Thom Van Vleck
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Chad…you know I love you man (not in an “Al” kind of way, but a “Bud Light, you’re my Dad and all” kind of way. Actually, you’re the little brother I always wanted! (We’ll see how closely Tedd follows this blog).
BUT…..WHEN the show down comes….my Money is on ET in the NECK LIFT. Who will be the first to 1000lbs! I think you guys should go for that and I bet it would make for a great sequel to Al’s Neck Lift article in MILO! Maybe we should pay Guiness the $1000 they charge to certify World Records and have them come and certify it. (I don’t know how much they charge, but you have to pay for it….that’s a racket! haha). So, any takers on my bet? Let’s make this interesting!
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderI guess I want to discuss this a little as I’m surprised at the results.
My feeling is that it’s a pandora’s box. In Highland Games we have the Weight Over Bar event where the thrower has to throw a 56lb weight over a bar, kinda like a high jump bar that goes higher and higher with the highest being the winner. Well, the rules don’t say you can’t spin but traditionally, it was done from a standing position. One day, someone did spin, and while it was debated, nobody stopped it. Soon, guys were spinning all over the place. Hell, I did it when I realized it was a superior way to do it. Now, some games allow it, some don’t and it is a point of contention. Why? Because you can throw higher spinning….but then others argue you don’t! In my mind, it’s a separate event. Guys argue about it and in the mean time records are broken until only the spinners have all the records and nobody can remember who did what standing, spinning, or whatever. Now, there are guys double spinning!
My point, I like spinning, but I don’t consider it the same. I like knee sleeves, I own two pair! But this is an pandora’s box and we either need to create a “geared” record list and ungeared (good lord…how many records would that be!……500 pages!) or just keep it raw and a guy can were his knee sleeve to keep warm, take it off to lift, then go on with life. For the record, I voted no, but in reality, I would rather see all gear allowed with limitations. But to me, it’s all or nothing and its disrespectful to past champs to beat records with advantages they didn’t have.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderSeems like I recall “someone” (names Thom..haha) did an article on Al….gee, Chad, I guess I’m a better friend!
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderYou guys keep denying it…..but eventually…..let’s just say that “somebody” should get a couple of free drinks the next time we are out or certain photos that “don’t” exist may start showing up in a certain Governors office. Also, I think Chad would look great in a Mizzou Tiger shirt! Now, don’t worry Chad, these copies are in a safe location! Under MY control….BWAHAHAHAHAHA.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderLance, I don’t know what he’s lifting in the photo but allegedly he pulled what was termed a “High side” deadlift with 900lbs. Not sure if this was an 18″ deadlift or higher….probably never know.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderI wrote a letter to “Ol’ Clark” many years ago that he put in the newsletter. It was “tongue in cheek” (but that didn’t stop someone from being offended). I said we should lift like the ancient Greeks….NAKED. As a jock strap would be considered “supportive”.
Well, Knee sleeves to me are kinda like jock straps. You like the “nice and tight” feeling and keeping everything in “line” so nothing “pops our” when you least expect it.
I’ll say this (and no pun intended): I “support” supportive gear with limits. But I also know it’s a slippery slope. You make rules and somebody is gonna have a problem with the rules….no matter how well thought out the reasoning. I think I’ve driven Al Myers up a tree more than once with our personal debates on USAWA rules.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderThey are probably still trying to find Al….look on the roof! Say hello to Mike Tyson.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderThe word on the street:
Al Myers 1st
Larry Truab 2nd
Chad Ullom 3rdNo word on meet events…..I hear what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderFirst, thanks for the compliments!
Second, I think one of the reasons this has had success is the wide net we have cast. We invited anyone interested in lifting to come, olympic and powerlifters, bodybuilders, throwers….but also crossfit folks, boxers, Mixed martial arts, bootcamp P90X types, and made it were they could do as much or as little with the club as they wanted…sort of a “fits their needs”.
I’m very excited about this and I hope we can keep it going!
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderBill is 59 years old and will soon turn 60. Our last work out he went 44ft in the open stone with a 17lb stone and 36ft with a 22lb stone. 10 years ago he had a major heart attack and told me recently that his lifts were now back up to where they were prior to the heart attack! The fact that he throws while weighing in at around 220lbs at any given time (well below the norm) really adds to his amazing ability. He recently hit 450lbs for 5 reps in the squat with nothing more than a lifting belt. Think about his, Bill does manual labor at a wire rope factor averaging 50 plus hours a week with NO AIR CONDITIONING then farms when he gets home. He also trains like a spartan. His routine would make most men QUIT.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderAl has never defeated me in competitions that involved anything other than throwing things or lifting weights. However, when we throw in a battle of wits…….
When Al goes to the “counselor” move, I know I have him on the ropes. It’s like taking a knee to get a standing 8 count. HAHAHA
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderAl, you missed a key point and you should not have missed this one. I wasn’t talking about who had competed the most with Chad, I was talking (as always) about ME!!! HAHA Of all the athletes I have competed against, Chad is the one that I have competed against the most! I don’t want to get inbetween the special “relationship” that you and Chad have (also known as “bro-mance”, bromosexual, bromantic, metrosexual, brokeback relationship). You should know, I’m usually talking about me!
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderLeave it to a Democrat to try and make more big government to protect us from ourselves….HAHA.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderThanks! Chad and I both had a couple dozen throwers in our group so they were stacked classes with well over 100 throwers total. A couple of highlights were me getting 2nd in the Weight over bar and Chad winning the caber OUTRIGHT!! That was awesome of Chad. I saw is and the sizeable crowd gave him a standing ovation when he finally turned it when all the others had failed.
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-RounderWOW! What a deal! I would like to point out that when we set our 127 records we did it in 2 HOURS. Had we had all day like Jesse I’m sure we would have set at least 203. HAHAHA Just kidding, Jesse. Great job! I feel your pain. I recall how I felt the next day and the next day and the next day……It took awhile to get over that!
Thom Van Vleck
Jackson Weightlifting Club
Highland Games athlete and sometimes All-Rounder -
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