Category Archives: USAWA Daily News

History of Formulas used in the USAWA

by Al Myers

When you KNOW it's time to blame the formula!

This past week on the USAWA Discussion Forum a lively debate got started on the fairness of using Formulas in comparing athletes for overall placings. The USAWA is unique in doing this compared to other lifting organizations which prefer to just give awards for different divisions or classes.  Sure these other organizations might use a Formula to award a Best Lifter, but the USAWA uses a formula to determine the overall ranking of every athlete in the competition, from the top to the bottom.  No OTHER organization does this!!  We now use the Lynch Formula to make the “handicap” adjustment for bodyweight differences and use a Age Allowance Percentage for Junior Lifters and Lifters age 40 and above.  I am NOT going to give my viewpoint and opinion on the fairness of using formulas  in this article, as that is better left for the Discussion Forum.  Instead, I would like to review the history of formulas used in the USAWA, and give insight to how these different formulas were derived.

The main All-Round competitions that occurred prior to the USAWA (1987)  were “odd lift” meets promoted by Bill Clark out of Missouri.  These meets were contested under the direction of the Missouri Valley Weightlifting Federation, the Region IV division of the USWF.  The formula used at that time to determine rankings was the Schwartz Formula. Numerous old Zercher Meet results verified this. The USAWA really began in the summer of 1987, with the first official records recorded for the USAWA in the fall of 1987.  At this point the USAWA adopted the use of the O’Carroll Formula for bodyweight adjustment and it was used extensively in the USAWA in 1988.  The Zercher Meet in 1988 used the O’Carroll Formula.  The National Masters Weightlifting Program started using the Sinclair Formula at this time, and even used a unique formula developed by Joe McCoy that adjusts for bodyweight AND age at the 1987 National Masters Olympic Lifting Championships directed by USAWA Hall of Famer John Vernacchio. It was called the Sinclair-McCoy Formula and ONLY applied to Olympic Lifting totals.  The FIRST USAWA National Championships directed by John Vernacchio in 1988 used the O’Carroll Formula. I did find a few old USAWA meet results from the late 80’s where the Sinclair Formula was used for All-Round Meets.  The Sinclair Formula was developed by Canadian mathematician/weightlifting enthusiast Roy Sinclair.  He used the weightlifting results from the Olympics as his data base to determine the coefficients for his formula. Another interesting formula brought forth from the IAWA in the early 90’s was the Blindt Formula, developed by British lifter Adrian Blindt.  It didn’t correct for bodyweight, but for the lifts involved.  Each lift had its own factor.  The idea was this would make it more fair, in example, to compare a lift where lots of weight can be lifted, like a Hip Lift to a lift where much less weight is lifted, like a Press.  This formula was never used in the USAWA, but was used in some IAWA competitions.  I remember it was used in the IAWA World Postal Meets promoted by the Australians a few years back.

However, by the early 1990’s most all USAWA results started using the Lynch Formula, which we still use today.  The Lynch Formula was developed in 1988 by Ian Lynch, a lifter from England. The Lynch Factors (or coefficients)  have not changed since its inception.  I know this because I found an old Lynch Chart from the early 90’s and compared it to today’s Lynch Chart and it’s the same.  No updates and no modifications.  Recently, we have been faced with a problem using the Lynch Formula, and that problem is the highest bodyweight factor on the Lynch Chart is 150 kilograms.  It is not uncommon nowadays to get a lifter that weighs over 330 pounds, and we have no way to correct for them!  In the past when this happened the meet director would either  “estimate” a Lynch Factor for them or just give the athlete the highest bodyweight correction on the chart. I don’t think EITHER of those solutions are acceptable – and thus I began to try to find the “original Lynch Formula” so the chart could be extended for higher bodyweights.  I inquired several places and couldn’t find any leads.  Finally, thanks to Tom Ryan and our IAWA President Steve Gardner, Ian Lynch was located and I could go right to the source of the Lynch Formula!  Unfortunately, the exact formula and method of reproducing it has been lost.  However, Ian Lynch was very helpful in sharing some details and information on why the Lynch Formula was developed and used in All-Round Weightlifting.  The Lynch Formula is very similar to the O’Carroll Formula with the differences being that the Lynch Formula is slightly more favorable for lighter lifters. In a sense, it “leveled out the curve”  on the light end of the  O’Carroll Formula.   Both the Lynch and O’Carroll Formulas were derived using body factors whereas the Schwartz and Sinclair Formulas are based on Olympic lifting performances or World Records for Olympic Lifting.  I think this makes the Lynch Formula more applicable to All-Round Weightlifting. It sure doesn’t make sense to me to use a formula based on the two Olympic Lifts, and then expect it to correlate to over the 200 lifts we do in All-Round Weightlifting!  Ian Lynch had this to say about the development of the Lynch Formula from the O’Carroll Formula considering body factors , ” The O’Carroll Formula assumed all lifters non-muscular weight was constant, ie bones etc. That didn’t work well particularly for lighter lifters.” That must have been the reason for the points being adjusted slightly in favor of lighter lifters.

