Category Archives: 2011 Meet Results

Art’s Birthday Bash

by John McKean

Andraes and John McKean completing a 2 Man Jefferson Lift. Scott and Kathy Schmidt are in the background cheering on what may be the first grandpa/grandson straddle lift on record.

This past Friday my phone rang and there was Art Montini’s name on the screen. Either the ole man finally figured how to dial out with his telephone, or something was “up” concerning his birthday meet at the Ambridge VFW on Sunday! Answering, I heard Art loudly, excitement in his voice, ask “Guess who I just heard from?!”

“Well,I hope it’s not from one of your replacement specialists, demanding a recall of totally abused new body parts!” I commented.

“Naw”, barked Art, “you know if any of those medical types gives me hassles about lifting, then I just find a new doctor!! But DALE FRIESZ is driving up from Virginia to lift!!”

Sure enough, come Sunday morning,after a much longer hospital stay than ever before (and there’s been a bunch in his recent history), in popped an ever smiling Dale, thinner (hates hospital food!) and sporting a 1″ diameter rod where his lower leg used to be. Dale cracked up when I informed him that it was about time someone finally showed that had skinnier calfs than me!! Later,Dale broke records that, in his words, “normal” guys had set (I told Dale that he was never exactly “normal”, but we quickly agreed that no one in the gym that morning was!!)

Then a long lost Jim Malloy marched in, growling all the way (with his usual, unprintable choice of colorful language!) how he was only lifting on his hobbled old body because Scott Schmidt dragged him over from Cleveland! Scott brought along beautiful wife Kathy to lift and help haul ole Jim,kicking & sputtering, into the VFW gym.

Denny Habecker traveled from across the state with a restored old time superstar -the always personable Barry Bryan !Barry has been troubled with knee and back problems stemming back to the 90s, but now feels ready to embark on a master lifter’s all-round career.

To make matters even more interesting,  a brand new lifter, former “strongman” competitor Andy Root from nearby New Castle (PA), arrived with a whole team, and announced he would be attempting the Inman Mile! We told Andy to study Art,me, and the rest of this lineup of ” walking wrecks” present in the gym, because even on a classic, perfect weather  Autumn morning if he tried that Mile he’d shortly appear ,at 31, just like the rest of us when we scraped him off the local high school track!!(he says he’ll save the Inman Mile for the “team challenge” in March! I told him Big Al not only will judge it, but probably PAY to see the event!!) So , Andy wisely reconsidered and started his all-round career more sensibly -his first lift was the Shoulder Drop !

Youngest man in the contest, 6 year old Andraes McKean, starts out the festivities of our oldest US lifter's Annual Birthday Bash!

But the meet had everything: youngsters,open lifters,masters, females, teams, newbies, and interested onlookers!  It was a personal thrill to have our youngest lifter, my grandson,6 year old Andraes, to set a few records and become part (some of the wags present claimed he did ALL the lifting!) of a grandson/grandfather team effort ( a first??)on deadlifts, hacks, and straddles!

Even ole Art did some dynamic overhead snatching and jerking, along with other records, that startled everyone with his speed & agility; maybe the docs did remove some old ligaments and tendons (muscles if he ever had any!), still under the 100 year warranty plan, and provided better bionics for this meet!!

MEET RESULTS:

Art’s Birthday Bash
October 16th, 2011
Ambridge VFW Club
Ambridge, PA

Meet Director:  Art Montini

Lifts:  Record Day

Officials (3 official system used on all lifts):  Art Montini, Denny Habecker, Dennis Mitchell, John McKean, Dale Friesz, Scott Schmidt, Barry Bryan

Andraes McKean – 6 years old, 96.5# BW
45 KG Class, Male Junior 6-7 Age Group

Deadlift – Trap Bar (Trap Bar Deadlift): 29.55 KG, 65 lbs.
Deadlift – Fulton Bar (Two Hands Deadlift – 2 Inch Bar): 15.45 KG, 34 lbs.
Jefferson Lift – Fulton Bar (Straddle Deadlift – 2 Inch Bar): 15.45 KG, 34 lbs.
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 2″, 2 Bars (Two Vertical Bars – 2 inch rods): 21.82 KG, 48 lbs.
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 2″, Right Hand (VB Lift – 2″ Rod): 10.91 KG, 24 lbs.

