Thom Van Vleck
Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
I am hoping to beat my numbers from last year. We had 10 lifters. If I have 11 I will consider it a success and I think I will. Got almost 10 entries and several “I plan on being there”‘s…..
It’s in the “Old School Gym” where the USAWA Nationals were held. Pretty cool venue….I plan on holding more meets there.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderThis was a great meet…..one of the best run and funnest I’ve been to in years.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderRandom Bill Fellows story I’ll tell since Tom mentioned him: I had a buddy that managed a Pizza place in Columbia. He said he has this “70 year old weightlifter” working delivering for him part time and somebody tried to steal the pizza’s he was delivering by grabbing them away. My friend said the old lifter hung on and then threw the would be thief thru a nearby window!!!!! This was in the late 80’s….I asked what the guys name was…Bill Fellows.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderGreat list! I am excited to be judging this meet and meeting some lifters I have not had a chance to meet. I also accept American Dollars, British pounds, and Australian dollars….no Canadian or Euros….hahaha
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderJust kidding, fellas….
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderOk, since we are trying to remember we are friends:
This guy asks the meet director if he can wear knee sleeves, they argue, then go and kick the organizations secretary in the balls. They shake hands and have a beer.
HAHAHAHA I made myself laugh.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderI never met John but felt like I knew him and he was “my kind of guy”. Sorry for those who really did know him for their loss. Glad to see the guy get the respect he obviously deserves!
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderI agree, some guys skip a work out because they don’t “feel good” or their knee is a little swollen…..Not Dale! Dale is one of those guys that is going to go sliding sideways like Starsky and Hutch into his grave yelling a rebel yell the whole way!
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderTully, I don’t know what to say, well, I do but I’m not gonna because it isn’t pretty. You don’t want to come to my contest, then don’t come. Don’t blame me, I’m having a USAWA certified meet, take it to them. If you want to get on here and TELL PEOPLE that you are now NOT coming then I think I’m allowed a response.
You of all people, with all the meets you have run should understand that you don’t run down somebody else’s meet in public. I will not be bullied and you are a being a frickin’ bully about this. You have taken this from a healthy debate to you trying to shove your agenda down everyone’s throat and then being upset about it when you didn’t win….do you know how many lifts I proposed for the OTSM to have shot down…..at least two dozen….Al and I had it out, but we did it in private as it should have been. Guess what, I didn’t get my way and I accept that. When you are part of a group, that’s what happens. Otherwise, find a cave to live in or start your own dicatatorship.
What I WISH would have happened is that the knee sleeve issue would have been applied only to the OTSM putting the USAWA “OTSM” more in line with regular strongman and with the supportive gear I’m sure the old timers used in doing the lifts we do in their honor. Now that it has been brought to the point that we have polarized all those who would have been in favor of it, it will likely NEVER happen now. Gee, thanks, Tully.
I will have the meet and I have made a commitment to it being a USAWA meet…I keep my commitments. I was just blowing off some steam over the fact that why do I get slammed on this.
I now refuse to respond to any more posts on this thread so if anyone wants to send me an email with their “comments” then do it, as I won’t see it here.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderNow that’s funny.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderTully, I’m sorry I got extremely bored with Al’s attempts to get a post to have over 1000 views that I lost interest in this Horse beat down of epic proportions.
As for the answer, you will have to run that by the head judge at my meet. His name is Al Myers. HAHAHAHAHA
Now, Scott….if it were up to me we’d be wearing supersuits, knee wraps, wrist wraps and everyone that was there would be smart enough to know when to “reel it back” without someone pointing out that wrapping yourself in bed sheets might be over the top. But everyone has an opinion of what over the top is.
This WHOLE deal is why I have a problem with ANY organization and politics in general. Nobody wants to focus on the positives, they just want to pick one issue and then beat the living hell out of it until everyone is pissed off and either quits or it ends up being a life time grudge match that does nothing but spew anger, hatred, insults and behind the back comments like when this organization was run by someone previously (who I actually have a lot of respect for regarding what they did in the PAST). There, I said it. Geezus. I just want to lift and have fun but I have a problem keeping my mouth shut when I see a few guys bullying the many around and getting their way because they make the most noise. I’m ready to yank my USAWA meet status for the OTSM and go back to my old school, “here’s what I’m doing and if you don’t like it don’t come to the meet” method. The amount of work I’ve already done on this meet and the amount of work it will create for me during and after and the out of pocket I will likely be because I’ve made this a fundraiser makes me question my sanity. Now you know why I quit responding, I think of all you guys as my friends and this stuff is just divisive.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderDANG IT TULLY….I worked hard for that!
