LaVerne Myers – Hall of Fame Biography

By Al Myers

(Below is the Hall of Fame Biography for LaVerne Myers, who was inducted into the USAWA Hall of Fame at the 2019 USAWA National Championships.  This bio is now included in the HOF Archives on the website.)

HALL OF FAME BIOGRAPHY

LAVERNE MYERS – CLASS OF 2019

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LaverneWorld18

LaVerne was born on May 1st, 1944.   He has spent his entire life in the Abilene, Kansas area.   During his working years he was a dairy and crop farmer and at one time milked over 100 cows.  He is married to Jeanette and has 3 sons – Alan, David, and Brian.

LaVerne became involved with the USAWA in 2002, after he attended the National Championships in Youngstown, Ohio.  This inspired him to become much more involved in the All Rounds and began training the lifts.  He has attended many big meets, including IAWA Championships overseas.   He has competed in England 3 times (2018 Worlds in Eastbourne, 2014 Gold Cup in Burton on Trent, 2018 Gold Cup in Eastbourne)  and in Scotland 1 times  (2017 Gold Cup in Glasgow).  He trains at the Dino Gym in Holland, KS.

Among his many accomplishments:

  • Best lifter in the 70+ at the World Championships in Eastbourne, England
  • 7th Place overall finish at the 2016 World Championships in Lebanon, PA
  • Best Lifter in the 65-69 at the 2012 World Championships in Salina, KS
  • 7th Place overall finish at the 2018 USAWA Nationals
  • Best Lifter in the 70+ at the 2018 Nationals in Cocoa Beach, Florida
  • 9th Place overall finish at the 2017 Nationals in Cleveland, Ohio
  • 8th Place overall finish at the 2012 Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Sportsmanship Award Runner Up 2016 & 2017
  • Lifter of the Month 4 times
  • USAWA Certified Level 2 Official for over 10 years
  • Overall Best Lifter at the USAWA Grip Championships 3 times (2019, 2016, 2015)
  • 3rd place overall in the 2016 Postal Series
  • Overall Best Lifter at the 2017 Team Championships with Dean Ross
  • Runner Up for the Howard Prechtel Award at the 2016 IAWA Gold Cup
  • IAWA Commitment Award winner in 2018
  • Meet promoter for the 2016 IAWA Gold Cup in Abilene, KS
  • Meet promoter for the 2019 IAWA World Championships in Abilene, KS

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LaVerne’s favorite lifts are any lifts involving grip strength.  He has earned the nicknames “La Grip” and “Mr. Vice Grip” among his all-round friends.  He is one of the top record holders in the USAWA, with over 200 records. This record mark currently puts him in 11th place overall in total records held in the history of the USAWA.  Some of his top records are: 182# in the one arm Fulton Bar Deadlift,  242# Inch Dumbbells Deadlift, 123# in the Dumbbell Walk,  335# in the Pinch Grip Deadlift, 255# in the Reeves Deadlift,  182# in the 2” One Handed Vertical Bar Lift,  330# in the 2 bar 2” Vertical Bar Deadlift, 300# Ciavattone Grip Deadlift with the Fulton Bar,  and 6# in the Weaver Sticks.  All of these records were set over the age of 65 and many are overall records within his weight class.  In his 70’s he can still do pullups with a thumbless grip!

One of his lifting highlights included doing a 2 man lift with his son Al at the 2017 IAWA Gold Cup in Glasgow, Scotland.  Together they did 441# in the Team One Hand Thumbless Deadlift in front of an international lifting crowd.  LaVerne is an IAWA official, and has officiated at many IAWA World Championships and Gold Cups.  LaVerne biggest enjoyment in the USAWA has been making many great friends all over the World.