Angela Sweet – 31 years old, 129# BW
60 KG Class, Female Open Age Group

Bench Press – Feet on Floor (not USAWA lift): 61.36 KG 135 lbs.
Bench Press – Hands Together (Hands Together Bench Press): 50 KG, 110 lbs.
Bench Press – Reverse Grip (Reverse Grip Bench Press): 50 KG, 110 lbs.
Bench Press – Alternate Grip (Alternate Grip Bench Press): 50 KG, 110 lbs.

Jason Houk – 9 years old, 132# BW
60 KG Class, Male Junior 8-9 Age Group

Bench Press – Feet on Floor (not USAWA lift): 38.64 KG, 85 lbs.
Bench Press – Reverse Grip (Reverse Grip Bench Press): 36.36 KG, 80 lbs.
Curl – Strict (Strict Curl): 22.73 KG, 50 lbs.
Deadlift (not USAWA lift): 84.09 KG, 185 lbs.

Dale Friesz – 71 years old, 143.25# BW
70 KG Class,  Mens Master 70-74 Age Group

Deadlift – Fingers, Little (Little Fingers Deadlift): 33.18 KG, 73 lbs.
Deadlift – Fingers, Index (Index Fingers Deadlift): 33.64 KG, 74 lbs.
Deadlift – Fingers, Ring (Ring Fingers Deadlift): 55.23 KG, 122 lbs.
Finger Lift – Right Middle Finger: 44.55 KG, 98 lbs.

Dennis Mitchell – 79 years old, 152# BW
70 KG Class, Mens Master 75-79 Age Group

Deadlift – No Thumbs (Two Hands Thumbless Deadlift): 85 KG, 187 lbs.
French Press (French Press): 18.18 KG, 40 lbs.
Deadlift – Stiff Legged (Stiff Leg Deadlift): 86.36 KG, 190 lbs.

Kathy Schmidt – 54 years old, 159# BW
75 KG Class, Womens Master 50-54 Age Group

Deadlift – Dumbbell, Right Arm (Right Hand Dumbbell Deadlift): 37.5 KG, 82 lbs.
Deadlift – Dumbbell, Left Arm (Left Hand Dumbbell Deadlift): 37.5 KG, 82 lbs.
Deadlift – 2 Dumbbells (Two Hands Dumbbells Deadlift): 82.5 KG, 182 lbs.
Deadlift – Trap Bar (Trap Bar Deadlift): 82.5 KG, 182 lbs.

John McKean – 65 years old, 164.75# BW
75 KG Class, Mens Master 65-69 Age Group

Deadlift – No Thumbs (Two Hands Thumbless Deadlift): 115.45 KG, 254 lbs.
Deadlift – Ciavattone Grip (Ciavattone Deadlift): 131.36 KG, 289 lbs.
Bench Press – Alternate Grip (Alternate Grip Bench Press): 61.36 KG, 135 lbs.
Bench Press – Reverse Grip (Reverse Grip Bench Press): 56.82 KG, 125 lbs.
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 2″, Right Hand (VB Lift – 2″ Rod): 63.18 Kg, 139 lbs.
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 2″, Left Hand (VB Lift- 2″ Rod): 56.36 KG, 124 lbs.
Deadlift – Fulton Bar (Two Hands Deadlift – 2″ Bar): 90.91 KG, 200 lbs.
Jefferson Lift – Fulton Bar (Straddle Deadlift – 2″ Bar): 90.91 KG, 200 lbs.
Deadlift – 2 Bars (Two Barbell Deadlift): 140.45 KG, 310 lbs.

Andy Root – 31 years old, 176# BW
80 KG Class, Mens Open Age Group

Lano Lift (not IAWA lift): 45.45 KG, 100 lbs.
Turkish Get Up (Turkish Get Up): 29.55 KG, 65 lbs.
Shoulder Drop (Shoulder Drop): 45.45 KG, 100 lbs.

Art Montini – 84 years old, 190# BW
90 KG Class, Mens Masters 80-84 Age Group

Snatch – Fulton Bar (Two Hands Snatch – 2″ Bar): 25 KG, 55 lbs.
Clean and Press – Fulton Bar (2 Hands Clean and Press – 2″ Bar): 31.82 KG, 70 lbs.
Clean and Jerk – Fulton Bar (2 Hands Clean and Jerk – 2″ Bar): 34.09 KG, 75 lbs.
Deadlift – Fulton Bar, Ciavattone Grip (2 Hand Fulton Deadlift): 72.73 KG, 160 lbs.
Deadlift – Fulton Bar (2 Hands Deadlift – 2″ Bar): 90.91 KG, 200 lbs.

