[Sanjiv Gupta]

The past couple of years, this meet has been announced in December or January. I think it is a safe bet that Dino Gym will continue to host this great event for years to come. If Al does not host it, I would be interested in hosting it in Denver.

[Sanjiv Gupta]

Looks like you and Josie put up some great numbers in King Kong. My numbers are off from last year, but I still had a lot of fun. I am going to try to drive out again this year for the Grip Championship, but travel in February is always weather dependent.

[Sanjiv Gupta]

Good points. It seems like the major events Grip Championships, Heavy Lift Championship, National Championship, OTSM Championship are pretty well spaced out. Some other events like True North and Hackendinnie could certainly become premier events on the calendar as well.

Given our current membership there is probably not much risk of someone thinking they are setting a record only to have it bested the same day at another venue. More events in more regions should certainly keep current members engaged and attract new members.

[Sanjiv Gupta]

Always fun to see what other strength sports folks compete in:

Thom, I was looking at the NASGA database and those are some impressive numbers. 33 foot sheaf toss is amazing. I know Chad competes in Highland Games and there are probably several others who compete in All-Round Weightlifting and Highland Games.

Ben, Good to hear that you will be doing King Kong. I am planning on competing as well. I have not had many grip specific training sessions, but I figure I still have a little over a month to get ready.

My big accomplishment for the year outside of All-Round was finishing a local short course triathlon with 750 meter open water swim, 10 mile bike and 5K run. My next big event general fitness event will by Hyrox.

Hope folks add to this thread to discuss there All-Round Weightlifting competition plans and other athletic endeavors.

[Sanjiv Gupta]

While it is great to see all the new venues, do we really need three different sanctioned sanctioned record days on the same day (October 12th)? I think it would be great if only one club sanctioned, compiled results and allowed hybrid entries. The only downside I noticed is that it would be harder for clubs to accumulate points towards club of the year.

[Sanjiv Gupta]

Barry, thanks for adding your thoughts. I hope everything at home resolves favorably. This thread made me realize how important the annual national meeting is and how 9 athletes (the majority of 17 in attendance last year) could decide the future of the USAWA. Maybe we are at the point of considering virtual attendance or absentee voting. Even though I sat in on the proposals committee, the discussion on this forum, USAWA website and Facebook page have got me reconsidering my positions.

[Sanjiv Gupta]

Good to know about the broken belts. I might have to come up with something to distribute the force over a few inches.

Still kind of cool that the lift has been on the books since at least 1990 (oldest record by Howard Prechtel at 1815 pounds). It was then contested at the 2006 Dino Gym Challenge where the top marks were set at 740 pounds for women and 2000 pounds for men. There has not been a record recorded for almost a decade since the 2015 Florida Record Day.

[Sanjiv Gupta]

Great points brought up about the mission of the USAWA and why some proposals are being brought up. Nowhere in the USAWA mission statement is competition mentioned, much less fairness of competition, finding the strongest lifter, coming up with crazy new lifts or keeping records mentioned.

The proposals all focus around competition in some form or another. Maybe more time should be spent on “the lifts we perform” instead of uniforms, classification of lifts, new lifts and officiating.

Alternatively, maybe by having uniforms aligned with other strength sports we can bring more members to the organization. Introducing crazy new lifts for the sheer spectacle of them can continue the long standing tradition of old-time weightlifters who were seeking ways to draw an audience. There was a wow factor associated with doing something not everyone could do.

[Sanjiv Gupta]

Thanks for adding to the discussion.

I recently reviewed the records list and there are 59 lifts that have less than 20 records. Removing these would make record keeping easier. It is fun to try lifts with index, little, middle or ring fingers and with Fulton or 3 inch bars, but we do not need keep records for all of these variations. We could consider placing lifts that have fewer than 20 records in a probationary status and then archiving them if they are not contested for a year.

However, I would like to see USAWA continue to grow and move forward in a positive direction. One suggestion would be that new lifts should be contested in an exhibition format a couple of times before presenting them to the executive committee and then they could be approved on a probationary basis until at least 20 people set records in the lift.

For rarely contested lifts that are named for individuals, we can continue to recognize and honor those lifters by performing the lifts as exhibitions during meets, but stop keeping records.

[Sanjiv Gupta]

Thanks for the warning. I don’t expect to ever be an experienced chain lifter, but I would like to learn some of these movements. Being physically attached to an elevated barbell or heavy lift bar certainly sounds like it could end badly.

[Sanjiv Gupta]

Thanks. Hooks actually make sense. Not sure how adjustable it would be or how adjustable it needs to be.

[Sanjiv Gupta]

I cannot attend this year, but I think it is a great idea. Hopefully you can get some USAWA clubs to commit.

[Sanjiv Gupta]

I really enjoyed reading Dan Wagman’s rebuttal. It just goes to show how easy it is to misinterpret information and make misleading statements based on that misinterpretation.

The discussion of fairness is certainly a valid one, but I do not think it is an inhibitor to the USAWA’s ability to move and grow in a positive fashion.

Standardized Equipment – We do not weigh plates prior to competition like other sanctioning bodies. This is OK.

Judging Criteria – I think the judging is quite clear, but some continuing education may be necessary, especially with all of the new lifts introduced since some judges have been certified. Also someone officiating USAWA lifts for decades will be better than an official like myself who is newly certified without experience officiating in other federations.

Drug Testing – Well said, but difficult to perform.

Biomechanical Analysis – Very interesting point that I would like to explore further. My fabrication of a neck harness and watching a youtube video is not a “fair” comparison to a coached, trained athlete.

Statistical Analysis – This is a real can of worms to which we can add hand size, gender, ad infinitum

In regards to the Lynch formula and Age Correction, I have been reviewing the USAWA record list and the practices of other sports sanctioning bodies and hope to present a case in the next few months for an alternative, imperfect formula that still does not truly contest maximum muscular strength.

• This reply was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by Sanjiv Gupta.

[Sanjiv Gupta]

Clint made up the Buffville stones. He may have an idea. I tried to lift the replica stones in Columbus, but never thought to look at how the metal was secured.

[Sanjiv Gupta]

I just read your write-up. I love the first person format. I was trying to write one more as a news story.

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