Just out of curiosity I “recalculated” the results of last year’s World Championships using the Sinclair and O’Carroll Formulas.  This is how it would change “the top ten”:

Lifter BWT Lynch Pts. Sinclair Pts. O’Carroll Pts.
Mark Haydock 122.9 764.3 1005.2 771.1
Al Myers 114.7 763.1 978.5 768.6
Chad Ullom 104.3 749.8 936.2 758.9
Roger Davis 81.6 736.6 896.9 737.0
Denny Habecker 86.1 661.1 805.3 661.9
John Monk 79.8 658.3 802.1 658.4
Bill Spayd 107.9 655.3 825.0 659.1
Scott Schmidt 119.7 598.6 779.3 603.6
Art Montini 78.2 588.9 718.3 589.1
Josh Haydock 66.9 582.2 724.6 565.7

This group of lifters make up an interesting data base for this comparison, because lifters of different body weights are represented (from 66.9 kgs to 122.9 kgs).  Not much changes in the placings between the three formulas being applied except for Bill Spayd.  He placed 7th overall using the Lynch Formula, but would have been 5th using the Sinclair Formula. You can really see how the Lynch Formula favors lighter lifters compared to the O’Carroll Formula.  Just compare Mark Haydock (at 122.9 kgs) to Josh Haydock (at 66.9 kgs). Mark’s Lynch Points are LOWER than his O’Carroll Points while Josh’s Lynch Points are MORE than his O’Carroll Points.  John Monk, at 80 kilograms, has the bodyweight that gives the same points using both the Lynch Formula and the O’Carroll Formula.  The Sinclair Formula MUCH favors heavier lifters.  Just look at the top four placings where the bodyweights of the lifters decrease with each placing. It is  pretty close using the Lynch Formula, but with the Sinclair Formula the point gap widens much more with each subsequent placing.

This doesn’t answer the long debated notion that “formulas are not fair”, but I hope that it provides some insight to how the formulas work and why we use them in the USAWA.

Missouri Celt – Thom Van Vleck

by Dave Glasgow

Thom Van Vleck shortly after his childhood accident.

It was hard for me to imagine, when I first met him, the behemoth of a man standing in front of me, was once a skinny, frightened, wheel chair bound youth of 11. However, there he stood!! His story, although far from being finished, is an inspiration to us all and hopefully, a model for the youth of today.

Thom van Vleck started in the iron game, literally, by accident. A speeding car traveling in excess of 70 mph struck the bike riding youth; throwing him at least 150 feet, leaving him with multiple fractures, internal bleeding, head trauma and a prayer away from dying. The hospital he was transported to was certain there was nothing they could do for him. Fortunately, Thom’s mother “wanted a second opinion.” The second hospital was able to stabilize him and, eventually, turn him around. (Ironically, that hospital, the A.T. Still School of Medicine, in Kirksville, Mo., is the where Thom plies his trade as a clinical psychologist for the students that attend the school.)

Although he was alive, the outlook was bleak. There was talk of brain injury, impairment with ambulation…..the list went on. Little did those who prognosticated doom and gloom know that inside that broken and battered little body was the heart of a fighter. After nearly 4 months in traction and a year in a wheelchair, he was able to walk, with help. This was only the beginning.

