 2025 National Meeting at Angie’s Family Restaurant.
March was a busy month with meets being held in Massachusetts, Kentucky, Missouri and Colorado. Randy Smith earned lifter of the month for March by shining in the Colorado Single Arm Challenge and Jeff’s 50th Birthday Bash. He was first overall in the Single Arm Challenge with a massive 420 pound unadjusted total at 198 pound bodyweight and 70 years of age. During Jeff’s Birthday Bash, he completed four of five lifts with an impressive 130 pound Roman Chair Sit-up.
Randy has records dating back to the 2003 National Championship and has competed in 16 National Championships and was the best lifter in 2015. He is a member of the Century Club with 144 records. 31 of those are National Records, which puts him at 5th behind some pretty impressive company.
Most recently he has taken a role on the USAWA Advisory Committee which was tasked with better understanding the membership.
This is the 4th time Randy has earned Lifter of the Month with past recognition in July 2014, June 2015 and October 2021. Congratulations Randy!
This update for the 2025 USAWA Nationals brings about change. The 2025 nationals meet location and hotel have both changed due to unforeseen issues. To be clear, Dale Hollow Lake State Resort had a structural collapse of a partial lodge building & walkway and is undergoing immediate emergency construction, according to the State Park. We appreciate the swift notice by Dale Hollow State Park and hopefully we get the opportunity to plan another meet there in future.
THERE IS ALWAYS A BACKUP PLAN! The backup plan will be to host the 2025 USAWA Nationals at Buffville Colosseum, which is located at 2608 North Highway 127 Business in Albany, Ky. It is a 16,000 square ft. warehouse and has hosted the Old Time Strongman World Championships in 2023 and the HackenDinnie Classic II in 2024. Now it will host the premier event for the USAWA, the 2025 USAWA NATIONALS!
Our hotel venue has changed as well. The new meet hotel for the 2025 USAWA Nationals is the Baymont Inn in Albany, Kentucky. Here are a few points to know about booking a room.
HOTEL – BAYMONT INN phone #(606) 387-7238. You must call the Baymont Inn to receive the group rate. You will not receive the group rate if you book online through a third party.
Group code is USAWA
The Baymont Inn has a block of 20 rooms for the USAWA for 139 dollars per night plus tax, more rooms can be added if necessary.
You must call the Baymont Inn to make a reservation with the group code. This is peak season for Lake Cumberland and Dale Hollow Lake, meaning the rooms will only be held until June 8th. After June 8, the group code will no longer be available. Due to being the peak season for travelers, each reservation must be for a minimum of two nights, Friday & Saturday night. This is a destination location for travelers and you must book before the deadline of June 8th. If you wait to the last minute you may not get a room.
The National Meeting is currently scheduled for Friday, July 18 at 5 pm at Southern Kentucky Distillery (SKD). We are also having a Kentucky Bourbon Distillery visit at 2 pm which will be followed by the National Meeting. Kentucky is World Famous for its Bourbon and anyone who is interested can take the Bourbon Distillery tour for 15 dollars. It’s a very fun and insightful tour that everyone can enjoy.
With all these new updates/changes the 2025 USAWA Nationals and National Meeting are planned and ready to lead the USAWA into a glorious future! Until the next update………..
Here is the current roster of 24 confirmed lifters.
(Please make sure all entries are paid online at the Eventbrite link on the entry form)
Beth Skwarecki Allison Lupo Jessica Hopps Chris Frappier Kyle Frappier Jerry Wilson Jeff Bankens Isaac Bankens Clint Poore Ashley Stearns Abe Smith Randy Richey John Bunch Jarrod Gaddis Sanjiv Gupta Tony Lupo Randy Smith David DeForest Chad Ullom Toby Ortega Frank Ciavattone Dan Jones Wade Marchand Nils Larson