Courage Award
by Al Myers
Dave Glasgow being awarded the Runnerup Courage Award at the USAWA Nationals (center). He was presented the award by Al Myers (left) and Denny Habecker (right). Missing from this picture is the USAWA Courage Award winner Dale Friesz.
The USAWA Courage Award goes to a lifter 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”. That is the way it is defined in the awards program information letter. It might as well just say ” be like DALE FRIESZ” instead. Dale takes courage to the extreme, and continues to lift weights when most (make that ALL) would have quit if they were in his situation. I wasn’t “for sure” if Dale would be able to make it to this years Nationals, but he didn’t let me or the USAWA down on this. Not only did he make the flight to Vegas, but he lifted in the meet and showed tremendous effort in all the days events. He is a true warrior – and very, very deserving of this award. It is only appropriate that he has now won it THREE YEARS IN A ROW!! That’s simply amazing, and is the only person to have won the same award every year since the award program has been in place. The Courage Award winners were:
WINNER – DALE FRIESZ
RUNNERUP – DAVE GLASGOW
Dave Glasgow was a very fitting runner up to Dale. Dave has had some physical difficulties as well this year (surgery on his arm), but most wouldn’t know about it. Dave’s not one to make an issue of something like that. It would have been easy for him to “take some time off” to milk his injury, but it didn’t seem to slow him down at all! As soon as possible he was back on the lifting platform!!
CONGRATS to Dale and Dave for winning this year’s COURAGE AWARD!