Dino Gym Challenge

By Al Myers

DINO GYM CHALLENGE

“The Tom Ryan Memorial Meet”

Eric Todd (left) recieved his award from Thom Van Vleck (right) for being the Athlete of the Year Runner Up for last year at the Dino Gym Challenge. Eric went on to win the Overall Best Lifter at the 2018 Dino Gym Challenge.

Eric Todd (left) received his award from Thom Van Vleck (right) for being the USAWA Athlete of the Year Runner Up for last year at the Dino Gym Challenge. Eric went on to win the Overall Best Lifter at the 2018 Dino Gym Challenge.

It was another great year for the Dino Gym Challenge! Eight brave lifters made their way to the platform for an exciting day of lifting, honoring the late Tom Ryan. Many stories were told about Tom throughout the day, along with many great lifts made to honor him.  I hope he was looking down on us throughout the day with a smile on his face.

We had a celebrity official present, Thom Van Vleck.  Thom made the long drive to the Dino Gym from Kirksville, MO  just to officiate the Dino Gym Challenge.  I can’t express my thanks to him for doing this as it allowed my dad and I to participate. Usually one of us has to sit it out to judge. I picked lifts for this meet which were Tom Ryan’s favorites, and it was quite the variety! We started the meet off with the Weaver Stick. LaVerne showed us AGAIN his mighty grip by having the top lift in the Weaver Stick at 6 pounds.  I think he could have got 7 pounds, but when asked if he wanted a fourth attempt at record he said he would pass, as Tom Ryan has the top Weaver Stick record in the USAWA at 7 pounds and he wanted to let Tom keep that All Time record to himself (at least on this day!).

The next lift was the Rectangular Fix.  The youngest member in attendance, Calvin, did a fantastic lift of 80 pounds. Chad did 105 in competition and then did 120 as a fourth attempt which was easier than his 105! That was the top Rectangular Fix of the meet.

We then moved onto the One handed thumbless grip deadlift. Tom Ryan excelled at this lift, having done 254 pounds.  No one came close to that!  Dad must have still felt the sting from the loss to me in this lift at the Gold Cup last fall as he called for (and did) 201 pounds right after I did 200 pounds on my second attempt. Well, if I was a good son I probably should have just let him have his revenge victory and passed my last attempt but NOPE, I called for 202 pounds for a successfull third lift just to let everyone know that it wasn’t a fluke I beat him in this lift at the Gold Cup!

Next up was the Reeves Deadlift. Big John Douglas and Chad both hit 300 pounds for the top Reeves Deadlift of the day. It was at this point of the meet that I got a call for a work emergency, and I had to leave to take care of it and missed the rest of the meet.  I checked over the scorekeepers report and noticed that LaVerne was leading after 4 events and ET was standing in 7th place. I had a feeling that this wasn’t going to be the case after the final event, the Hip Lift. Well, when I got back and NOT TO MY SURPRISE Eric put up a HUGE hip lift of 2010 pounds to seal the victory in the Dino Gym Challenge. Chad came in second, and Calvin finished third for an outstanding finish in this tough field of all rounders.

I want to really thank everyone who attended, as it means alot to me when lifters show up to support my promotions. It was a great day of fun, and a fitting tribute to Tom Ryan.

Meet Results:

2018 Dino Gym Challenge
Dino Gym, Holland, Kansas
Saturday, January 27th, 2018

Meet Director: Al Myers

Meet Scorekeeper: Al Myers and Chad Ullom

Official (1-official system used): Thom Van Vleck

Lifts: Weaver Stick, Rectangular Fix, Deadlift – No Thumb One Hand, Reeves Deadlift, Hip Lift

MENS DIVISION

LIFTER AGE BWT WS Fix DLNT RDL Hip TOT PTS
Eric Todd 43 260 3R 90 185R 265 2010 2553 2065.2
Chad Ullom 46 245 5R 105 195R 300 1540 2145 1839.6
Calvin Heit 15 150 3R 80 150R 180 940 1353 1657.4
John Douglas 54 315 5R 95 175R 300 1220 1795 1467.5
LaVerne Myers 73 234 6L 76 201L 230 520 1033 1136.0
Dean Ross 75 236 3R 70 135L 200 520 928 1031.3
Al Myers 51 230 5R 90 202R 280 —– 577 535.2
Lance Foster 52 330 4R 85 135R 200 —– 424 332.7

EXTRA ATTEMPTS FOR RECORDS

Chad Ullom Rectangular Fix 120 lbs.