Denny Habecker – 69 years old, 191# BW
90 KG Class, Mens Masters 65-69 Age Group

Push Press – From Rack (Push Press from Racks): 70.45 KG, 155 lbs.
Curl – Dumbbell, Cheat, Left Arm (Left Hand Dumbbell Cheat Curl): 20.45 KG, 45 lbs.
Clean & Jerk – Dumbbell, Left Arm (Left Hand DB Clean & Jerk): 25 KG, 55 lbs.
Clean & Jerk, – Dumbbell, Right Arm (Right Hand DB Clean & Jerk): 34.09 KG, 75 lbs.
Snatch – Dumbbell, Left Arm (Left Hand DB Snatch): 25 KG, 55 lbs.

Barry Bryan – 53 years old, 195# BW
90 KG Class, Mens Masters 50-54 Age Group

Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 2″, Left Hand (VB Lift – 2″ Rod): 70 KG, 154 lbs.
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 2 Bars, 2″ (Two VBs – 2″ Rod): 117.27 KG, 258 lbs.
Bench Press – Reverse Grip (Reverse Grip Bench Press): 93.18 KG, 205 lbs.

Guy Marcantino, Jr. – 35 years old, 230# BW
105 KG Class, Mens Open Age Group

Bench Press – Feet on Floor (not USAWA Lift): 186.36 KG, 410 lbs.
Bench Press – Reverse Grip (Reverse Grip Bench Press): 143.18 KG, 315 lbs.
Bench Press – Hands Together (Hands Together Bench Press): 136.36 KG, 300 lbs.

Scott Schmidt – 58 years old, 240# BW
110 KG Class, Mens Master 55-59 Age Group

Press – From Rack, Behind Neck (Press Behind Neck from Rack): 75 KG, 165 lbs.
Seated Press – From Rack, Behind Neck (Seated Press BN from Rack): 70 KG, 154 lbs.
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 2″, Left Hand (VB Lift – 2″ Rod): 80 KG, 176 lbs.
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 2″, Right Hand (VB Lift – 2″ Rod): 80 KG, 176 lbs.

Jim Malloy – 70 years old, 241.5# BW
110 KG Class, Mens Masters 70-74 Age Group

Bench – Feet in Air (Bench Press – Feet in Air): 86.36 KG, 190 lbs.
Curl – Strict (Strict Curl): 45.45 KG, 100 lbs.
Curl – Reverse Grip (Reverse Curl): 34.09 KG, 75 lbs.
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 2″, Right Hand (VB Lift – 2″ Rod): 58.64 KG, 129 lbs.
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 2″, Left Hand (VB Lift – 2″ Rod): 42.73 Kg, 94 lbs.

Andreas McKean and John McKean
75 KG Class, Mens Open Age Group

Deadlift – 2 Man (Two Person Team Deadlift): 70 KG, 154 lbs.
Jefferson Lift – 2 Man (Two Person Straddle Deadlift): 70 KG, 154 lbs.
Hack Lift – 2 Man (Two Person Hacklift): 70 KG, 154 lbs.

Angela Sweet and Andy Root
80 KG Class, Male/Female Open Age Group

Deadlift – 2 Person (Two Person Team Deadlift): 295.45 KG, 650 lbs.

Jason Houk and Guy Marcantino
105 KG Class, Mens Open Age Group

Deadlift – 2 Man (Two Person Team Deadlift): 184.09 KG, 405 lbs.

Andy Root and Guy Marcantino
105 KG Class, Mens Open Age Group

Hack Lift – 2 Man (Two Person Hacklift): 370.45 KG, 816 lbs.

Gold Cup

by Steve Gardner

The 2011 Gold Cup

A major highlight of the 2011 IAWA Gold Cup was the IAWA(UK) Hall of Fame induction of Sam Hills and Steve Sherwood. Pictured in left picture (left to right): Steve Gardner, Frank Allen, Sam Hills. Pictured in right picture (left to right): Steve Gardner, Steve Andrews, Steve Sherwood

The lifting at this year’s Gold Cup was outstanding, the list of different lifts attempted was both varied and very interesting to witness. During the day we were treated to several attempts on lifts that were in fact the heaviest ever done in any weight class on those particular disciplines.  Junior lifter: Emily Myers (from the USA) at 19 years old, was the youngest competitor, whilst Frank Allen from England, William Wright from Scotland and Denny Habecker from the USA were the most senior competitors, all  at 69 years young. After the lifting, the banquet dinner was held at Branston Golf and Country Club, where everyone had a wonderful time, and Steve and Karen Gardner were assisted at the presentation by their Grand Son: 5 years old Dominic, who made a good job of shaking everyones hand, and when Paula asked if she could have a kiss, he simply replied ‘No’ with no expression at all (give him a few years Lol!)

