USAWA

The following is a list of all current USAWA Certified Officials. All competitions or events require a certified official in order for records to be set or broken.  The USAWA rules require officials to be current USAWA members to be active officials.  Lapse of current membership does not result in the loss of certification.  The officials marked with an asterisk (*) indicate that they are not current USAWA members, and until their membership is current they can not participate in an USAWA event/meet as an active official.

Level 2 USAWA Certified Officials
These officials have passed the USAWA Rules Test AND have the experience of officiating in 25 or more competitions.

Denny Habecker – Lifetime Certification
Bill Clark – Lifetime Certification
Joe Garcia – Lifetime Certification
Dennis Mitchell* – Lifetime Certification
Frank Ciavattone Jr. – Lifetime Certification
Al Myers – Lifetime Certification
Barry Bryan – Lifetime Certification
Joe Ciavattone Sr.* – Lifetime Certification
Chad Ullom – Lifetime Certification
Thom Van Vleck – Lifetime Certification
Scott Schmidt* – Lifetime Certification
Eric Todd – Lifetime Certification
LaVerne Myers – Lifetime Certification
Lance Foster – Lifetime Certification
Randy Smith – Lifetime Certification
Steve Schmidt – Lifetime Certification
James Foster* – Lifetime Certification
RJ Jackson – Lifetime Certification
Dave DeForest – Lifetime Certification
Tony Lupo- Lifetime Certification
Clint Poore – Lifetime Certification
Abe Smith – Lifetime Certification
Beth Skwarecki – Lifetime Certification
Patrick Hadley – Lifetime Certification
Ashley Stearns – Lifetime Certification

Level 1 USAWA Certified Officials
These officials have passed the USAWA Rules Test & Practical Training  OR have the experience of officiating in 25 or more competitions.

Level 1 – Test Qualified

John Strangeway – Certification expires July 26th, 2022*
Christopher Lestan – Certification expires January 4th, 2023*
Jeff Ciavattone – Certification expires August 25th, 2023*
Mark Raymond – Certification expires July 12. 2025
Dave Glasgow – Certification expires October 20, 2025
Barry Pensyl – Certification expires February 16, 2026
Chris Todd – Certification expires August 22nd, 2026
Ashley Stearns – Certification expires January 10, 2027
Holland Millsaps – Certification expires January 10, 2027
Patrick Hadley – Certification expires January 10, 2027
Sanjiv Gupta – Certification expires February 20, 2027
Jarrod Fobes – Certification expires  April 1, 2027
Stephen Santangelo – Certification expires June 7, 2027
Chris Frappier – Certification expires June 7, 2027
Kyle Frappier – Certification expires June 7, 2027
Jarrod Gaddis – Certification expires June 7, 2027
Crystal Diggs – Certification expires July 5, 2027
Christopher Lansdown – Certification expires October 6, 2027

Level 1 – Experience Qualified

None

USAWA Officials in Training

Jeff Rigby – Passed written exam on November 8, 2022
Wade Marchand – Passed written exam on February 5, 2023
Nils Larson – Passed written exam February 1, 2024
Kim Van Wagner – Passed written exam September 6, 2024
Joe Somfay – Passed written exam December 1, 2024

STEP ONE IN BECOMING A CERTIFIED USAWA OFFICIAL

If you are interested in becoming an USAWA Official, the first step is to pass the Rules Test.  This is an open book exam over the rules in the Rule Book. There is no time limit in taking the test or limit on the number of times you may take the test. You must have a score over 90% to pass. The following is the Rules Test in different formats.  Please answer the questions fully.  If a answer is a yes/no answer with exceptions, explain the exception.

Word Document:  RULES TEST

PDF Document: RULES TEST

Joe Garcia is the USAWA Officials Director. All completed Rules Tests are to be sent to him for grading. The completed rules test may be mailed or emailed to Joe. He will notify you with a pass or fail response. You will NOT be given the questions you missed or answers to any failed responses.

Joe Garcia
2278 350th Ave
DeWitt, IA 52742
email: jgarcia@usawa.com

STEP TWO IN BECOMING A CERTIFIED USAWA OFFICIAL

After passing the Open Book Rules Test, the next step is to complete three practical training sessions within a year. A practical may be any of:

• Judging unofficially alongside a Level 2 official in the One Official System
• Judging officially in the Three Official System
• Completing an Online Judging Test (This may only be used for two of the practicals; one in-person practical is still required.)

A combination of these options is allowed in order to fulfill the three practical training sessions.  If judging as part of the Three Official System is used, the other two officials must be certified officials, of which one must be a Level 2 official.

A practical training session form will be available for the applicant to document this process.  A Level 2 official must provide authorization that the applicant was competent as an official by signing the form after each event. The same Level 2 official may provide authorization on all practical training sessions for an applicant.  It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit this form to the Officials Director Joe Garcia once completed in order to apply for official certification.

Practical Training Session Form (pdf) – USAWA Practical Training Session Form

Once this form has been approved,  the applicant will be approved as a USAWA Certified Official and placed on the officials list as a Level 1 Test Qualified Official.

BECOMING A LEVEL 2 OFFICIAL

As a Level 1 official, make sure to keep track of the competitions you officiate. When you have completed 25 meets, contact the Officials Director for recognition of your Level 2 status. As of 2024, we allow officials who are certified in other respected organizations, such as USA Weightlifting or USA Powerlifting, to count up to 15 meets in those organizations toward the total of 25, so you may include those if applicable.