Greg Cook – Lifter of the Month

By Al Myers

Greg Cook - USAWA Lifter of the Month for July

Greg Cook – USAWA Lifter of the Month for July

The USAWA Lifter of the Month for July is Greg Cook. In July, Greg competed in the Second Annual IAWA Old Time Strongman Championships and once the dust had settled, earned the title of BEST LIFTER OVERALL.  He lifted exceptionally – highlighted by his amazing 805 pound Kennedy Lift.  I was able to witness it firsthand, thus I can attest to what an outstanding lift it was! This IAWA Postal Championships had competitors from all over the World enter, and many that competed where World Class All Rounders themselves.  Congrats Greg – you deserve being Lifter of the Month for July!

World Best Lifters

By Al Myers

At the 2019 IAWA World Championships there were many great lifters in attendance!  The competition was fierce, but in the end only ONE lifter is crowned as the overall best lifter of the meet.  I knew it was going to be a close one in both the women’s and men’s divisions before the meet – and that turned out to be the case.  Today I want to recognize these two OVERALL BEST LIFTERS.  For the men’s division, the overall winner was Steve Sherwood and in the women’s division it was Elizabeth Skwarecki.   Congratulations to both of these outstanding lifters!

Elizabeth Skwarecki, the Overall Best Womens Lifter at the 2019 IAWA World Championships, receiving her award from Meet Promoter Al Myers.

Elizabeth Skwarecki, the Overall Best Womens Lifter at the 2019 IAWA World Championships, receiving her award from Meet Promoter Al Myers.

Top 3 Men's Overall Best Lifters at the 2019 IAWA World Championships (left to right): Dan Wagman 3rd, Steve Sherwood 1st, and Steve Andrews 2nd.

Top 3 Men’s Overall Best Lifters at the 2019 IAWA World Championships (left to right): Dan Wagman 3rd, Steve Sherwood 1st, and Steve Andrews 2nd.

What All-Around Lifting Is About

By Christopher Lestan

As I fly home from my very first Worlds I can’t help but think of what I just experienced from the competition. To start off, the event was wonderfully organized. The banquet was great, and the lifting was so much fun. However, there is more to express. The emotions are hard to describe. I feel happiness, confidence, joy, appreciation, and gratitude. Its as if I just saw the greatest movie of all time and left the theater with such a bag of emotions that I just need to put them down on a piece of paper. Tell the world what I am feeling.

If there is one thing I am completely convinced with its that I finally realized what the USAWA, IAWA, and just All-Around lifting is about.

My mentor Frank who introduced me to this sport!

My mentor Frank who introduced me to this sport!

When I first joined the USAWA I was probably like most in the federation when they first join, for I had a background in a sport or strength discipline. I was a powerlifter who only competed to win, and that’s it. I didn’t care about the people who I competed with because I didn’t know them, and they felt the same way about me. Powerlifting at the end of the day is an individual sport where competitors go in with one goal in mind and that is to win. Very similarly when I entered the USAWA that was my mindset too. I wanted to come in and win in my first meet. When my first All-Around meet I placed 2nd in the overall lifters score. However, I didn’t feel defeated. I felt something I never have felt before at a Powerlifting meet….. happiness. I didn’t get happiness from the personal bests that I got in the lifts, or the medal that I got after. It was the people. I basically lifted, competed, and socialized. The last word is where I knew this federation was different. I socialized… I laughed… I talked about lifting, life, family, goals with people I have just met.

That is where we segway into the next part of this blog. This weekend’s Championship! I have never experienced such openness at a lifting competition. When I walked into the venue for the first time on Friday I was greeted with such friendly faces. It was amazing. On Saturday what I experienced at my first USAWA meet was soon the same here. I was socializing with fellow lifters about life, their passions, how they got into All-Around lifting, making jokes, and laughing. During all this conversation I still managed to hit personal bests in most of my lifts. Then after I would be cheering on my fellow lifters to make their lifts and break world records! It’s insane. You will not find this in Powerlifting, for when I made it to the national level meets fellow lifters would become less and less friendly. They would see you as your enemy. They wouldn’t talk to you, or even look at you. To me this is strange.

Stevie Shanks! First time meeting him and what an great guy. Always supporting other lifters!