Thom Van Vleck (left) and Dave Glasgow (right) at the 2003 Galloway Highland Games in Kirksville, Missouri, which was promoted by Thom.

Luckily for Thom, he had a tremendous support system. A mother, who worked tirelessly; a grandfather, with an undying love and faith; two uncles, that were known for their strength and perseverance and the “big man” above. It would be the two uncles, Wayne and Phil Jackson, who introduced Thom to the wonderful world of weight training. They shared their love and passion for the iron and Thom was quick to grasp the idea that the weights could make him whole again.

Fast forward a few years, the trim, athletic boy became a man, courtesy of the United States Marine Corps. College and graduate school followed and he became the first in his family to gain an advanced degree. But, always, there were the weights. Everything from Olympic lifting, power lifting, to what he called his granddads “fruitcake” workouts, if there were weights involved, he was there. And, as before, his uncles were there to encourage, instruct and badger him to larger totals and loftier goals; be that in the iron game or life.

For those of us who know Thom, we know a man who is honest, trustworthy and, to use an overused phrase, genuine. What you see is what you get. No pretense. No agendas. He is thankful for his loving (dare I say, longsuffering!) wife and family. He is a student of the iron game and is constantly rubbing elbows with the elite of the weights and interesting folks that make up that vast world both past and present. His stories are interesting and engaging; his recollections spot on.

Thom has been active in just about every level of strength and weight training/lifting you can imagine. He has also transformed himself into a force to be dealt with on the Highland Games circuit. He has, also, organized outstanding competitions so that others could enjoy his passion with him.

It was at the McPherson highland games of ‘99 that I first saw Thom. I did not meet him as he was in the “youngster class” of A’s. It was not until the next ‘season’ that Thom and I were ‘introduced’! What an introduction!!

We were at Steve Scott’s north Kansas City recreation park doing one of the many games that Steve put on at that facility. Thom was judging the ‘geezer’ class of which I was a proud member. Although Steve had hammer cages, an errant #22 hammer of mine broke through the fencing and clocked Thom on the ankle. It went so far as to ‘tattoo’ his sock pattern into his ankle. It was not broken but, he was done for the day. I can safely say we have been friends since that day.

Thom is a rather complex guy. He ran, unsuccessfully, for state representative. He is an elder in his church. His work involves counseling students at the medical college in Kirksville. He is the former world record holder (age group) in the weight over the bar. And, as stated prior, he organizes strength contests and highland games throughout the year.

But, of all these things, he is proudest of the strength evangelism shows he puts on with the brothers Kerby and John O’Brian, all of Kirksville. Together, they have spread the gospel behind bone cracking demonstrations of skill and strength that never fail to make spectators ohh and ahh. Following one of Thom’s ‘mini’ shows at the McPherson Scottish Festival, a good friend of mine, who has traveled the world, looked at me, ‘pop-eyed’, and stated, “I have never seen anything like that before in my life!!” I might add, he is very hard to impress!!

Thom Van Vleck set many USAWA records at the JWC Record Day, which he promoted last year at the JWC Training Hall on November 21st , 2009

Over the years, we have exchanged countless emails/phone calls and dined with each other every chance we got. It never ceases to amaze me his knowledge of people and events in the strength world. In these conversations there are three subjects that are ALWAYS mentioned. The weight game, his family and his faith! Not necessarily in that order.

Thom has no greater joy than that of his family. His wife, Kelly, supports his efforts and willing helps out at his competitions. She is a very special, understanding individual. He is thankful for her and has told me on more that one occasion how lucky he is to have someone such as her to allow him to pursue his interests. Rounding out this team is a daughter and two sons of whom he, rightfully, boasts on at any opportunity. And, from what I understand, the apples are not falling far from the giant tree!! The legacy of the Jackson/Van Vleck name will continue. I have NO doubt!

Oh, and one last thing. Thom is an author. He has written many, many articles for MILO. His forte is writing about the “old school” guys; John Ware, Al Feuerbach, Al Oerter,… the list goes on. He has the ability to bring these icons of throwing and strength down to a ‘human’ level and make them more like ‘everyday guys’ to us common folk.