Notes: BWT is bodyweight in pounds. All lifts recorded in pounds. R and L designate right and left arms. TOT is total pounds lifted. PTS are overall adjusted points corrected for age and bodyweight.

RECORD DAY LIFTS

Al Myers – Age 51, Bodyweight 230 pounds
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 1″, Left Hand: 210 pounds
Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 1″, Right Hand: 185 pounds
Saxon Snatch: 76 pounds
Deadlift – Inch Dumbbell, Right Hand: 130 pounds
Deadlift – Inch Dumbbell, Left Hand: 130 pounds

LaVerne Myers – Age 73, Bodyweight 236 pounds
Deadlift – No Thumbs, Overhand Grip: 250 pounds
Scott Lift: 70 pounds
Deadlift – Fulton Bar: 255 pounds
Jefferson Lift – Fulton Bar: 255 pounds

Thom Van Vleck – Age 53, Bodyweight 280 pounds
Reeves Deadlift: 235 pounds
Deadlift – Ring Fingers: 165 pounds
Thors Hammer: 51 pounds
Snatch – Dumbbell, Right: 105 pounds
Snatch – Dumbbell, Left: 95 pounds

Reeves Lift vs. the Rim Lift

By Al Myers

Tom Ryan, with his long arms, loved the Reeves Lift!

The late Tom Ryan, with his long arms, loved the Reeves Lift!

One of the lifts contested this weekend at the Dino Gym Challenge is the Reeves Lift, modeled after a favorite lift of the famous bodybuilder and actor Steve Reeves. He loved this lift as he felt it enhanced his famous lat spread.  I recently received an email asking about the required bar length for the Reeves Lift, and asking if a shorter bar could be used.  This got me to thinking about the Rules of the Reeves Lift, and how it compares to the IAWA(UK) Lift the Rim Lift. Interestingly, the Reeves Lift is ONLY a USAWA lift while the Rim Lift is ONLY an IAWA(UK) lift with the big difference being the length of bar required.  Let’s rehash the rules of each:

RULE FOR USAWA LIFT:  Deadlift – Reeves

The rules of the Deadlift apply with these exceptions. The lift starts by the lifter gripping one plate on each side of the bar.  The flanges of the plates may be turned outwards to provide a better gripping surface. A regulation bar of legal length must be used.  There are no width specifications of the flanges of the lifting plates. Weight is added to the bar with smaller diameter plates so the lifter always has just one plate per side to grip.

RULE FOR IAWA(UK) LIFT: RIM LIFT

The lifter will deadlift, hacklift or straddle a loaded barbell whilst holding only the rims of the discs. The maximum sized discs for the is lift are 18 inches. On the inside the discs must be flat and smooth, and on the outside the rim cannot be deeper than 1inch. The lifter must not grasp any handles, holes or specially prepared areas, only the thumbs on the smooth inside and the fingers on the outside rim. Any bar can be used as the distance between the collars is optional. Whatever style of lift the lifter chooses the lift will always be finished in the correct fashion, with an erect posture. On completion the referee will signal to replace the bar.

Causes for Failure:
The causes for failure for the deadlift, hacklift or straddle will apply, depending on the style elected.
Failure to achieve the correct fully erect finishing posture.
Lowering/replacing the bar before the referees signal.