Stevie Shanks! First time meeting him and what a great guy. Always supporting other lifters!

As lifters, we all came from a very similar place of why we wanted to compete. TO IMPROVE OURSELVES. To gain confidence and in the process make relationships that will last forever. Am I still a competitive person. Yes, I will not deny that. However, I will never let that get in the way of never making a relationship with someone who has similar goals as me. I never felt the need to be aggressive with lifters, or be rude to them to gain the upper hand.

Lastly, All-Around lifting is about challenging yourself to do things you never thought possible. These lifts are very unorthodox, yet there is a beauty and humbleness about them. I am absolutely terrible at anything in which hook grip would allow more weight to be lifted. Therefore, I respect any lifter who can take the pain of the hook grip. It’s the ability to understand your weaknesses that make this sport amazing. Thus, the courage to enter a competition in which you have a very small idea of what you are able to lift is huge!

This weekend will be in my memories for the rest of my life. I will remember the laughs, jokes, the new friends I made, and the personal bests in lifts, and the courage to make risks in lifts I have very little experience. This is what makes All-Around lifting special. This is what makes this sport so great!

 

3rd Quarter Postal

By Denny Habecker

MEET RESULTS –

USAWA 3RD QUARTER POSTAL MEET

The results of the 3rd Quarter Postal have been tabulated. We had 11 men and 5 women take part, with Al Myers leading the men and R.J. Jackson leading the women.

RESULTS:

3rd Quarter Postal Meet
July 1st through September 30th, 2019

Meet Director – Denny Habecker

Lifers with Certified Officials:
Al Myers – Laverne Myers
John Douglas – Laverne Myers
Dean Ross – Laverne Myers
Laverne Myers – Al Myers
Eric Todd – Lance Foster- John Strangeway
John Strangeway- Eric Todd – Lance Foster
Chris Todd  – Eric Todd-Lance Foster- John Strangeway
Lance Foster – Eric Todd- John Strangeway
Phoebe Todd – Eric Todd-Lance Foster-John Strangeway
Denny Habecker- Barry Pensyl
Barry Pensyl – Denny Habecker
Aidan Habecker – Denny Habecker
Crystal Diggs- R.J. Jackson

Lifters with Non-Certified Officials:
R.J. Jackson
Sylvia Stockall
Lynda Burns

The Lifts- Pullover and Press, Curl-2 Dumbbells, Cheat, Continental to Belt

MEN’S DIVISION

Al  Myers             –  53  – 232   – 230 – 150 – 360 – 740  – 695.71

Eric Todd             –  44  – 256   – 345 – 170 – 310 – 825  – 679.30

John Strangeway  – 41   – 210  – 244  – 150 – 345 – 739  – 655.78

Denny Habecker   – 76  – 183   – 165  –  80  – 220 – 465  – 645.32

Barry Pensyl         – 71  – 150   – 127  – 80   – 206 – 413  – 607.10

John Douglas       – 55   – 308   – 220  – 150 – 352 – 722  – 600.50

Laverne Myers     – 75   – 229   – 100  – 110 – 220  – 430  – 521.45

Chris Todd          – 40   – 270   – 244   – 145 – 265  – 654 – 504.58

Dean Ross          – 76   – 240   – 130   – 90   – 180  – 400 – 479.57

Aidan Habecker   – 16  – 206   – 132    – 80   – 209  – 421 – 407.58

Lance Foster       – 53  – 345   – 0       – 100  – 265  – 365 – 238.24

WOMEN’S DIVISION

R.J. Jackson        57   – 106   – 100  –   70    – 125  – 295 – 483.82

Sylvia Stockall    61    – 140   – 75    –  90     – 135  – 300 – 408.52

Lynda Burns       44   – 175    – 78     – 80     – 145  – 303 – 307.42

Crystal Diggs     32   – 165     – 43     – 60     – 95   – 198  – 198.33

Phoebe Todd      9    – 84       – 0       – 20     – 65   – 85    – 197.54

 

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