The IAWA (UK) Hall of Fame 2011 Induction

The IAWA(UK) HOF  bi- annual Induction ceremony was carried out at the Awards Banquet at Branston Golf and Country Club,  following the presentation for the Gold Cup. Inductees were: Sam Hills (awards presented by Frank Allen and Steve Gardner) and Steve Sherwood (awards presented by Steve Andrews and Steve Gardner). Steve Sherwood from Hull in Yorkshire has been a great ambassador for all round lifting, and was coached by the late Harold Akrill, and trained with Clive Nevis. Many times British and IAWA World Champion, Steve has always been a master technician on the lifts, and his one hand deadlift record of 200 kilos at 70 kilos bodyweight has stood for many years. Sam Hills from Hastings in East Sussex has been trained by the great Mike Archer (inducted member). Sam has been a great supporter of all round weightlifting, and counts amongst his favourite moments in the sport, as being presented with the award for being the overall best lifter at the IAWA World Championships in Australia.

RESULTS OF THE 2011 GOLD CUP  – IAWA 2011 Gold Cup World Record Breakers

Atomic Athletic Meet

MEET REPORTS and RESULTS

The 2011 Atomic Athletic Tractor Pull Weekend Meet

Dave Polzin, at age 61, performed a 220 pound Clean and Push Press at the Atomic Athletic Tractor Pull Weekend Meet.

MEET REPORT by Scott Schmidt

On August 20Th, Roger LaPointe was the Meet Director of another fun and successful USAWA All Round Weightlifting event. Located in Bowling Green, Ohio, the competition drew several Hall of Fame members as well as a good amount of new members. I am providing this brief overview for our organization for 2 reasons. One, to inform our readers what took place.  And two, to say Thank You to Roger for his efforts in helping grow our membership by being able to conduct competitions at his facility.

The lifts that took place were; The one arm dead lift, the clean and push press, and the trap bar dead lift. Since we had acceptable weather that day, the competition was held outdoors. Roger will be providing the detailed results from each lifter. I just wanted to let everyone know that we all had fun, many records were set, and a great spirit of camaraderie was felt by all participants.

As we know, to be successful in our sport takes a lot of effort. What was another great characteristic of this event was all the participants enthusiasm. Encouragement to one another, and a happy conclusion with the top 5 athletes receiving medals. Enjoy competing showing your strength? Join the USAWA. You will have an opportunity for recognition and be rewarded for your efforts. We have many lifts to chose from. So if you want to attend a record day meet and see what you can do, I am certain you will enjoy participating in the USAWA. We highly respect the accomplishments of any strength athlete. And you will feel  proud once you can get your name on the record list.

Stay Strong!

MEET REPORT by Roger LaPointe

Boy, we sure had a great day to lift.  Last Saturday, August 20, 2011, turned out to be a beautiful day.  Really, any day with a weightlifting meet that goes without a hitch is a good day, but this was a GREAT day.   The competition platform was outside at the Atomic Athletic Tractor Pull Weekend USAWA Meet.  Outdoor meets are always a risk in Northwestern Ohio, we can have all four seasons in one day.  Yet, just as it started to heat up, we had a few clouds roll in, making it slightly overcast.  Perfect.

Meet Highlights

Here are some highlights from a flawless three lift All Round Weightlifting event.  The lifts were: the One Hand Barbell Deadlift, Clean & Push Press, and Trap Bar Deadlift; which were competed at in that order.

The Top 5 Male Lifters, by formula were:

1stPlace: David Polzin

2ndPlace: John McKean

3rdPlace: Dennis Habecker

4th Place: Scott Schmidt

5thPlace: Roger LaPointe

While all the lifting was very well done, I really have to congratulate Dave Polzin for winning Best Lifter.  His first All Round Meet was our Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Picnic Meet, of this last May.   Dave was a National Level Olympic style weightlifter in the late 1970s through the mid-1980s.  Dave’s highest placing was second in the US Nationals, in the 110 kg weight class.  He was known for his powerful clean & jerk, with which he hit 200 kg (440 lbs.).  It was obviously a good background for the All-Rounds, which is not always an easy transition.  Dave had never done a one hand barbell deadlift until last April, yet, on Saturday, he pulled 132.5 kg (292.1 lbs.).  His clean & push press was another world record for his 61 year old age group (60-64 years), at 100 kg.  I believe he has more than that in him and he has to power clean the weight.  Like many of us, his knees are not what they used to be.  Dave had never seen a trap bar until he started training at Atomic Athletic and he pulled 205 kilos (451.9 lbs.).  Today, Dave lifts in the 100 kg weight class.  We hope to see a good deal more of his lifting in the All-Rounds.