As you can see these are two completely different lifts, with the Reeves Lift being a much more difficult lift. Now you do have some choices in picking a “good bar” for the Reeves Lift. The USAWA  has definite rules for USAWA regulation bars (that hasn’t always been the case however in the earlier days of the USAWA). Looking in the USAWA Rulebook you find these rules as it applies to USAWA regulation bars:

VI. Equipment 16. The bar must meet the following specifications.

  • The bar must have a minimum diameter of 25 millimeters or 1 inch.
  • The bar must have a maximum diameter of 1.25”.
  • The sleeves of the bar must have a minimum diameter of 50 millimeters or 1.96 inches.
  • The minimum distance between the inside collars is 51 inches.
  • The maximum distance between the inside collars is 58 inches.
  • The minimum total length of the bar must not be less than 7 feet. An exception to this is when lifts are done where the combined weight of the bar and the plates does not exceed 20 kilograms or 45 pounds, whereas a lighter and shorter bar may be used. Another exception is allowing a lighter and shorter bar to be used for women, older lifters and junior lifters.
  • The maximum total length of the bar must not exceed 8 ½ feet.
  • All bars must be marked with a clear indication of the bar’s weight if the bar’s weight is not 45 pounds or 20 kilograms.
  • The bar may contain knurling on any parts of it.
  • For one hand lifts, the bar must contain knurling in the center of the bar.
  • The bar must be straight.
  • The sleeves of the bar are allowed to revolve.

So obviously having a bar closer in length to the inside collars of 51 inches is preferred over the maximum distance of inside collars at 58 inches. The GOOD NEWS for the lifters this weekend at the Dino Gym Challenge is that I have made a speciality regulation bar for the Reeves Lift which has a short “collar to collar” length. However, you still need the finger strength to hold onto the plates and this only helps with reaching the plates.  Not everyone has the long “wing span” of Tom Ryan!!

2017 Year in Review

By Al Myers

I have just finished the 2017 USAWA Year in Review.  Every year since I have been secretary of the USAWA I have done this Review Book.  I take all the information that has been put on the website (blogs, meet results, past history archives, etc) and copy it into a book, which is printed off.  I also include this book as a digital file on the website if someone wants to look at it that way or print it off themselves.

I do this for one reason primarily – and that is to preserve the history of the USAWA in paper form.  It always surprises me by the amount of information that this website accumulates every year. This year the Year in Review is 372 pages long and contains 93,500 words!  It would take a few evenings to get all that read.

If anyone wants a printed copy of the Year in Review please let me know.  I plan to take it to the printer’s next week.  The cost is $50, made out to the USAWA.

Postal Series Wrapup

By Al Myers

The USAWA has 4 postal meets per year (March, June, September, and December), with the last one being designated as the Postal Championships. All these together make up the Postal Meet Series. Each postal meet a lifter competes in generates points for him/her, that total up for the final Postal Series Ranking.

The way the points are generated is pretty simple. I take the overall placings of the meet and then reverse “the count” for the points earned for each lifter. I.E – if three lifters compete lifter number 1 gets 3 points, lifter number 2 gets 2 points, and lifter number three gets 1 point. The Postal Championships is worth “double points”. Obviously then, as more lifters enter more points can be earned for winning the meet, and ALL lifters earn points regardless where they place overall. Just entering will earn points toward the Postal Series Ranking.

Overall there was good participation in the USAWA Postal Meets last year. A total of 22 lifters competed in the various postal meets, which is more lifters than competed last year. The first Postal Meet had 14 lifters, the second had 9 lifters, the third had 11 lifters, and the Postal Championship drew 18 lifters. Several lifters competed in ALL of the postal meets last year and they deserve to be recognized.  These lifters are the GRAND SLAM WINNERS:  RJ Jackson, Eric Todd, Mark Raymond, Aidan Habecker, Denny Habecker, and Lance Foster.

Now for the overall rankings for the 2017 USAWA Postal Series!