He also writes, quite extensively, about the history of his family in the weight world and the proud tradition that has been passed down since 1928. These stories are a wonderful testament to a family legacy that continues today and, from all outward appearances, there is no indication that it will end anytime soon.

So, if you are ever in northern Missouri, have some time, you may want to make the trek to that big, two story house on the hill near Greentop. You may not know him at all, but that doesn’t matter. Just knock on the door, introduce yourself and you will leave with a new friend and a whole list of stories from the man with a truck load of them. Thom van Vleck, the multi-dimensional weight guy!

Thom Van Vleck to host 2011 Nationals

by Al Myers

Thom Van Vleck giving the Rules Meeting prior to a Highlander Games he was promoting last spring.

Thom Van Vleck, of the Jackson Weightlifting Club, was awarded the bid at the Annual National Meeting to host the 2011 USAWA National Championships.  The meet will be an one day affair on Saturday of  the 4th weekend of June, 2011.  The meet will be in Kirksville, Missouri. Thom is also planning on having a National Record Day the next day (Sunday)  for those who want to attend.  The Awards Banquet and the Annual National Meeting will be held Saturday evening, following the competition.

Thom and the JWC have been a great addition to the USAWA this past year. Thom hosted his first official USAWA competition last November – the JWC Record Day. Thom and the JWC competed in several USAWA competitions throughout the year.  Thom is a “seasoned” meet promoter with vast experience.   He has hosted an annual Highland Games in his hometown of Kirksville for many years that routinely draws over 50 athletes.  Thom always puts on a “top level” competition and knows how to treat the athletes to a “fun time”.  However, Thom is not really a newcomer to All-Round Weightlifting.  One of his first weightlifting competitions he competed in was an “Odd Lift” meet held by Bill Clark over 30 years ago.

I think it is important to “rotate” locations that the National Championships are held each year  to encourage local participation in Nationals for those athletes that are limited in traveling. The last time Nationals was held in Missouri was 2001, in which Bill Clark and Joe Garcia hosted it in Columbia. This location is the perfect “center point” of our membership.  I fully expect next year’s Nationals to be very well attended, and exceed participation over what we have had in the previous several years of Championships. Take the time right now to put this weekend on your calendar and plan on attending!

New Lifts – The Chin Up and Pull Up

by Al Myers

Pull Ups have always been a popular training exercise, as illustrated by this picture of Franco Columbo in Arnold's book Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding.

Last spring, Dave Glasgow asked me why the Chin Up and Pull Up were not All-Round Lifts.  I didn’t have an answer for him.  It would seem logical that two of the oldest exercises known to man should be included amongst our All-Round  lifts.  We have over 200 lifts and I can’t  imagine why these two had been left out.  Early day All-Rounders often performed exercises involving body weight movements, and the Chin Up and Pull Up  were usually part of their training program.  So I told Dave to propose them for new lift approval, write the rules for them and hopefully, the membership would vote to accept them. I was glad to see this happen at the National Meeting, as they were accepted. These two common exercises can now be listed in the USAWA Rulebook and Record List alongside other more obscure lifts like the Zeigler Clean and the Scott Lift.  Now records can be established officially in the Chin Up and Pull Up. Bill Clark once told me that one of the purposes of the USAWA is to provide an official competition for a lifter to perform a lift in which he/she specializes in that is not available in other organizations.  Well, I can tell you this  – the Chin Up and Pull Up have been contested from the playgrounds to the prisons for decades.  It is about time an organization wants to oversee them as “official lifts”.

Practically ever gym has a Chin Up bar, and most lifters have trained these two lifts at least at some point in their life.  Dave had these words to say about these two lifts in drumming up support for their approval, “The Pull Up/Chin Up has long been a staple of the strength community and is a valid test of upper body strength.  The basic Pull Up is an exercise that involves multiple muscles of the upper back and arms to work in coordination with one another in order for the exercise to be executed.”