Meet Facts

The officiating was outstanding, having five international level officials taking turns as judges.  This was also a drug tested event.  We have had two USAWA events here at Atomic Athletic, with both of them being tested.  There are an increasing number of officials and regular USAWA lifters checking out what we have going on here.  I really think they are most pleased by the number of new lifters we have been bringing into the organization.  There were three brand new lifters competing on Saturday, with many of the new lifters competing for a second time.  While attempting to maintain professionalism, we also like to keep it fun, with a relaxed and positive atmosphere.

Make sure to check out our next meet.  It will be announced in the very near future.  Call me at Atomic Athletic if you have any suggestions for lifts (419)352-5100.

MEET RESULTS

Atomic Athletic Tractor Pull Weekend Meet
Bowling Green, OH
August 20th, 2011

Meet Director:  Roger LaPointe

Officials (3 official system used):  John McKean, Denny Habecker, Scott Schmidt, Art Montini, Bob Geib

Lifts:  Deadlift – One Arm, Clean and Push Press, Deadlift – Trap Bar

Womens Division

Lifter Age BWT DL-1arm C&PP Trap Total Points
Shannon Watkins 32 76.4 165-R 115 275 555 548.7
Susan Sees 48 89.8 99-R 94 209 402 393.8

Mens Division

Lifter Age BWT DL-1arm C&PP Trap Total Points
Dave Polzin 61 99.5 292-R 220 452 964 999.0
John McKean 65 74.9 264-R 88 341 693 873.9
Denny Habecker 68 88.0 242-R 148 330 720 824.7
Scott Schmidt 58 110.0 275-R 193 358 826 792.2
Roger LaPointe 40 74.6 270-R 165 308 743 752.9
Tom Ballengee 59 79.2 165-R 143 308 616 714.9
Art Montini 83 86.1 176-R 77 242 495 656.1
Bob Geib 68 117.0 154-R 88 375 617 621.8
Tom Montague-Casillas 14 130.1 165-L 132 341 638 567.8
Andrew Titkemeier 32 112.5 0 0 529 529 421.5

NOTES:  BWT is bodyweight listed in kilograms.  All  lifts recorded in pounds.  Total is total pounds lifted.  Points are adjusted points corrected for bodyweight adjustment and age allowance.

EXTRA LIFTS FOR RECORDS:

Tom Montague-Casillas
Clean and Push Press: 143 pounds

Shannon Watkins
Deadlift – Trap Bar: 286 pounds

Susan Sees
Deadlift – Trap Bar: 220 pounds

Dino Days Record Day

by Al Myers

DINO DAYS RECORD DAY

Ben Edwards set the ALL TIME RECORD in the 2" One Arm Vertical Bar Deadlift with a lift of 251 pounds at the Dino Days Record Day.

MEET REPORT

There were not alot of records set today at the Dino Days Record Day, but the ones that were set were great!  Only five lifters showed up on this second day of the two USAWA competitions hosted by the Dino Gym this weekend; Mike Murdock, Scott Tully, Ben Edwards, LaVerne Myers and myself. Mike lead the way with setting records in 9 different lifts, followed by LaVerne with 8, and the rest of us tied at 7.  Every lifter had a record lift which I would call OUTSTANDING, and I had a hard time “choosing” just one feature picture, so I just decided I would show a picture of everyone who lifted, in which I would call their “BEST” record of the day. 