WOMENS DIVISION – TOP THREE

PLACING LIFTER MEETS ENTERED POINTS
1 RJ Jackson 4 9
2 Kim Lydon 1 6
3 Crystal Diggs 3 4

MENS DIVISION – TOP TEN

PLACING LIFTER MEETS ENTERED POINTS
1 Eric Todd 4 46
2 Al Myers 3 42
3 John Douglas 3 41
4 Tony Patterson 1 30
5 Chad Ullom 2 27
6 Tie Mark Raymond 4 26
6 Tie Barry Bryan 2 26
6 Tie LaVerne Myers 2 26
9 Denny Habecker 4 25
10 Aidan Habecker 4 23

Congrats to RJ Jackson and Eric Todd for being the OVERALL WINNERS of the 2017 USAWA Postal Series.  This is RJ’s 5th STRAIGHT Postal Series Champion Winner (2013-2017).  That is an amazing accomplishment!  For ET, this is first time being the Overall Champion of the Postal Series. Eric has been a devoted Postal Meet participant, and always finishes in the TOP TEN each year in the Postal Series.  This year he had an outstanding Postal Series season, being the Best Lifter in two of the Postal Meets (2nd Quarter and 3rd Quarter).  Both RJ and ET represent the USAWA with high class, and are well deserving of the title of Postal Series Champions.

I want to thank everyone who participated in our Postal Meet Series.  This partipation is what keeps our Postals going every year. I also want to mention and give credit to our Postal Meet Director Denny Habecker who makes all this happen.  A full historical archive of the past Postal Meet Series is kept on the website, under “history”.

Welcome Barry to the Club!

By Al Myers

I just got done updating the USAWA Record List and the Century Club.  And to my excitement we have a new USAWA Century Club member, and that is BARRY PENSYL. The Century Club is for an inclusive group of All Rounders who hold over 100 USAWA records. It’s not easy to exceed 100 records in our organization, and often takes many years.  Barry has been working towards this for a long, long time.   His first USAWA record was set in 1990 at the Nationals in Akron!  So this has been a 27 year project for Barry! Big congrats Barry from myself and the rest of the USAWA.

Other than that, there were not any really big changes in the CENTURY CLUB. Our Prez Denny still holds the big lead over the rest of the field in the Mens Club, with a total of 575 USAWA Records. RJ still holds the top Women’s spot in the Womens Century Club and is closing in on 300 USAWA Records.  In the Men’s Club all the top ten members either stayed the same or increased their record count.  In the Womens Club all four members stayed the same or increased their count.  The Men’s Century Club now stands at 25 members with the addition of Barry.  The biggest record “increasers” since last count were: RJ (+17), Denny (+15), LaVerne (+11), and myself (+19).  Not much changed in the overall order – the women’s Club stayed the same and only two changes happened in the Mens Club.  LaVerne moved past THE LEGEND Howard Prechtel to 13th place, and ET moved up a place to 22nd.  One thing had me really concerned when updating this list, and that is that I found a “record error” with Dave Glasgow, who’s barely holding in the Century Club with an even 100 records.  Apparently I had made a previous mistake in the Record List by attributing a record to Dave, when it should have went to his Uncle Kenny!  So I had to made the correction which would have meant Dave had not officially reached the Century Club – but to my good luck I got to add a record for Dave when I added the Strict Pinch Grip to the Record List so he’s still in with his count of 100.  But PLEASE DAVE set a few more so you will no longer be on the “cut line”!

I’ve always been pretty good at predicting who the next Century Club member will be. I “nailed it’ with Barry, and with Eric and Randy before as well.  Now who do I predict it will be now?  My bet is on Dan Wagman! Dan is standing at 90 Records and it wouldn’t take him much work to get 10 more.  But that depends on Dan not going “off the grid” in the near future, which with Dan you never know!  So I’m going to hedge my bet and throw out another name for a future Century Club member.  Abe Smith is currently standing at 91 USAWA Records, and has shown interest in lifting this spring in the USAWA. His odds are very good that he will make the Club as well.

Be sure to check out the latest Record List update.

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