The Rules for the Pull Up

The crossbar used shall be a straight bar with a diameter between 1 inches and 2 inches. The width of hand placement on the crossbar shall be at the discretion of the lifter. The lifter may use any platform necessary to reach the crossbar. The bar is to be grasped with the palms facing away from the body. The weight shall be affixed to the lifter by way of hanging the weight on a belt attached to the waist of the lifter. The lift will begin on command from an official when the lifter is hanging at arms’ length from the crossbar, motionless, and with feet completely off the floor or any support. The lifter must then pull the body to the crossbar to a position where the point of the chin is above the crossbar. Once motionless, the lifter will receive a command that ends the lift. No “kipping” (the motion of excessive kicking of the legs to obtain a mechanical advantage) is allowed. The weight of the lifter is NOT to be included in the total weight lifted.

The Rules for the Chin Up

The rules of the Pull Up apply, with the exception that the palms of the hands must be facing toward the body of lifter.

Both of these lifts will be added to the 4th Edition of  the USAWA Rulebook, which will be available August 1st.

Chin Up Trivia: John Davis, at a body weight of 177 pounds, did a Chin Up with 171 pounds of extra weight attached to him in 1938!

Charles Batta

by Dennis Mitchell

Charles Batta

Charles Batta, whose real name was Charles Estienne, was born August 17, 1866 in Lille France. It was evident even as a young boy that he had unusual strength. Batta never wanted to be a competitive weight lifter. His ambition was to be strongman performer, and he started his career at age fifteen performing in local cafes. His earnings came from the donations of the patrons. He later joined a troupe of traveling athletes. It was not an easy life, and there was no guaranteed income. They traveled by wagon from city to city performing at fairs and celebrations. He considered this to be his apprenticeship. He was quite successful and became quite famous as a strong man. This, however, made some of the bigger and more experienced performers envious of his success. One performer became so angry that he broke a chair over Batta’s head. Batta’s earnings progressed from the spectators donations to a salary of one franc per day, then to 25 francs per week, and by the time he was nineteen yeas old, to 50 francs per day. Again his success had the disadvantage of enraging one of his fellow performers, a giant of a man named Lepi who forced Batta into a fight. Batta was never a person who would back down from a fight or a challenge. He beat Lepi so badly that he was never bothered by any other performer. While performing in Brussels at the Alcazar Cafe Concert, he was earning 70 francs per day. On day while the performers were at dinner, Louis Attila walked in with one of his pupils who was seeking employment at the Alcazar. While waiting for the manager to return Attila’s pupil started to demonstrate the strength of his grip, using chairs and other objects at hand. He stated that no one could duplicate his feats of hand strength. Batta took the challenge and duplicated all of his lifts. Attila’s pupil did however go on to become quite famous under the name of Eugen Sandow. One of Batta’s demonstrations was, while seated, to hold his hand, palm down about one half inch over an upright needle. A forty four pound block weight was placed on the back of his hand. He would hold it there at arms length for about eight seconds, and then stand up still holding the weight at arms length. Though primarily a performer Batta could one arm snatch 154.5 pounds, put over head 209 pounds with one hand, and hold by the ring a weight of 55 pounds at arms length. During his performance he would lift 259 pounds over head with ease.  One of Batta’s challenges was to place a glass of water, a bottle, some gold rings and other jewels plus some gold coins on the seat of a straight back chair. He would then lift the chair with one hand at arms length by one of the horizontal rungs and not spill any of the water. He offered what was on the chair to anyone who could duplicate his lift. No one ever did. Batta’s performance included lifting a horse, a muscle control demonstration, lifting weights and people. In the support known as the “Tomb of Hercules” he would support a loaded cannon which was then fired by an assistant. The only contest that Batta did not win was against the famous Apollon. He did duplicate one of Apollon’s feats by lifting four 44 pound block weights over head with one hand, each weight tied to a finger. He also cleaned (not jerked) Apollon’s rail road wheels. Apollon was so impressed with Batta that they remained friends for life. No strong man article is complete without a list of his measurements. At the age of nineteen Batta stood 5’9.5″, weighed 194 pounds, chest 49″, biceps 17″, forearms 14.5″, waist 33.5″, thighs 25″, calves 16.25″ neck 17.25″, and wrists 8.5″. Charles Batta died June 7, 1931 at the age of 65 yeas.

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