Ben Edwards showed up today to SMASH some USAWA grip records, and that he did.  Ben is the KING of the Vertical Bar, and that was the first lift he set his record breaking sights on.  I have watched Ben several times with the VB, but never have I seen him this strong with it.  He kept going up and up with the weight, finishing with an ALL TIME USAWA record of 251 pounds with his right hand.  This broke the USAWA All-Time mark held by Andrew Durniat of 250 pounds, set at the 2010 Dino Gym Grip Challenge.  I also got to see Andrew set his record, and at the time I wondered if it ever would be broken.  Well, Ben did it!  He also lifted 240 pounds in the 2″ VB with his left hand, setting the highest mark in USAWA history with the left as well.  The next “grip lift” Ben went after was the Fulton Dumbbell (of which handle is 2 inches in diameter).  He did 175 pounds with his left, and 185 pounds with his right. The “185” is the BEST EVER that has been done in the USAWA with a one handed Fulton Dumbbell. As some of you know, the Fulton Bar lifts utilizing the 2″ handle was named after Kevin Fulton, who was one of the grip-strength pioneers in the USAWA.   It all started that day when Kevin “upset” Wilbur Miller in a competition where a 2″ handle dumbbell was deadlifted with one arm.  Bill Clark “tagged” the name of the Fulton Bar to the 2 inch handle following this incident.  Now Ben better set his goal on Kevin’s best mark from the Old Missouri Valley Record List.   Just to let you know – Kevin Fulton lifted 195 pounds in the One Arm Fulton Dumbbell in 1983.  So get to work Ben!!!

Scott Tully set the ALL TIME RECORD in the Stifflegged Deadlift with a lift of 512 pounds at the Dino Days Record Day.

Scott Tully really did some damage to the Record List today as well.  Scott doesn’t mess around with “sissy lifts” when it comes to breaking records.  He gets right to the hard stuff!  He started off with breaking the record in the Stiff Legged Deadlift with a great lift of 512 pounds.  This not only broke the 125+ KG weight class record that was previously held at 502 pounds by Matthew Doster, but the ALL -TIME USAWA record of 507 pounds held by Ed Schock and myself.  Since I knew Scott was “taking my record down” as well, and I was the head official on his lift, I made sure he kept his legs straight!  This caused Scott to attempt this lift at least 4 times until he finally got it!  And well deserving.   Next Scott went on to some other “hard” lifts like the Fulton Bar Deadlift and the Fulton Dumbbell Deadlifts, of which he got several more records.  Scott is a great grip guy, and should get more recognition for his grip strength.  His One Arm Fulton Dumbbell of 175 pounds was unbelievable, and if it wasn’t for Ben overshadowing him on this day, I would be bragging that record lift up as well.

Mike Murdock set a new age group record in the Trap Bar Deadlift with a lift of 305 pounds.

Mike “Murdo” Murdock set the most records in the most events with 9.  Mike lifted the day before in the Team Nationals and I was surprised that he was planning on doing this much today!  He did a wide range of lifts.   I felt his best record lift of the day was his 305 pound Trap Bar Deadlift.  To me a guy lifting over 300 pounds at the age of over 70 in the Trap Bar Deadlift  is like a young lifter lifting over 600 pounds.  Not too many can do it either!   Mike has had an outstanding year in the USAWA, and has lifted in as many meets as anyone.  I’m keeping an eye on Mike as it won’t be long and he will be in the CENTURY CLUB for holding over 100 USAWA records.  And when he does, I’ll pat him on the back because he will be the first to do it starting in the 70 plus age group!

LaVerne Myers "stole the show" with his 117 pound Dumbbell Walk. The reason this picture is blurry is because he was moving so fast!

My father LaVerne made his faithful appearance today at the record day.  These past couple of years he hasn’t missed an opportunity to lift in the Dino Gym Record Days.  One of his highlights was setting a personal record in the One Handed 2″ Vertical Bar Deadlift with a fine lift of 182 pounds.  I was considering doing the Vertical Bar Deadlift myself but after watching his record setting effort I decided I better not!  I was worried that I might not be able to “measure up” to the standard set by ole Dad!  haha  However, Dad “stole the show” on the last lift contested at this record day – the Dumbbell Walk.   Of course when I got out the Dumbbell Walk handle, I “threw down the challenge” to Ben and Dad so they HAD to participate.  I hadn’t done any grip stuff all day so I was hoping to use this to my advantage  (I’m a crafty one!).   I was mainly concerned about Ben being my primary challenge, and I knew Ben had totally exhausted his grip by this point when he only managed 102 pounds on the Walk. If he would have done this first thing it would have been WAY MORE!  I then played a little “psych out” game with him  and made a big jump to 132 pounds which was outside of both of our limits, but I thought it would “finish of” his grip and then I would drop back and break his 102 mark, which I did with a Dumbbell Walk of 117 pounds.  At that point I thought I had it won, and was shaking Ben’s hand when my Dad, to our surprise, picked up the 117 and made the walk!!!  What can I say???  What a great way to end a record day at the Dino Gym. 

My "highlight lift" was this 772 pound Neck Lift, which is a personal record and USAWA record in the 120 KG weight class.