I the point is that we should either be a raw organization of not and if not then where do we draw the line. Because really, how can knee wraps really make a difference….and a wider belt if we already have a belt, or…..it just never ends and becomes more and more dividing. Like it is now. I got involved in politics a few years ago and figured out why politicians remain vague on where they stand with the issue.
How it works. You pick A over B. I don’t pick, but say something positive about both. Now the “B” folks hate me but are just mad at you for not making a pick. The A folks love you. Now, half the A folks like C and half the B’s like D. You Pick C over D. I don’t pick and again just say something positive. Now half the A folks hate you, but are just mad at me. The other half still love you but now that’s just a quarter of the voters. Election time comes. All people remember is what you DIDN’T pick and they all vote for me because I said something positive even though I never stood up for a DAMN THING. I see that in organizations like this. You try and make a rule and people focus on what they didn’t get, say “Screw this” and leave. That’s why we have such a small membership. We stood up for what we believed in!
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderJesse: I have been following “odd lifting” since I was a kid reading my Uncle’s Newsletters from Bill Clark even BEFORE the USAWA existed….the conflicts have ALWAYS been there and always will. The main difference is Al doesn’t edit out everyone that disagrees with him. (That is not intended as a slam on anyone….hell….I ALWAYS tell my wife the truth in regards to how I handle our finances and one day she said to me, “Sometimes I wish you would just what needs to be done and not tell me…I don’t want to worry about it”.)
Scott: I have a set of your knee sleeves….I LOVE THEM and actually agree with you on using all that other stuff with limitations….it’s just an all or nothing deal and right now we are a nothing organization….HAHA…that didn’t sound right! Also, Scott…..I like to wear a stocking cap to keep my brain warmed up so I don’t hurt it writing these posts.
Way to go Conrad….errrr…Al! HAHAHAH
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderFellas…..take it easy! This is why I don’t like to get too involved in the “politics” of the USAWA…..I get the feeling I offend people and in turn sometimes feel offended….I just want to lift and have fun and keep all my friends in the process (and Tully from putting an arm bar on me the next time I come to Salina ’cause I know he thinks I’m a jerk and Al keeps telling him made up stuff I’m saying to get him going).
Many years ago I wrote Bill Clark a satirical letter on his stubborness regarding supportive gear. I proposed that the USAWA start lifting like the ancient Greeks….Totally NAKED (GAWD….that would scare the crap out some people). I went on to say that being naked would ensure that no support was given as even a JOCK STRAP might give undue aid!
I think if you are going to be an “ungeared” group then when you start putting in knee wraps here, wrist wraps here, etc. etc. you run into nightmares with record keeping which I do for the Scottish Masters stuff.
Then there’s making medical exceptions for injuries, for HRT (TRT), and on and on and on. I don’t envy the USAWA board in their handling of these decisions. When I ran for political office I learned why politicians don’t just come out and say where they stand on issue. Because as soon as you do, half the people get pissed and refuse to vote for you, then you make another statement, and another half drop you……why, because I think it’s in our nature to be divisive. We have to work at working together. I can see us making a decision on this and no matter what is decided some guy will get made and refuse to life in the USAWA ever again. I just see it as easier to say “no gear” and you know what you are getting in to.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderOK, JESSE! I’ve got lots of edumacation……Jethro Bodine ain’t got nuthin’ on me. HAHAHA So, here’s my re-butt-al. I will say that there was a recent debate on the Pendlay forum and there were alot of arguments that they did and didn’t offer support.
How can you say it’s “not supportive” when you then go on to say how sore your knees are when you don’t use them? They would have to be supportive in some way if you knees didn’t get sore! (and remember, I would actually want them, but it’s an either/or deal for me….either ALL gear or none allowed and since we lean toward none, then none it my vote…I’m like Lawrence Taylor, I don’t do anything half way!). Also, have you ever been spotting someone on the bench with a huge weight and they get stuck and the slightest touch of the bar gets them going? Just that slight amount of support in the sleeves could make a big difference. But that’s my opinion.
Now, if you tell me they keep your knees warm and thats why they help, I’ll buy that. But couldn’t one just slide them off, do the lift, and put them back on if that’s the benefit?
Another thing I could buy is that it’s mental….I’m as a big a head case as they come.
Finally, I got one that hasn’t been brought up yet. Say, we allow knee sleeves and I go out and buy an XXS sleeve and squeeze it on….then what? Somebody will use that rule to their advantage. Supposedly that’s what the Oly lifters started doing when they allowed them the sleeves. XXS sleeves outsell all other sizes by a wide margin….I wonder why?
Again, this is in the spirit of debate, don’t go all “Obama/Romney” on me! I think Al likes to get us going to spur interest in the website! He’s kind of the USAWA version of Conrad Dobler….and if don’t know who that is, look it up!
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-Rounder -
AuthorPosts