MEET RESULTS

Dino Days Record Day
Dino Gym, Abilene, Kansas
August 28th, 2011

Meet Director:  Al Myers

Officials (3-official System used):  Al Myers, Mike Murdock, Scott Tully, LaVerne Myers

Lifts:  Record Day

Scott Tully – 35 years, 346 pounds BWT
Mens Open Age Division & 125+ KG Weight Class

Deadlift – Stiff Legged: 512#
Deadlift – Fulton Bar: 503#
Curl – 2 Dumbbells, Cheat: 150#
Clean and Push Press – 2 Dumbbells: 210#
Deadlift – Fulton Dumbbell, Right Arm: 175#
Deadlift – Fulton Dumbbell, Left Arm: 165#
Deadlift – 2 Fulton Dumbbells: 290#

Ben Edwards – 36 years, 217 pound BWT
Mens Open Division & 100 KG Weight Class

Snatch – Kelly: 57#
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 2″, Left Hand: 240#
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 2″, Right Hand: 251#
Deadlift – Fulton Dumbbell, Left Arm: 175#
Deadlift – Fulton Dumbbell, Right Arm: 185#
Deadlift – 2 Fulton Dumbbells: 320#
Dumbbell Walk: 102#

Al Myers – 45 years, 256 pounds BWT
Mens 45-49 Age Division & 120 KG Weight Class

Bench Press – Alternate Grip: 330#
Bench Press – Reverse Grip: 330#
Bench Press – Feet in Air: 330#
Curl – 2 Dumbbells, Cheat: 120#
Lateral Raise – Lying: 90#
Neck Lift: 772#
Dumbbell Walk: 117#

LaVerne Myers – 67 years, 246 pounds BWT
Mens Master 65-69 Age Group & 115 KG Weight Class

Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 1″, Right Hand: 125#
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 1″, Left Hand: 125#
Two Hands Anyhow: 70#
Snatch – Kelly: 35#
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 2″, Right Hand: 182#
Deadlift – Fulton Dumbell, Right Arm: 135#
Deadlift – Fulton Dumbbell, Left Arm: 135#
Dumbbell Walk: 117#

Mike Murdock – 71 years, 235 pounds BWT
Mens Master 70-74 Age Group & 110 KG Weight Class

Weaver Stick – Left Hand: 2.5#
Two Hands Anyhow: 100#
Deadlift – Trap Bar: 305#
Lateral Raise – Lying: 70#
Clean and Push Press – 2 Dumbbells: 100#
Curl – 2 Dumbbells, Cheat: 90#
Deadlift – Fulton Dumbbell, Left Arm: 115#
Deadlift – Fulton Dumbbell, Right Arm: 115#
Dumbbell Walk: 62#

Team Nationals

by Al Myers

MEET REPORT

Group picture from the 2011 USAWA Team Nationals. (front row left to right): Al Myers, Chad Ullom (back row left to right): Russ Morton, Rudy Bletscher, Mike Murdock, Dean Ross

The 2011 USAWA Team Nationals was again an outstanding success this year.  It contained a couple of  regular teams (Myers/Ullom & Murdock/Bletscher) and one new team that made their debut (Morton/Ross) in team lifting.  Team lifting is MUCH different than just individual lifting. Teamwork is essential in being successful – things like timing and coordination between partners can either help you or hurt you in a big way.  The teams this year seemed very balanced in regards to the lifters size and height.  

Dean and Russ put up the top Team One Arm Dumbbell Press with a lift of 180 pounds.

The Dino Gym brought another new lifter to the USAWA arena in this meet and he did a phenomenal job considering this was his first exposure to the crazy things we do in the USAWA, and I consider this meet an extreme meet in our yearly meet lineup. This man is Russ Morton. He is a VERY seasoned powerlifter who has MANY powerlifting meets under his belt, and it was obvious he was not intimidated in the least by the lifts that faced him.  He teamed with Dean “the Boss” Ross who in my opinion, has made his presence known in the USAWA this year.  Dean is one of the STRONGEST GUYS his age I have ever met.  He powers through any lift whether it requires technique or not, and through brute determination makes big lifts.  These two guys put up the TOP Team One Arm Dumbbell Press of the meet with a fine lift of 180 pounds. I’m sure you are wondering – how do you do a Team one arm dumbbell press??  At first it sounds next to impossible, but after “scratching our heads” awhile we came up with a way.  First of all, there is barely enough room to get two hands on a 6 inch dumbbell handle so the grip on the dumbbell is not the best.  All of us pressed the dumbbell standing to the side of each other facing opposite directions.  So it can be done.

We were entertained during a break in the lifting action when Rudy and Dave sang a harmonized duet.

The second lift was the Team Continental Snatch using the 2″ Fulton Bar.  I was concerned grip might be an issue for the lifters but it wasn’t for anyone.  The difficulty with the lift was the minimal hand spacing on the bar.  You had to use a snatch grip much narrower than the normal snatch width, which made the lift slightly more difficult.  Chad and I had the top lift here with a lift of 320 pounds.  Mike and Rudy made a solid lift of 117 pounds, and Dean and Russ finished with 177 pounds.   Chad and I used a power snatch technique while the other two teams used the hang snatch technique.

Mike and Rudy teamed up for a 175 pound Team Continental to Chest and Jerk. Not too bad for a couple of lifters over 70 years of age!

The third lift was the Team Continental to Chest and Jerk.  Chad and I had the top lift of 452 pounds, which is now the top lift done in this lift in both the USAWA and IAWA record books.  I was hoping that we could also break the mark from the old Missouri Valley Record List which record is an outstanding lift of 463 pounds set in 1983 by two legendary mid-west lifters, Bob Burtzloff and Kevin Fulton.   We simply ran out of attempts and didn’t start high enough.  Maybe next time!!! 

Chad and I had to use some tight teamwork to lift 1000 pounds in the Team 2-bar deadlift.

The last lift done was the Team 2-bar deadlift.  Each lifter gripped each bar just like in the individual 2-bar deadlift.  I actually thought this would be an easy lift for a team to do since the balance issue would be removed that presents when doing this by yourself.  I thought for sure that the lifters could lift more as a team than the sum of their individual lifts.  I was wrong!  This lift turned out to give the lifters the most failed attempts of all the lifts, because if both bars didn’t rise in unison, the weight would “shift” to the lifter on the lower end and force the lifters feet to move.   We tried it all ways – facing away from each other, facing each other, and even standing facing the same direction. I don’t think we ever decided which “lineup” was most favorable.  Mike Murdock took a nasty fall on one attempt after the weight “shifted”.  Luckily, Mike was not hurt (at least he was not bleeding!).   Chad and I had the top lift on this one with a lift of 1000 pounds.  I think we could have done a little more, but at this time we were ready to call it a day and head to town for supper!  Thanks to everyone who showed up to lift, and special thanks goes to Dave Glasgow for serving as the official the entire day.

MEET RESULTS

USAWA Team Nationals
Dino Gym, Abilene, Kansas
August 27th, 2011

Meet Director:  Al Myers

Official (1-official system used): Dave Glasgow

Lifts:   Team Press – Dumbbell, One Arm, Team Continental Snatch – Fulton Bar, Team Continental to Chest and Jerk, Team Deadlift – 2 bars

Lifters:

OPEN AGE GROUP & 115 KG WEIGHT CLASS
Al Myers – 45 years, 253# BWT
Chad Ullom – 39 years,  244# BWT

MASTERS 50-54 AGE GROUP & 125+ KG WEIGHT CLASS
Dean Ross – 68 years, 281# BWT
Russ Morton – 50 years, 275# BWT

MASTERS 70-74 AGE GROUP & 105 KG WEIGHT CLASS
Mike Murdock – 71 years, 231# BWT
Rudy Bletscher – 75 years, 217# BWT

RESULTS

Lifters DB Press Snatch C&J DL Total Points
Myers/Ullom 175-R 320 452 1000 1947 1535.4
Ross/Morton 180-R 177 253 617 1227 1019.9
Murdock/Bletscher 90-R 117 175 440 822 896.7

Notes:  All lifts recorded in pounds.  Total is total pounds lifted.  Points are adjusted points for bodyweight correction and age correction.

EXTRA LIFTS FOR RECORDS:

Murdock/Bletscher: MASTERS 70-74 AGE GROUP & 105 KG WEIGHT CLASS
Team Curl – Reverse Grip: 205#

Ross/Murdock: MASTERS 65-69 AGE GROUP & 125+ KG WEIGHT CLASS
Team Curl – Reverse Grip: 205#

Dean Ross:  MASTERS 65-69 AGE GROUP & 125+ KG WEIGHT CLASS
Swing – Dumbbell, Right Arm: 70#
Swing – Dumbbell, Left Arm: 70#
Swing – 2 Dumbbells: 100#

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